With almost an entire year of college under your belt, you’ve probably changed in many ways since that moment you first packed up your entire life, hugged your lifelong friends goodbye, and made your way to a school where you knew almost no one. At this point, you are probably not that same person who nervously walked into your first frat party and experienced the trials of sharing a tiny living space with a complete stranger. With that said, studying, eating, watching movies, sharing late night Subway, and living in close quarters every moment of the day with a bunch of people your own age allows for unique and incomparable bonds to form. The girls you briefly remember seeing around campus and meeting at orientation have now become some of your closest friends. They now know you in ways that your home friends will never really understand. For example…
Your college friends know the regrettable and rookie mistakes you made during your first couple weeks as a new student.
Whether it be setting off the alarm in ZSR for taking the wrong exit, or blowing off the guy who happens to be in three of your classes, your college friends have seen you through all your embarrassing freshman moments.
They know what to say to you when you’re stressed about doing well on a test, or when to avoid you when you really need some quiet study time.
They know never to speak the name of that one guy you most regret hooking up with during syllabus week.
They know your favorite unhealthy snacks at the POD.
Bring on the Easy Mac, Ramen, and Cheetos!
They’ve seen the struggles you’ve had to deal with while living with a messy roommate.
They feel the same excitement as you do when someone suggests getting Subway after a night out.
They understand and appreciate your obsessive desire to take pictures of the beautiful Wait Chapel.
*Photo courtesy of Haley Callicott
Most importantly, they understand and relate to all the adjustments, excitements, disappointments, and novelties you have experienced while navigating your way through freshman year.