Every day I go home to a house full of 70 girls. To most people, this sounds exhausting, chaotic, and like a drama-filled mess. Those people would be wrong. Coming home to a house full of laughter and chatter and (just a little bit of) craziness is the best thing that could have happened to me.

I’m feeling extra sentimental today because I just signed my very first big-girl lease for my very first big-girl apartment. Now not only is the thought of living alone just a little bit terrifying, I think I’m the most upset about not sleeping three feet away from my best friend or being able to run down the stairs to my other best friends.

Looking back, I have learned so much living in a sorority house, so here’s a few of those, along with some memories that I will be able to take with me for the rest of my life.

1. There is always someone down to go to the library.

At any given time, half of the girls in my house are somewhere with their heads in a book. I mean it is college though, so that’s basically the entire campus, right? But what makes this so great is that almost 100% of the time there is someone willing to go to the library with you. Personally, I find studying in my house distracting and it’s very hard for me to not just sleep on the couch. Which is why I spend most of my weekdays in the library, and why it’s even better than I almost always have a study buddy.

2. There is always someone ready to go out when you're tired of the library.

On the flip side, once that clock strikes Friday (or Thursday depending on the week), its officially the weekend and I can promise you there are girls ready to ditch the sweatpants and the Dunkin coffee and are so ready to go and release all the stress that built up from the week. Now, trust me, this doesn’t play into the stereotype that all sorority girls only party and don’t care about their classes. This is just simply college students enjoying their weekends. And just as there are girls willing to go out, there are just as many who are staying to study or watch a movie.

3. The support system is UNREAL.

One thing about living and growing with 70 girls, is that they are the biggest hype team you will ever have (unless you have a mom like mine, she’ll always be #1). Whether it comes to taking bomb pictures for your insta, or you’re walking out the door for that big exam you’ve been stressing about for weeks, or even just hyping you up to slide in the dm’s of that cute boy you’ve been wanting to ask to formal; these girls are there for you, and encouraging you every step of the way.

4. They really do become your home away from home.

First things first, I’m an out-of-state student and I don’t get to go home as often as I would like, so the girls I live with really have become my family. And not just that, my friends’ families have become my families too. It feels so good to be welcomed into other people’s homes for holidays that I can’t go home for, or just to hug someone else’s mom when I can’t hug my own. Obviously, it’s not the same, but it still feels good knowing that I can still get a family feel, even 500 miles away from my own.

5. There is always someone willing to order Papa John's.

I swear it’s a daily thing. To be fair though, if we order a large pepperoni with extra cheese for carry-out before 11:40 pm, it's only $10 and a two-minute walk to pick it up. Perks of having Venmo and perks of having Papa John’s right behind our house. AND I can guarantee that there is someone willing to go to the gym the next day to work all that off (not me though I would rather nap).

6. These are the girls that are going to be my best friends for the rest of my life.

I am so confident that the girls I live with now are going to be the girls I lean on for support for forever. These girls are going to be in my wedding and then they’ll be the same girls I call 20 years later when I’m arguing with my husband and we need to talk about how men ain’t shit (just kidding future hubby, ily whoever you are). These are the girls that my kids will call “Aunt”, and the girls that I will call on a Sunday afternoon to reminisce about the “old days” at frat after-hours and laugh about those crazy formal nights.

I absolutely can’t wait to grow up with my best friends and see them become so successful, start growing their own families and watch them accomplish the dreams that we now talk about at two in the morning. I love them to death and I am already so proud of them and so blessed that I can call them my roommates and my best friends. I will forever be thankful that I got to experience living with 70 of my closest friends and I will cherish these memories forever. Thank you to my bffs for making life so great.