The first few weeks of college often come with a slew of adjustments, from leaving home, to new sleep schedules, to learning to manage a multitude of "free time." One of the biggest adjustments, though, is the prospect of meeting and making new friends.
I am lucky. In such a short amount of time, I made an incredible group of friends (a "squad," if you will). A little over a month later, we are wonderfully close, and not entirely sure how we all ended up meeting each other in the first place.
Making friends in college and being able to maintain a social life was one of my biggest fears before arriving on campus. Going to a small, cliquey high school could often make that difficult, but college has afforded me kind, intelligent friends who always have my laughing.
I feel like I have known these people for years. They have ensured that I have evening and weekend plans and people to eat meals with. They make sure we have dance parties in our dorms at stressful times and listen to crazy roommate stories. We have introduced each other to new Netflix series, ways of thinking, and each others' friends and family over FaceTime. They scrutinize every guy we meet online and see on campus and make sure we are safe and happy. We share each other's clothes and makeup and occasionally head across campus to the gym together. We have followed each other's instas and siblings on Instagram. We study and watch the presidential debates together.
I have heard complaints that having a college squad can hinder one's ability to branch out and meet new people. This is so far from the truth. We are able to introduce each other to our roommates, friends on our floors, and people in our classes and clubs, and will often make a point of hanging out with them.
My friends make sure my phone never goes without notifications, posting funny screenshots, videos and meal plans in the group chat several times a day. We are experts at getting free Uber rides with drivers good enough to tell stories about later and win costume contests at parties, even if we are some of the only people to enter.
I now know that Minnesota is the greatest state ever to exist and that film festivals aren't always what they seem.
I wouldn't want to partake in school traditions, try to bake a cake, set up a mini fridge, share awkward homemade videos and middle school pictures, or get lost in the library with anybody else.
Thank you for being my people and making this transition into college so much easier. Here's to four more years of memories and inside jokes.