People mention finally finding their best friends in college and quickly losing touch with their friends from high school. I have found some of my closest friends in college, however, my friend group from high school is still just as close as we ever were. Having two distinct groups of friends from high school and from college is the best kind of balance.
I met my first friend ever in pre-school in my hometown. We’ve grown and matured and found new friends, but it still feels the same way it did when we were 6 years old, playing Barbies in her basement while her mom asked us what we wanted for dinner. My best friend and I have known each other since kindergarten and we still have new and interesting anecdotes to share with each other every time we see each other.
Every time that I see one of my friends from home, or I text them to say, “I miss you and I hope you’re doing great.” It feels so easy and casual and home-y. When we are all together, it feels like, “Yes, this is what being home is like. I missed this.” The inside jokes that we all know and do not have to explain, the relaxed way that we spend time together, is one of the best parts of coming home.
That being said, find your people in college. One of my closest friends is my roommate. I met her the first day of my freshman year of college, sitting terrified in my Spanish class and hoping desperately that someone would talk to me first so that I did not have to embarrass myself.
I am always anxious to get back to college after a break. I miss my friends at school, and I love being able to see them every single day. Being able to regale them with stories about my life at home, and hear their stories is always my favorite part about coming back to campus. Having people who know your life at college, at your college, is different from comparing stories between your friends at home who all go to different universities. There is a comfort in not having to explain what Sykes Student Union is or why the line is always out the door for rice bowls. Both sides of the friendship coin, friends from home and friends from college, come with their own brand of unique familiarity and comfort that is hard to replicate. Revel in the casual comfort, relaxation, inside jokes, and laughs with your friends from home. Bask in the shared experiences, familiarity, and anecdotes about your university that you do not have to explain with your college friends. Enjoy both.
You can have your people at college, who know the ins-and-outs of your university, major, and the clubs that you’re in. But, also have your people at home. The people who went to high school with you, know all of the teachers and memories you reference almost daily, and with whom you have everlasting bonds. College can cause you to grow apart from your people at home, but it doesn’t have to if you don’t want it to.