It’s tough; the person that was always there with you in school to get you through the good and bad times isn’t there anymore.

I was really worried when I chose a different university than my best friend. How would I live without her to complain to for the next four years? Granted, we each chose local schools, but still, it would be hard not seeing her every day.

I’m in the second semester of my sophomore year, so it has been almost two years of college without my high school best friend there beside me. Freshman year, first semester, was definitely the hardest. As a commuter, I didn’t make friends with roommates or have any of those “away from home” transitions because I just drive in from home. In that regard, college has sort of been an extension of high school; it just takes me a little longer to drive to school now.

I found myself asking: Who would I eat lunch with? What would I do during breaks between classes? How would I survive college without my high school best friend?

Well, freshman year, I was lucky enough to bump into another Gannon commuter with similar anxieties and we instantly hit it off! I went to Harbor Creek High School (Go Huskies!), and she went to Fairview, so it’s crazy to think that we never bumped into each other before meeting at Gannon. We were both undeclared majors at the time.

I am so happy to say that I made another best friend while at Gannon.

Even though we each took a different path for our majors, you can often find us taking trips to Moe’s, our favorite place to eat and complain about life together.

I have also made some really good friends within my business classes. Some are commuters, but a few are residents too! These includes the awesome Estonian I now call one of my closest friends. She keeps me sane when coursework becomes overwhelming. We keep each other on track with schoolwork and you will often find us around campus doing homework or studying for something.

The most important thing I realized is that while my high school best friend wouldn’t always be available to hang, I had made some pretty great friends at college too! My high school best friend and I also do make an effort to chat once a week and catch each other up on the latest scoop. We try and make plans to hang out and watch Netflix and movies (obviously Hallmark) whenever possible. Video chatting has been an amazing resource for us as well.

To my high school best friend(s),

You know who you are. Thank you for always being there for me. I cherish our friendship and I am so glad that we have stayed friends for so long, through thick and thin.

To my college best friends,

You guys are life savers. You are the reason I keep going and coming to school every day. You inspire me daily and I look forward to seeing all of your future career success.

To the person currently reading this,

Realize that college is tough (with or without your high school best friend), but you can get through it. This is especially true because of the amazing friendships that are made at Gannon.

Sincerely,

Emma