Congratulations as you walk to get that blank piece of paper that you worked hard for. You’re about to take your first steps on to the college you chose back in April or May and you could not be anymore excited to be free. If you did not find your first roommate or a group of people you wanted to talk to on Facebook or a website the school gave you do not worry because neither did I.

This little note is here to tell you if you don’t find your group of friends at school the first year of college that it is okay and not the end of the world. I started my freshman year with a clean slate, no one knew my past and all I could see was my future and when I walked into the small hallways leading to my dorm room, all I could think was will my suitemates and more importantly my roommate like me. My roommate and I had our ups and downs but in reality, I was the quite kid who did not go out much and he was a party guy who is now a fraternity brother. We have gone our separate ways now but we still talk and catch up now and then. But since then, I have come out of my shell it just took more time than most people to find my friends who would help me become who I am now.

I found my friends the beginning of sophomore year and it was all because I said yes to the most odd request that I do not regret agreeing to. I was asked to join a crew team of about 18 people at the time and to wake up at five in the morning to go and row on the Hudson for two hours a day, five days a week starting in September to get ready for racing that was not until April. No one is functional at five in the morning so the only time people got to truly know each other was at social gatherings such as team breakfast, parties the upperclassmen threw down town every weekend, or just asking people to hang out or study. This forced me to meet numerous people, come out of my shell, and most importantly create the bond that is friendship with the people I got along with the most these last two years.

The friends you make in college are there for the long haul. They are the ones who will see you at your Beyoncé moments and at your shaved head Britney moments and will accept you no matter what. My friends have helped me when I was deep in a bad funk, when I was to drunk to move on my own, shared experiences that I will never forget, and most importantly harassed me like a mother to get my work done while always being able to embarrass me with stories and photos that I did not know they knew or had. These are the kind of people that you will want to be by your side, so remember that if you don't find the right clique the first year there is always the next year.