In high school, you are forced to hang out with the people in your class. You see them every day from 8-3, at all the football games, and all the same social gatherings. Your 'squad' or however you deemed your 'rides or dies' in high school never seemed to change, and you felt like nothing could ever come between you and your friends.
College rolls around and your pool of friends skyrockets to the thousands. If you decided to go to a school out of state or out of the norm like me, you are alone and scared, searching to find your new 'my people'. You put yourself out there, knowing every freshman is in the same position; at a new school, looking to meet new people. You may find yourself joining Greek life, to socialize with the people on your campus who are the most similar to you. The opportunities become endless; clubs, sororities, fraternities, Intramural sports teams. You update your high school friends on your new normal and reconnect every break.
As the college years go by you find yourself more comfortable. You have a solid group of friends at school to enjoy the best four years of your life with. You find it hard to believe there was a time without them.
You're more comfortable with yourself because you can never learn more about yourself then when living on your own in a strange town.
The people you surrounded yourself pre-college seem to change. You may not be as close with your BFF as before. You still keep in touch, but it's not the same. Maybe there were differences, or maybe you just grew apart. Your time on breaks is all yours. You pick who to get dinner with, who to sit around and do nothing with, who to get drinks with. You no longer see them every day in the hallways of high school. If you want to see someone and vice versa the ball is your court.
This can also be disappointing to watch unfold. The friendships you cherished so dearly at sixteen may not be there. The effort may be one-sided or not there at all. Your mom asks where Becky has been or how she is doing, but you yourself don't know. She tells you, their true colors are showing but that doesn't fix the pit in your stomach.
Then there is the silver lining. You connect with someone from your high school group you weren't always the closest with. You have this epiphany that you are actually the same person and create an amazing new relationship.
As we get older we see who people are, we grow apart from people, make new relationships, become disappointed in people. It sucks, its awesome, its a mix of emotions but for once you have the control of surrounding yourself with all of the right people, and at least for me that's pretty damn invigorating.
For every closed door, another one opens.
