Everyone knows that there is a large difference between high school and college. You basically do everything on campus while you are in college. In high school, you go to school and then go home. What I did not really expect was to find the amazing people that would soon become my best friends. I can thank those people for an amazing first year.

My high school was extremely small (although I have heard of smaller schools) with only 100 people in my graduating class. Just about all of my friends had been in the district since elementary school so we basically knew each other for years. We did not become one big group until middle school because friendships, for me especially, were not always stable when you changed classes every year throughout elementary school. Trying to hang out was sometimes difficult, mostly when we were younger, because we had to arrange rides and figure everything out. But my friends and I did not hang out that much as it was. I do not really regret that, nor am I completely happy about it, I just see now that there is a difference between college and high school friends.

In college, you do not always make friends based on who you have classes with. There are a lot more opportunities to make friends on campus than there were in high school. I look back now and remember how important it was for me and at least one of my high school friends to have at least one class together. It is sort of funny how I forgot about something like that. In college, I never even once thought about having class with a friend. That is probably because we all have different majors. In high school everyone is basically taking the same classes because there are a lot of mandatory classes required to graduate. Now in college, the mandatory classes you take are targeted toward your major.

As I reflect on my first year of college, I think I spent 80 percent of my day with my friends the majority of the time. We ate together, played pool, worked on homework, went to the gym, etc. Your friends in college basically become your family away from home. That is a lot different than what I was used to in high school. We just went to classes, ate lunch and then went to track practice. You do not realize how different college is from high school until you actually take a minute to think about it.

But I want to take the time to thank both friend groups. To my high school friends, you guys have been a big part of my life for the past eight years. A lot has changed in the past year but it is normal for that to happen when people go away to college. You guys helped shape who I am and helped me get through some stressful years during high school. I am so happy that we still value our friendship the same way we did for all those years.

And to my college friends, thank you for becoming such an important part of my life. I never expected to find such a great group of people when I got to college. Having friends from different backgrounds is honestly so awesome and helpful at the same time. You all have something different to offer and I feel like I learn something different about you every day. I cannot wait to spend the next few years with you.

Love always,

Your friend