Coming into college, I had pretty high expectations about what it would be like. I heard countless stories from family and friends that always seemed to highlight the fact that they were still very close with the people that they went to college with. I grew increasingly more excited to find my "group" as the time for school to start quickly approached.

But the first couple of weeks at school didn't meet the high expectations I had set for college life. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but I hadn't met people that I connected with yet. It seemed like everyone in my dorm was friends with each other except for my roommate and I. So, we decided to leave our door open so that people could come in, and to our surprise, a lot of people did.

From then on, I grew closer and closer to people that I never would have imagined myself being friends with. I would see them every day, and we always knew what was happening in each other's lives.

So, to those friends: thank you. You have made my college experience more fun than I could have ever imagined. Every weekend was always exciting, and I never had to worry about being bored. I feel like I have actually been able to fully enjoy college life because of all of you, and I am so grateful for all of the late-night memories we have made.

But it's easy for people to stick around when I am laughing and enjoying the weekend, so thank you for also being with me when it's Tuesday night and I am crammed with homework and stressed to the point of tears. You have helped me through stressful school nights and the hardships that life has thrown my way this year, and I couldn't have done it without your support. On nights that I didn't want to do anything, you made sure that I had a good time and never felt left out.

I am hopeful that we will all continue to stay such close friends throughout these next three years of college, but for now, I am forever grateful for the unexpected friendship that you have all given me. I could not have survived freshman year without all of you right there with me.