It’s that time of year when nostalgia fills the air. With graduations happening across the globe, we all sit back to think of our fond memories during college. Whether you’re the graduate, an underclassmen waiting to become a year older, or the post-grad who can’t remember how many years it’s been, you feel the feels of the good old days with a twinge of sadness. Where has the time gone and where have your college friends gone? Hopefully the latter haven’t gone more than a phone call away. No friend, old or new, can top a college friend and here is why;
1. You found yourself and they were there when you did
People say that your tween years are your most awkward. I beg to differ. Tween years are for puberty and acne and general weird body changes which make you uncomfortable. College years are for figuring out your personality, career, and maturity level. If someone can deal with you from the self-entitled age of 18 to the “how do I do laundry” age of 20 to the career bound 22-year-old, I’d say they are worth staying in touch with.
2. You threw up all over them and the next night they threw up all over you
Between that “woo I don’t live at home anymore” time of your life at the beginning of freshman year and the “our last finals are over” end of your senior year, you drink. You drink a lot. You drink when you celebrate or when you are upset; you drink during the daytime and you drink while eating really greasy food. It doesn’t go well every time. Having that drinking buddy insures your hair will always be held back and there will always be a leftover pizza crust with a bottle of Gatorade on the floor next to your face.
3. No matter who you dated or slept with, they supported it
You had some real gems notched into your belt and some not so nice notches punched in there too. Through the best of them and the worst, your friends were there. They let you do you and if it fell apart, they would pick up the pieces with no questions asked. After the fact, they probably told you it was a dumb idea or that you should have seen that heartbreak coming. But lessons have to be learned and now it makes for a good story – but they will never judge you for it,.
4. You were cramming for a final, they let you leave the light on
Our best friends are sometimes the complete opposite of us. Like pieces of a puzzle or yin-yangs, there are things that are only made whole when put together. So when one of you has a huge math final because you want to be a chemist and the other had a group project as part of their student teaching program, that soon-to-be-teacher friend made sure you studied all you needed to and lost sleep over it.
5. When you were about to wear a terrible outfit to the frats, they made you change
Is a friend really a friend if they don’t check you out regularly? We are in charge of keeping each other looking fly; that’s the most successful way to be a wingwoman. If you need a wardrobe change, they tell you. They even do you one better by becoming your stylist on the spot with suggestions and options from their own closet. There is no scientific way to prove that you got a guy’s number based on your outfit, but I think we can all thank a friend for making sure we looked cute at least once or twice.
6. If you didn’t have time to go to the dining hall, they smuggled you out a bagel or piece of fruit
What would college be if it weren’t full of days holed up in the library or meals skipped while typing a term paper. But your friends have your back. They will risk their meal swipes to steal you some apples that are property of the school. If you pulled an all-nighter, they will even make you a coffee in their to-go mug and burn themselves while they shove it up their sweatshirt sleeve to make sure it doesn’t get confiscated. These are your ride-or-dies.
7. When it was summer break and you needed a friend at 2 AM, they got in their car
College friends aren’t only friends from September to May. This isn’t like high school when you talk in class but then ignore each other when you’re both on the bus. If you had a terrible fight with your parents or S.O., they will be there in a heartbeat. When work is kicking your butt and you can’t afford to put gas in the tank, they will pick you up when it’s time for day at the beach. And they do all this because they know you would do it for them.
How would we have literally survived without our college friends? I ask myself this each time I think back on those blurry memories. I really don’t think I could have if our paths hadn’t crossed. When you are with someone daily for four years, if not more, you can’t ever describe your bond to outsiders. There are inside jokes you don’t remember creating and secrets that will never be shared. The best part about a college friend? You can go so long without speaking to one another, but they minute you’re back together, it’s like you haven’t missed a beat.
Featured image via Ben White on Unsplash
