How To Lose Friends In College

College might be the best 4 years of our lives, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of ups and downs. Looking back on the last 3 years of my college career, I see lots of memories made with lots of different people. I could regret the time I spent with people that didn’t really care about me, but I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now without them. As cliche as it sounds, everything happens for a reason. If I hadn’t gone through a falling out with one group of friends, I wouldn’t appreciate the new, amazing girls I now get to call my best friends. Here are the types of friends you’ll lose in college and what you’ll learn from them.

The Friend From Home

You were the best of friends in class but didn’t hang out too much outside of school. Maybe you hung out in a big group on the weekends or texted each other about high school gossip. You thought you could stay close with FaceTime and group chats, but as soon as you were apart, you realized you two weren’t actually that close. That’s OK; there are other home friends that you want to focus on. This friend taught you that not everyone has to be your best friend and you don’t need to talk 24/7 in order to stay in touch.

The Freshman Year Roommate

You went to the dining hall together for the first time because neither one of you knew exactly how it worked. You hung out all the time in your dorm and stayed up way too late. At the time, it felt like you had found your person. Somewhere along the line, you found other people that you related to more. You still liked hanging out with your roomie, but you kind of liked these new friends more. This friend taught you that you might have to meet a couple people until you find who you really fit with, and you shouldn’t stress about how long that might take.

The Friend That Got A SO

You called this friend anytime you were free and they always came over. You liked spending time with them because they made you laugh and were always so full of energy. You couldn’t imagine any reason why things would change. Then they started talking about this guy or girl that they were super into. You’re happy that things were going well with their crush, but wished you could talk about something else, too. They started seeing this person seriously and started hanging with you less and less. This person taught you that even though it felt personal, the reason they dropped you says more about them than you.

In college, there are so many people to meet that it’s impossible to stay close with all of them. When you’re in the middle of losing a friend, it’s hard to remember that that person is actually doing you a favor. The friends that decide not to stick by our side make us more grateful for those that do.