Very few of us were able to pick our high schools, so we chose our friends based on an environment we were forced to be involved in. However, all of us were able to pick the place where we would spend the next and probably most important years of our lives: our colleges.
Despite all the people we choose to spend our time with, the three to five girls we surround ourselves with the most will change our lives forever. We all have a girl squad, or as some would call it, a clique. The exception? This clique of girls isn’t friends because of similar prom dates, age or the same lunch times.
Here are the five top reasons our girl group in college is far better than anything we’ve have before.
1.They don’t dwell on your past.
The people we meet in college more than likely have no idea where we come from. This is powerful. We are able to speak openly and honestly to them about our past, writing our story how we see it. There is no fear of backlash because our new friends have no connection to our old friends. The fear of honesty is a barrier that can be broken with our college friends because they see our present self talking about a past self. Leaving your first home and entering your second “home” can be equally as awesome as it is scary. You’re leaving everything you have ever grown up with (literally), so having people in your corner to discuss things from this past world of yours is comforting.
2. They help you make decisions that will benefit you, not them.
The four years we spend in college are some of the scariest, greatest and most stressful times of our lives. It is in these years that life really smacks us in the face and we are forced to “adult”. It probably goes without saying that issues we find in college are much bigger than whom you will be taking to prom that year. We all will be faced with major life decisions: jobs in different cities, horrible break-ups and major changes are decisions we will come across that will scare the life out of us. Our college squad will be there to put that life right back in you. They can give you authentic advice about how each choice will alter your life, and that radiates positive energy.
3. They understand life is busy.
In high school, missing one event was tragic. Nothing felt worse than when our parents were the only ones who said “no” to a Saturday night at our BFF’s. However, as we grow up, our lives will be nothing but chaos. The lunch dates and late nights out will become few and far between at times as we try to sort out our hectic schedules. Our college squad gets it, because life is pulling them in 100 directions as well.
4. But they make time for you anyway.
They understand. They will still be there to pop that bottle of wine with you when you nail your final presentation before graduation. Your girl squad won’t let you feel left out of any event that you may not be able to attend (thanks, GroupMe). If you can’t make the night out because of a test, your squad won’t let you feel like you’ve missed “the best night ever,” rather they will make you feel like it wasn’t fun without you. You squad won’t let you miss a beat.
5. They’ve watched you grow.
College is the ultimate challenge of growth. These years will test us in ways that we have never experienced before, and we can’t endure this without our girl squad. These girls help us through the tough times and stand with us when the storms have passed. They laughed with us, drank far too much alcohol with us, regretted decisions with us and repeated the cycle more times than we can count. At the end of it all, there’s literally no one else we would rather go through these years with.
Some of us will keep our high school bonds close with us forever, but the friends we meet in college are supposed to be some of the most influential people in our lives; most of the time they are. This clique of girls are friends for far deeper reasons than any friendships we’ve had before. There is something to be said about a group of girls that come together in college based on morals, interests and connection. So shout out to our girl squads, because we couldn’t do it without them.
