Let’s preface with the obvious. This isn’t an easy topic. When I started college in September of 2016, I never dreamed I would get so close to some people that I would actually dread the idea of graduating college and potentially never seeing some of these friends again. Yet here I am, 2 weeks away from studying in my favorite city on earth for my last semester of college, and I’m excited, but also sad.
You grow a lot in college, and you grow very close to the people who grew up with you. They watched you mature, and you watched them. So how do you go from seeing these special people at least five days a week, to potentially never again? And it’s not like it’s a slow transition out, one day you’re all together celebrating the fact you finished college, and the next day you’re hundreds of miles away- permanently.
I know this is different for everyone. Some people choose to stick around in the town they went to college at with their friends. But then there’s others. The ones who either go home, or to wherever their new job is- and sometimes it’s just you in this new place. It’s hard. So as someone entering this season in the coming weeks, I offer some encouragement from the things I’ve discovered.
First, the people who are your real friends (or as Anne of Green Gables says, kindred spirits) it’s never really goodbye- it’s see you soon. Sure you’ll have to make more of an effort to see each other, but if it’s a real friend, you’ll both make the time and effort. As bizarre as it sounds, I think I forgot that graduation doesn’t mean death. It means getting your degree you worked hard for, and that you are your friends aren’t in school anymore. Yay to having a social life outside of school! I can’t wait to see what that’s like :)
Second, it’s important to understand that there’s a season for everything; including people. Some people are only meant to be in your life for a specific season, as hard as it is to hear it now. I was praying a lot about this concept a few weeks ago, taking from the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. It took a lot of praying and talking about it to others, but eventually I was able to have peace about the idea of everything having a season.
Third, of course it’s hard to leave your college friends. But wasn’t it also hard to leave your high school friends? I remember thinking “I’m not gonna find friends like the ones I found in high school” (I couldn’t be more wrong). Therefore, wherever you end up, you’re going to make even more friends. At work, grad school, in your neighborhood etc. Don’t think of it as replacing your friends with new friends, think of it as adding more to the group of friends that you’ve made throughout your life.
For those who are in the same position as me, I hope that encouraged you. Leave a comment below on what tips have or helped you in this season...
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