Being in college means pulling all nighters because you waited until the last minute to study for a huge test. College means scraping together five dollars from the cushions of your couch and the depths of your car so you can buy a pizza with your friends. It also means moving to a town four hours away from home and realizing you have to start all over with the whole “making friends” thing. Luckily, even with all of the stress and newness that college brings you, there is something extremely special about it.

New school, new friends

When I came to college I was unsure of pretty much everything. Am I going to make friends? Are my classes going to be hard? How do I study? What do people wear to class? So naturally when it came time to actually move into my dorm I was scared for my family to leave me in such an unfamiliar place. As a junior it’s kind of funny to look back at this moment of uncertainty in my life. This is because the friends that I have made, and the people I have surrounded myself with have completely made all the difference in my life.

Showing kindness no matter what

If you’re wondering how you can make a difference in someone’s life like my friends did for me, it’s actually quite simple. Love them right where they’re at. It seems so easy, doesn’t it? Being there for someone when they need you, understanding their flaws and loving them anyway. Although in actuality it can be really hard. When your best friend comes home and tells you she’s dating this guy that you absolutely dread, it may be hard to support her. Or perhaps your roommate has gone out to party for the fourth night in a row and comes home completely loud and destructive. Again, it becomes kind of hard to show that person kindness when you’ve had a total of 12 hours of sleep over the last four days because of them. This is exactly what you must do though, show them kindness no matter what it is that they’re going through because that is what makes the biggest difference in people’s lives.

Two friends who made a difference

There was a time where I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know how to study, I didn’t know how to organize my time, and there were some traumatic things happening in my family. I didn’t know where to turn, but you want to know what made all the difference? Two people chose to take the time to love me right where I was, flaws and all. I’m so very thankful for my best friends Lexie and Kamika. The coolest part is that it doesn’t matter what time it is or what they’re doing, they will always be there for me when I need them. That is truly what has made for such a strong and loving friendship. They really changed my life, and I don’t know how I would have made it through my first two years of college, in such an unfamiliar place so far from home without them.