For graduating seniors, the last few days of May marked the crucial time in which we: took finals, partied with our friends, stayed up until 4 a.m. writing papers, decorated our graduation caps, ate way too much take-out, took corny and wonderful pictures at the Husky statue, laughed until we cried, cried until we laughed and eventually… graduated from college. For me and for many people those days were an absolute whirlwind, and so it is important to take the time to sit down and reflect on the college experience that has brought us to that amazing moment of graduation, and the many friends that you made along the way.
To The Friends From Class:
Even if the friends you met through class didn’t become your closest friends from college, they definitely saved your life on a few occasions. From frantically texting the girl who sits next to you at 2 a.m. because you lost your notes for an assignment due the next morning, to joking your way through sleepless nights in the library with your study group, the friends you meet in class have helped you over and over again throughout your academic journey, as you have always helped them. Without them, lectures would be unbearable and you’d never have anyone to save you a seat in over-crowded classes. Thankfully, Facebook will keep you updated on all of the amazing things your friends from class do in this world, and if that girl from Poli-Sci becomes the next President or the guy from English Lit writes the next great American novel, you can say you knew them way back when!
To The Friends You Met When You Went Out:
This type of friend is a special one: it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see them after the one fateful night that a group of happily drunk girls walks you back to your dorm, or after you meet your “new best friend” at an overcrowded frat party, but the bond you shared for that one night is definitely something special. These friends are proof that good people exist, and that they’re right here on this campus: helping you get home from Ted’s, posting in Buy Or Sell when they find your lost ID and laughing with you as you dance your worries away at Huskies.
To The Friends You Met in Clubs:
These friends can become some of your absolute closest friends, as you probably already had a lot of common interests to begin with. They’re the people in your student-run theatre group that you sing show-tunes with all night, the athletes on your club sports team that practice with you before every game, and the amazing instrumentalists in the band that you’re lucky enough to sing with. The friends you meet in clubs are the people that you see multiple times a week to do the things that you all love to do, and love is one of the most powerful unifiers of all. You probably couldn’t have imagined not being in another play with your best friends, or never laughing your way through another meeting or grabbing dinner at the Union after a practice, but luckily through your club you have become friends for life, which is something that won’t change after graduation.
To The Friends You Met in Your Dorm:
From roommates and suitemates to the guy next door, the friends you met in your dorm know the real you, for better or worse. They know exactly what you look like after three exams and the stomach bug, they know precisely what type of music you play in the shower and they always remember your favorite D.P. Dough order. The friends you met in your dorm are special because of circumstance: you were randomly thrown together by a computer, and yet, you’ve managed to become so close in such a short period of time. You are always there for eachother, through late night crying in the stairwell to the nights where you stay up crying with laughter until 4 a.m. These people became some of your most honest and loving friendships, and you wouldn’t trade them for the world.
To The Friends Who Leave You Along The Way:
Sometimes, friends don’t stay your friends. Whether you have a fight, or simply drift apart, it is almost inevitable that you will lose a friend or two throughout your college experience. The important thing to understand about this is that it’s perfectly natural, as not everyone you meet in college is meant to be in your life for the long term. As long as you have apologized to them if you did anything unkind, there is nothing more you can do. Make sure that you remain true to yourself, and understand that not everyone that you love can stay with you in every phase of your life, and know that you’re better off staying friends with the people who didn’t leave. Think back on the memories of your friendship every once and awhile, but don’t let that sadness take away any of the goodness of today.
To The Friends From High School:
Many of us didn’t end up going to the same college as our closest friends from high school, and though we miss them when we’re miles apart, we are so happy that they are having an amazing college experience. These friends remain some of your closest relationships throughout college, because they have known you from the beginning. They saw you through all of high school and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. You Skype, call, text, SnapChat and visit each other whenever you can, and you live for breaks where you get to see their beautiful faces again and catch up on your lives. Though you go to different colleges, you know that these friends will always be in your life: if four years and thousands of miles didn’t break your friendship, nothing will.
To The Best Friends:
If you are lucky, you found your best friend(s) in college, the people that have proven time and time again that they will always be there for you no matter what. These friends are invaluable, important and one of the single greatest things you will take with you after you’ve graduated. You have spent four years learning together, growing together, falling in and out of love together and experiencing every triumph and heartache by each other’s side. They know your deepest secrets, your greatest fears and your most amazing dreams, and they love you all the more because of it. The best friends you meet in college will stay with you because you have changed each other for the better, and these friends are what has made college as wonderful as it has been. These are the friends who became family.
The past four years have flown by, and now the time has come for you to say goodbye to the place you have called home for the past 4 years. The journey definitely has not been easy, and there have been moments where you contemplated giving up, but your determination your passion and most of all, your friends, helped get you through to this one amazing moment. So as you head off into the real world, make sure you thank everyone who has helped you get to where you are today, especially your friends.
Cover Image: Pixabay