Since I’ve been in college, I have made some of the best friends I think I will ever have. They are honestly more than just friends. They are the family that I got to choose. The relationships I’ve made with these incredible people have prompted me to figure out why they are so special to me and different from friends I have made in the past.

First, college is a great place to meet forever friends because it is very easy to meet people with similar interests as you, and while I’m not saying that every friend you have has to do the same thing you do, having things in common sure does help build a friendship more easily. Between interest groups, sports, or even the people who have the same major as you, you are guaranteed to meet somebody you share your passions with.

I think another big reason we become so special to one another is because none of us know what on earth we are doing with our lives. We are all in that weird transition between adolescence and adulthood and none of us are very good at it. We learn from each other and help each other adjust. In a sense, we grow up together. We graduate from the teenage years when we didn’t have any responsibilities to adults who have to enter the real world. I for one can say that I am so glad I have a group of friends who I can do that with. I don’t have to be an adult on my own because I have a crazy group of incredible people who I can learn to adult with.

We’ve seen each other at our absolute worst — and best. They have seen me at my lowest points and they still love me. I have seen them in dark moments and I still love them. Whether it be stress, sickness, heartbreak or homesickness, we have all helped each other through it. And among those dark sides of each other, we have also seen each other at our peak moments and are there to cheer each other on every step of the way.

When bad things do happen to us, we have each other to lean on. In my case, I am six hours away from my home and my family, so I’ve created my own family away from home that consists of my friends. When I need a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold, they are always there for me and they know I am always there for them.

I have made such strong friendships with all of these people and have so much history with them that I know that they will be my friends for the rest of my life. No matter where life takes us or how many miles separate us, I know that I will always be able to pick up the phone and they will be there for me. I am so thankful for each and every one of them. At the end of the day, life is a lot easier when you have a group of friends like mine.