1. They can give you rides
Whether you’re a freshman in high school or a freshman in college, you like being able to go out with friends and have that ride if access to a car is limited. You were seen as super cool if you had an older friend in high school that could drive you places. Want to go to the mall? You got a ride. Want to go out during your lunch period? Done. In college it’s similar since most freshmen aren’t allowed to have cars on campus. Having an upperclassman friend with a car is like hitting the ultimate jackpot.
2. They have a lot of advice to offer
This one is pretty self explanatory. They have had so many more life experiences than you. They have advice ranging from dating and boys and having a great social experience in college to how to successfully pass your freshman year. No matter the time of the day, they are there to help you through anything.
3. They tell you what classes to take
No matter where you are in your educational career, upperclassmen friends have experienced a multitude of teaching styles, grading systems, and workloads. What classes should I take that will benefit me? Which professors do I stay away from? (Opposite: Which professor is the best?) What is the work load like? Can this class help me get an internship? What are the easiest gen-eds? Upperclassmen have the answers to these questions and many more. Being given advice on what classes to take from a student’s perspective definitely helped me through my freshman year of college.
4. They get you more involved
Welcome week in college is a lot of fun but super chaotic with all the different activities available on campus that try to immerse you in at least one thing. With everything that goes on, you can feel overwhelmed and have the motivation to stay in your dorm room and watch Netflix for 36 hours. Upperclassmen friends will encourage you to come to different activities they are involved in on campus to give you a taste of something you might want to join. Once you have found your thing, whether it be Student Senate, a sorority (or fraternity), or athletics, you know you always can count on the upperclassmen to show you the rope
5. They make you feel welcome
Joining a club or going to an event, even with another friend, can be awkward and intimidating. Upperclassmen have been there and done that and probably hated the awkwardness just as much as you do. Maybe they had an upperclassman welcome them to whatever it is they were attending and wanted to do the same for someone else, or maybe they experienced the opposite and wished they had someone to make them feel welcome. If I knew one of my upperclassmen friends was going to be at a meeting or event, I would find them and sit with them because it gave me a chance to spend time with them while avoiding the inevitable if I was alone: awkwardness.
6. They make the best role models
I never once became friends with someone who was a couple years older than me that wasn’t an idol for me. I’m not saying I put them on a pedestal and called them God; they just were amazing inspirations of how to make the most out of your (college) experiences and live life amazingly. Each of my now graduated friends each had something they were passionate about that made them happy, whether it was art, theatre, video games, or even math and politics. I aspire to make the most out of everything like they showed me I can.
7. It’s really hard to say goodbye
I experienced this one first-hand my second semester of freshman year of college. The friends I made in the theatre department weren’t only my age, but definitely the seniors that had to graduate. I went to numerous events that honored the seniors and their accomplishments during their college years, and I cried every single time because the looming fear and sadness of not having them on campus next year came to mind. I met some of the greatest people who happened to be older than me; these people were “ready” to start their adult lives, whereas I was barely thinking about my life after college. Saying goodbye to so many amazing people as they graduate was tough, but in this day and age, we all have cell phones and a wide selection of social media to keep in contact.
No matter where your personal adventures take you or where your friends' adventures take them, they will always be there for you and move heaven and earth just to say hey.
