The final weeks of summer break before my freshman year of college were filled with worry and apprehension. The one question on my mind was, “Would I be able to make new friends?” Now, two years later, I realize that my biggest worry when starting college became my biggest source of happiness and taught me the biggest lesson.
I finally understood that people stay or leave for a reason. I grew up as someone who didn’t have a lot of friends, so the ones I did have, I tried my hardest to make them stay or I always went with what they wanted to do so I didn’t lose them. If anything went wrong, I immediately blamed myself. Coming into college, I met a group of people during orientation week that became my closest friend group I’ve ever had. During the first few weeks of being in this group, I was on edge and constantly wondering if they would leave. They didn’t.
Throughout these past two years, I’ve made close friends and I’ve also met people who are just good acquaintances. You won’t click with every single person you meet, and that’s okay. And sometimes, the people who you might not get along with at first may become good friends. The world of navigating friendships is really unpredictable, and what I’ve learned is that it’s important to stay positive and stay open to branching out. You’ll make friends in the most unexpected places and times, and the people who enter and leave your life do so for a reason. You never have to compromise yourself to impress your friends—if you do, they’re not accepting you for who you are or valuing you enough to listen to what you have to say. I met my closest friends a little later than a lot of other people, but now having known what true friendship feels like, I can say that waiting all this time has been worth it.