Being from Louisiana, I knew a good amount of people coming to LSU. I knew my roommate before move-in day. I knew girls on my hall and in my classes. There were even a few familiar faces running by my side down the row on bid day. These were all very exciting steps when transitioning from high school to college. Sadly, there were a few of my friends who weren't there because they chose to attend different universities.
Stop right there. I know what you are thinking. This article is going to be sad, but that is not what this article is about. People mostly only talk about the disadvantages of going to a different school from your friends. I am here to tell you that that is a myth. While we do miss our friends and wish they were there for some of the greatest moments in our college lives, there are still actually some pretty cool benefits to having a friend who goes to school far away from you.
First of all, they aren't there with you all the time. Let's face it. A lot of cool stuff happens on a daily basis. And they aren't there to share it with you. Obviously, this sounds like a bad thing. But trust me. It's not. You get to tell them about it. Everyone likes telling a good story. But you can't tell the story to people who were there with you. But your friend all the way in California will gladly listen to the story about the time it was raining, missed the last bus, didn't have an umbrella and had to walk all the way from the Journalism building to Sorority Row. Good times.
Obviously, the same is true in reverse. You get to hear all their stories too. Baton Rouge has its amenities. But it's nothing compared to the stories of your friend who goes to school just outside of New York City. She will tell you about that time when she lost her phone and wallet on the subway and used a cab driver's cell phone to contact her roommate and bribed her way onto a bus. Things like that only happen to her, anyway.
Not being able to see them and talk to them makes the moments when you are together that much more special. In high school, when you would see each other all the time; your trips to the mall, or movie nights, or late night frozen yogurt trips were commonplace and uneventful. They happened all the time. But when you purposefully plan time into your schedule to be able to talk and catch up, that's something special that only the two of you share. And if you have someone who is willing to do that, then the friendship is real. And when you actually get to see each other in person again, everyone else should just back up and look out.
So next time you have to say goodbye and part ways for another whole semester, just remember that you have those Skype dates and hour-long phone calls to look forward to.
