Friends are an essential part of college life. They are the people we hang out with, attend classes with, eat alongside, and have as roommates. However, as you may have already noticed, college friendships are very dynamic.
College is a very odd time in the sense that we are all evolving as human beings rather quickly and suddenly. Our majors, interests, lifestyles, career goals, and personal lives change. It can be hard to understand and get along with yourself, let alone every friend that you have. In turn, this may mean that the friends you started college with may not necessarily be the friends you end college with.
It’s important to be accepting of this part of college though. It is okay to move on from a friend you no longer find yourself aligned with; Forcing yourself to stay in a friendship where you no longer feel loved and accepted for who you are is probably the worst thing you could do to yourself. This is a transitional period in our lives and everyone is going through something, whether we know it or not. It’s important to be respectful and accepting of your friends’ evolutions as well as your own.
My advice for handling a friendship breakup is to try and end on good terms. If you cannot, then at least try to wish that person well in their future endeavors. It is okay to miss a friend that you know is no longer good for you and it is okay to not miss them too. Growth is natural and it is healthy to work on discovering who you are and figuring out who the people you want to surround yourself with are too.