Although I may not have outwardly expressed this when I was getting ready for my freshman year of college, I was SO nervous. I may be a very social and outgoing person but when it comes to excessive amounts of change, I hate it. I like to be comfortable with the people around me and the situations I am in and college is ALL about tons of different lifestyle changes. When I finally got comfortable with idea of change being okay, I realized that I had found the people who made me happy that everything had changed.

1. You Let Me By Myself

I have always had great friends in my life, and don’t get me wrong I love them all so much, but you guys are different. You have watched me do a lot of stupid shit and cry about the consequences after but you never said ‘I told you so.’ You laid in bed with me when I cried, ordered me pizza, and took me out for a night with the girls to forget about whatever stupid thing I was upset over that day. Being able to be my loud, sarcastic self and have you guys STILL actually love me (I think) is more meaningful than I am sure you guys realize.

2. You Bring Out Something Special In Me

Although I appreciate you guys letting me be myself, I also REALLY appreciate when you tell me to get my shit together and stop being an idiot. You put me in my place and sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) I deserve that. It takes a very special friend to tell me to shut up and stop being annoying and I realize that I need that in my life. You have helped me or tried to at least, develop into someone who cares less about myself and the trivial things and more about the people in my life who I love the most. Let’s be honest, it takes a lot to make me care about certain things and you guys have really helped me to become a more thoughtful and loving person, so you definitely deserve to pat yourselves on the back for that.

3. You Make College Feel Like Home

It is weird to think that I barely think of home when I am away with you guys at school. Being able to text you and ask, “hey, are you home? wanna hang?” or simply banging on your door until you answer makes me never feel alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and I love going back home every once in a while; however, when I am not home without you guys it is simply not the same. As I lay in my bed in my empty house, all I want to be able to do is walk down the hall and gossip about our night or text the group chat to see if someone wants to grab lunch—if being at school with you guys is considered my new “home” I would take that over sitting in my empty house with my puppy any day (sorry, Soph).

4. You Make Me So Happy

It is safe to say that you have all seen me cry A LOT, who hasn’t honestly, but even when I am disgustingly sobbing in your bed you still somehow make me smile through my tears. Whether it is you making fun of my nasty sob or saying something so unnecessarily nice about me, the fact you can make me so happy even if I may be sad is something for which I am so thankful. I am usually the one to say ‘screw it, I don’t care’ but, even if I do, you still go out of the way to do or say something to make me know that even if I “don’t care,” you do. We could be sitting in the library procrastinating on a Monday night and I STILL would rather do that with you guys than be doing anything with anyone else.

The transition to college can be hard and making new friends is always scary but everything with you guys is so much easier than I could have ever expected. Thanks for always putting me in my place, laughing at me when I cry, making fun of my crazy antics, and thanks for always putting a smile on my face. You guys are something else, that’s for sure.