1. The best friendships happen when you least expect it.

You might be surprised who ends up becoming your best friend. It could be the girl you randomly meet on the first day of class because you’re both confused and can’t figure out where you’re going.

2. You don’t need a lot of friends to be happy.

It took me time to realize it’s not about how many friends you have, it’s about the ones who stick by you. The ones who are there for you are here for a reason. Don’t take the good ones for granted because chances are, they won’t come back.

3. Real friends accept you for who you are.

College is a confusing time for everyone. We are all trying to fit in and be liked by everyone. When I met the people I call my friends now, trying to feel like I belong didn’t really matter anymore. They like me for who I am and who I want to be. When you meet real friends, being loved by them and being yourself will be easy and you won’t feel the need to try to be someone you’re not.

4. Friendships shouldn’t be hard work.

If being friends with someone is causing you stress, maybe that person shouldn’t be in your life. College, in general, is stressful enough as it is and you don’t need anymore stress added. Be friends with people who make you happy and support you.

5. Friendship is about who sticks by your side through it all.

Whether you’ve been in college for four months or four years, it will change you, and not necessarily in a bad way. It’s okay to separate from high school friends. I’ve become better friends with some people I’ve only known for four months, and I’m wondering how I’ve lived without them all of these years.

6. Who needs boys anyway.

Boys will come and go all throughout college. Your friends will be there to support you and be excited for you but also be there for you when things don’t work out. In the end, you don’t need boys anyways. All you need are true friends. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.

7. Food will fix anything.

Whether it’s Starbucks, grilled cheeses from the uMelt, or even Krispy Kreme donuts, a little food can make any day better.

8. It’s okay to stay up late.

In high school, I would always be asleep by 11, and if I stayed up past that, I wouldn’t be able to function the next day. Since starting college, I have stayed up later than I ever thought I could, talking to my friends and eating bad food, even if we did have an early class the next day.

9. It's okay to be yourself.

Before college, I always found it a little tough to totally be myself because someone would always pick out a flaw in me, but my friends now have helped me understand that it's okay to be who you really are, and it doesn’t matter if you like Lucas or Nathan better from One Tree Hill. Your friends will just be happy they have someone to obsess over the show with.

10. Everything will be okay in the end.

There will be challenges you have to face, but everything will work out the way it's supposed to and you don’t really have to face anything alone. Even though in the moment it may not seem like it, everything will be okay.