It was a hot summer day, less than a week after my high school graduation, and I was running late. A nervous mess, just wanting to make friends and fit in, I was attending my first New Student Orientation at UMass. We were split into groups based on our majors: I was undeclared… and so were you! Like most people, I sort of fell into a group of girls who seemed nice, but you and I clicked right off the bat. We bonded over the fear of getting lost on campus, how we had no idea what we wanted to do with our lives, and our love of Boston sports. By the end of the two day NSO, we had become good friends and I was actually excited to start college. I knew it was a sign when we met back up with our parents and found that our moms had met, and so had our dads, without any of the other pairs knowing we were all connected.
Fast-forward to the end of August when we moved into the dorms. I was nervous that our friendship wouldn’t last– you were in Southwest and I ended up in Central. But thankfully, it did. It didn’t matter if we were only able to meet up a couple of times a semester for lunch, we were always able to pick right back up where we left off. Our friendship has been constant, even though we weren’t always a daily presence in each other’s lives.
Things continued in this manner, meeting up for lunch a few times per semester– until late fall junior year. You were getting ready to go abroad for the spring and couldn’t be more excited. Since you were going to be gone the following semester, we had to spring into action earlier than others… to lease our first apartment for our senior year. We had talked about being roommates since we first met at NSO, but it hadn’t worked out until now. The next few weeks were filled with constant conversations, apartment tours, paperwork, and trips to Yankee Candle. I couldn’t wait to finally live with my first friend at UMass.
Some people might have a hard time transitioning from only seeing each other a couple of times each semester to sharing an apartment, but not us. Our friendship has always been effortless and comfortable, so we seamlessly transitioned into the roommate life. This year has strengthened our friendship into something that’ll last a lifetime. From our conversations about boys, Disney, and life in general, to our mutual love for Gilmore Girls and you convincing me to join Her Campus – one of the best decisions of my life – you have helped make senior year better than I could’ve ever imagined.
Getting ready to graduate and head our separate ways– you to London and me staying out here– I know that our friendship will remain just as strong. I look forward to snapchats and updates on your crazy London adventures and the day that we can once again meet for lunch. So here’s to you: I’m so happy we met that day. Thanks for being my first friend at UMass.
All photos courtesy of author.