In college, I have learned a lot about myself. I decided to start paying attention to all of the different types of friends I have made over the past year and a half. You have your party friends, study friends, sorority friends, home friends, etc. The list can go on and on. Throughout life you need friends for different purposes.

When I first came to college, I was all hyped up about partying. If you looked through my Instagram, it was all pictures of me "partying it up" with my new friends. I thought college was the greatest thing in the universe. Don't get me wrong, I love going out. However, recently I have come to the realization that although it's nice having friends to go out with, it is important to have friends that are so much more than drinking buddies.

Find friends that love to stay in with you - friends that are down to go to Coldstone with you on a Saturday night when you don't feel like going to Midtown or friends that you can have real conversations with about your feelings. Surround yourself with people that would be willing to pick you up at the airport at unreasonable hours, friends that will sit with you all night when you're upset and people who know how to cheer you up when you're stressed, upset or hangry.

College is an emotional rollercoaster and having friends to confide in has given me so much strength to succeed. I love going out, but college is so much more. It is about taking challenging courses to prepare yourself for the future, networking with professors and staff, getting involved in extra curriculars and figuring out what you enjoy in order to find a career path.

Friends come and go throughout our lives for different purposes, but one lesson I have learned was to take people for who they are. In college, I have made friends that I know have their heads on straight. They know how to have balance in their lives when it comes down to school and going out. College is a crazy experience with many ups and downs, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I consider my friends to be my mentors, therapists and all around go-to people.