Simply put, college is weird. As soon as summer ends, you're shipped off to a new town, a new school, and forced to make new friends. Most likely, your friend group from high school has dispersed to different parts of the state, or maybe even America. And although the distance doesn't mean the loss of friendships, it allows new friendships to be formed.
In high school, it was so easy to be content with your friend group. Most likely, you grew up together and have been friends for years. Your identity was in the group, and that was how your classmates and peers knew you. But going off to college, you are given a new opportunity to figure out your own identity. There is a freedom to choose who you want to be as a person, and the type of friends you want to surround yourself with.
I think everyone would admit that the first few days on campus aren't the best. You're meeting all of these new potential friends, and wondering if they will progress beyond the casual cafeteria wave. I remember making a little list in my head of the girls I saw myself as being friends with, and now these girls are my best friends. The ability to come in with a clean slate and find girls who you believe could grow you as a person is an amazing gift.
In a short semester and a half of college, I can confidently say that I have found life-long friends. The girls I surrounded myself with during those awkward first few weeks at school have become my new identity. They are some of the most genuine, loving and crazy girls I have ever met, and I'm so thankful they were placed in my life.
College has a way of accelerating friendships. Not in a bad way, but in the sense that you literally just met a year ago, but it's like you've known each other since day one. Having your best friends just a few doors away from you makes it easy to dive deeper and stay connected. It's hard to go a day without seeing your friends, thus earning them the status of family. By constantly being surrounded by girls who are intentional, friendships blossom.
In such a small amount of time, I have found a group of girls who truly and unfailingly love and support each other. How such genuine care and compassion formed in such a short amount of time blows my mind. If I'm ever having a bad day, I know a kind heart is just a few steps away. If I need to vent, there will always be listening ears and mouths full of advice. And of course, they make for exciting and eventful weekends.
I'm so thankful for the depth of the friendships that have developed in my first year of college. My friends and I have truly invested in each other, allowing us to grow during this time of change together. These girls will be my bridesmaids one day. And although I miss my high school friends dearly, I know that they are building new, amazing relationships too.
College friendships may be developed faster than the regular, but they sure are forever ones.
