It was senior year, and my best friend had decided that Marquette University would be her future home. So naturally, I was so proud that I contacted my entire family to let them know what college she would be attending. I, at the time, was deciding between Indiana University and Bradley University, and fate blew me into the direction of Marquette. When I had made my decision, I was hesitant to publicize it like all of my friends had done before. I felt as if I was copying my best friend, taking away from her college experience and being completely selfish in my college choice. When I broke the news to my best friend, neither of us were happy.

Not only did we feel like we were stepping on each others toes by attending the same college, but we were also receiving negative signals from others. Friends, teachers and neighbors bombarded us with horror stories of best friends going to college together. Every story held the same gruesome ending: what seemed like long-lasting friendships falling to pieces after a few short months.

So, when the time came, we registered for dorms on the opposite ends of campus, assured each other that our classes for our majors wouldn't overlap and ultimately promised the other that we would branch out. We wanted our own experiences, our own friends and our own space to ensure that we would not have a falling out.

Summertime came to an end, and we both left our homes, Marquette-bound. Days came and went, we each found our niche at school, made our own friends and went to completely separate classes. We would see each other about once a week to go out for lunch or grab a bagel quickly somewhere on campus, but that was it.

Going from practically living at each others houses back in our hometown to rarely ever seeing each other at school was a huge change in both of our lives. After a few weeks of this odd practice of rarely communicating with each other, we finally realized how silly we were being. We were irrationally afraid of losing a friendship bound together by 13 years of unbreakable moments, memories and experiences. Around late October, we decided to drop the charades and go back to our goofy, quirky, sisterly ways and reintegrate into each others lives.

Entering college was a milestone in our friendship. Although attending the same college might not have been in our original plans, it truly has strengthened the bonds between the two of us. Yes, I love finding myself, making new friends and having new experiences at college, but I am still incredibly thankful that I have my best friend nearby to share these moments with. It truly is a luxury to have my best friend so close to me, because college life is difficult to get accustomed to. I know that no matter what she will be at my dorm in an instant with cheese curds after a bad day, and she knows that on a bad day I'm ready to book it four blocks just to watch Mrs. Doubtfire with her. I can't even imagine what my Marquette experience would be without having my best friend alongside me.

Here's to four more years of being happily stuck together with my best friend, and I can't wait to see what the future holds in store for us.