"Distance means so little when someone means so much" – Tom McNeal

Leaving for college means leaving behind so many things important to oneself. From family and pets to friends of all capacities, leaving is very difficult, but the hardest part comes in the middle. When you are starting to take midterms in classes and realize you haven't seen your best friends in fifty days and will not see them for fifty more. When you celebrate birthdays via Facetime with gifts from DoorDash. When your parents ask you how your best friend is doing – that one person who has been attached to your hip for four years – and your honest answer is that you do not know. When you realize that your best friends are not with you to lift you when you are feeling sad or cheer you on when you accomplish something exciting. It is at these moments when you truly realize the definition of a best friend.

A best friend. That person who knows your innermost self and accepts you for who you are. That person who is the first person to be in your corner – supporting you in everything you do – despite the distance. No matter how far away a best friend is – from one mile to eight-hundred-sixty-five miles – they are always there for you. Knowing that if you call a person at eleven at night, when you are afraid of walking home in the dark, and they will always answer, is truly something special. Nobody can replace these types of friends, and I promise, I do not ever plan on it.

College makes a person wonder and reflect on their choices, what to prioritize but most importantly, who to prioritize. Do I hang out with my hallmates or call my parents? Easy answer, call my parents – you're welcome mom and dad. The truth is, when I am with my (newer, cooler) college friends, if I get a call from anybody back home, I will most definitely drop everything and answer it. Friendships are not a question of prioritization but instead frequency, and I can guarantee that while I appreciate my new friends who have helped me navigate my way through college thus far, nothing compares to my best friends I miss so dearly.

At the end of the day, I have new friends and while we may become close throughout my college experience, my best friends are my backbone. For my friends back home – most of whom are not even home too. For my old friends – a fictitious phrase because you guys are my current friends, we may grow older through time, but our bonds will only grow stronger. For my best of friends, thank you. It is difficult to be so far away, but I am excited to see how far you will go. Whenever you are feeling down, I am still here to lift you and whenever you are having a great day, I am right around the corner, smiling with you. Thank you for all you have done and all you will continue to do for me. While it may not seem it, everything is a little bit more difficult without my best friends by my side. It is the halfway point and in just a few short weeks, we will be together again – and you will prove to my new friends that they may be newer but nobody will ever be cooler than the friends I have loved before college and continue to love today.