“Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.” – Bill Watterson
Obviously Mr. Watterson never went off to a college two states away, leaving his best friends behind. College isn’t like high school, where you sit next to your besties in English class, catch up on the latest gossip during lunch and then drive home together after a long day. College is a whole new ball game; especially if your best friends go to school in a completely different time zone! That’s right, I broke away from the pack and chose to go to Auburn University over the good ole University of Florida and the rest of the Sunshine State’s top notch universities. I was scared to death to start over in a new place, leaving my ‘best friend since middle school’ behind but let’s face it, going to Auburn is the best decision I have ever made for my relationship with my bestie.
Reason number one: The saying “distance makes the heart grow founder” could not be any truer. When you only get to go home four times a year, it is imperative to plan around each other’s schedules; whether that means stopping at your besties dorm for the night on your way home or squeezing in an hour lunch between family plans, you just make it work. This definitely taught me to treasure every second I get to spend with my best friend, even if we don’t get to binge watch Grey’s Anatomy the whole week of Thanksgiving. Surprises also occur more frequently; my best friend pulled one over on me by crashing my fall break birthday weekend at Disney World (best surprise ever, by the way). Or that time my bestie came all the way to Auburn even though flying gives her nightmares. After all, it’s the little things in life that mean the most, especially when they involve your best friends.
Reason number two: Facetime dates are a necessity! I have no shame when I say I Facetime my parents and my pets on a regular basis but it’s always hard to plan Facetime with your bestie when you both have crazy schedules. We have a rule though: At least once a month, whether it’s on a Saturday night after the football game or on a random Thursday night, we make time to catch up “face-to face.” Sometimes we will do homework together, watch an episode of our favorite new Netflix series or most recently, eat Chick-Fil-a on camera, pretending we are eating together. Texting is great and all, and hearing her voice on the phone is even better but Facetime tops both; since we can’t physically be together, at least I can give her tours of my apartment and Auburn to make it feel real.
Reason number three: Drumroll please… and the last reason why going away to college actually strengthens friendships back home is because… you can bring all your new college friends home for summer break to meet your best friends! This is by far the greatest reason, just because you move two states away and start over, you’re not actually starting over, you are expanding your friend group, exploring a new place and will always run home to tell your bestie about your adventures. Trust me when I say this, they will never get tired of your college stories and are just as eager to meet your sorority sisters, roommates, and gal pals as you are theirs.
Next time you go home, wherever that may be, make sure to give your best friend(s) a huge hug and say thank you because doing college without each other is pretty scary. Even though the goodbyes never get any easier, the hellos only get sweeter.