When you go to college, you are blessed with the chance to receive an outstanding education and life-changing opportunities. Additionally, you are given the chance to form some amazing friendships. Whether that be through living situations like roommates or floor buddies, classes where you just got lucky with whom you chose to sit next to, clubs, organizations, parties, or somewhere else, finding the right group of people is such a comforting, yet encouraging moment. It is then that you begin to live more boldly, take more risks, and find your niche in what can surely be an intimidating environment.

Having friends at college is almost necessary for surviving amidst all the stress of academia and social problems that may arise throughout the semesters. Throughout my first two years, I was lucky enough to find not just one, but several kindred spirits on my campus that have truly made my college experience thus far a memorable one for all the right reasons. Not only have they become my friends but they’ve provided me with just about anything I could ever imagine and I like to think that I do the same for them, because when you make a friend at college you also get:

A Tutor

If you’ve met any of your friends in classes, then it’s safe to say you’ve probably studied with them before and maybe even shared some answers. They help you when you’re stuck and vice versa and it’s the two of you against the world, or at least against that class’s professor. Nothing bonds two people like joint suffering. However, you really know you’ve got a good friend when they spend the night quizzing you and drilling you with questions the night before an exam in classes they’ve never even taken. They want you to succeed just as much as you do and they’ll go to no ends to make sure you’re prepared. And they don’t even get paid for it!

1. A Doctor

If you have a friend who’s pre-med then maybe you can relate to this portion of the article a little more seriously, but in all cases friends, for as little as they may know about diseases or sickness, apparently make amazing diagnosticians. Sometimes a good friend and their capability of using WebMD are all you really need, especially when student health services is booked through next month and you really just want to know if you’re dying or not. If they’re extra special, they’ll even run to the drugstore to pick you up whatever they deemed the all-healing medicine for whatever the heck you’ve got (9 out of 10 times it’ll be Tylenol).

2. A Personal Trainer

They’ll pester you to go on a run with them or entertain the idea of going to the gym with you at least for long enough that you’re both able to justify the Ben and Jerry’s you unapologetically scarfed down the night before. Or at the very least they’ll help you push all the furniture out of the way in your room so you can attempt some cheesy workout video you found online. The best part about having friends as personal trainers though is that they’re also there for you as 24/7 confidence boosters and body-positivity enforcers. They love you and celebrate you no matter how many, or how few push-ups you said you did and that’s something to cherish for sure.

3. A Therapist

If you had a dollar for every time you were sprawled across one of your friend’s beds, divulging your life history to them or some other crazy story or theory of yours, eagerly accepting any and all sorts of advice, you could probably have enough to afford to talk to someone who actually knows what they’re doing. But that’s not as much fun because a real therapist probably isn’t allowed to say “screw *insert boy who lied to you* or *insert jerk who stole your internship position*” and then offer you a drink. Your friends, if you’ve found the right ones, will do just that and offer a peer’s perspective followed by a list of 500 reasons why you rock.

4. A Boyfriend

After one too many failed dates or tinder swipes gone wrong, your friends always seem to be the ones you come back to when you need a pick me up and a night out. They know your likes and dislikes in activities, your favorite places to eat, and what your drink of choice is for any occasion. They complement you like no other and they are experts at boosting your confidence. They’ll value or at the very least put up with your weird quirks like your obsession with reality TV or how screaming the lyrics to 2000s pop songs makes you feel instantly better after a rough day. After a good day with your friends, you’ll wonder why you even bother dating college boys.

5. A Mom

Yeah, every group of friends may have a designated “mom” of the bunch, but when it comes down to natural instincts, everybody’s got a little bit of “mom” or “caretaker” in them. Your friends are the ones who make you mac and cheese when you’re too drunk to function and nag you about doing your laundry so you’re not left without any clean underwear. They worry when you don’t text them that you’ve made it home safely after a night out and drill you with a series of oddly specific questions when you get home from a first date and if that isn’t as mom as it gets then I don’t know what does.

I am so thankful for these people, the many hats they wear, and all they have done for me, and with me, and everything else and I anticipate far more than just two more years of memories with them.