We all have many people to thank for getting us through our freshman year of college. Maybe it's our parents, who bought us food sometimes and let us come home for the free laundry. A boyfriend or girlfriend back of the ranks at home, or at a different school, or even better- here at school with you. Our room mates who we formed instant bonds with, making lasting friendships, they definitely may have been the person to get you through your first year on your own. How many of us stop, however, to think of our pets as the ones to get us through day to day?

There is a red betta fish in my room, named Tiny, and he is well loved. He may be new but he gives us a little responsibility, and a little something to look forward to each day. He brings a certain vibrancy to the room, a certain passion, and definitely makes a great companion and addition to this dorm. He's fish number 3 for me, number 2 for my room mate, but the fish lead happy lives, well fed and comfortable until they inexplicably pass, as some fish do.

It may not just be a fish in your dorm room that brightens your day, maybe you have a furry friend at home that gets you through a grueling week, knowing that at the weekend you'll be able to see them again. I know human interaction is vital to surviving your first year of college, but arguably equally important is unconditional love from a living animal. Whether they bark, or meow, or just swim around blowing bubbles, pets are wonderful additions to your life.