Maintaining healthy friendships in college

By Sofia Gonzalez

Your college experience can be whatever you make of it, and healthy friendships are certainly the backbone to a great one. Friends are there when we are overwhelmed with school and just life in general. However, college is a difficult time for many, and lasting friendships can be hard to come by.

In college, it is easier to find friends with a common interest — this is because students are finally in classes that pertain to what they are interested in. This is important for healthy friendships. Finding those with common interests means finding someone that probably has a similar personality, so use this to your advantage! You might want to surround yourself with people who are like you.

Once you find friends, remember that it is okay to not remain friends with them throughout your college years. We are constantly growing and evolving, so that means that those around you may not always be there, but there are ways to keep those friends as positive, lasting people in our lives.

Friendship is a two-way street. A positive healthy friendship consists of both friends equally reaching out and trying. If you are their shoulder to cry on, then they should be yours as well. It is not healthy to have a friend who keeps you at their side when it is convenient for them.

This leads to the next and most important topic: communication. Communication is key, and this is true for any sort of relationship in life. One must be willing to healthily communicate feelings to friends. So when you feel left out, instead of starting an argument, talk it out with your friend group. Or if you feel, all of a sudden, that a friend is not there for you like they usually are reach out to them instead of deciding to abruptly end the friendship.

People endure so much in life, and some keep it bottled up. Communicate with your friends and find out why they are acting a certain way. Assuming is your worst enemy.

Remember that the best friendships consist of communication, honesty, humor, trust and empathy. Have open and honest conversations, be empathic when a friend needs you, laugh a lot, enjoy all the crazy fun that college brings and trust the friends you surround yourself with.

At the end of the day, it is also important to remember to have a weekly schedule in place. This schedule will allow you to get all your work done so that you can find time to reach out to friends, catch up or simply hangout. Making time for those you care about will go a long way and will allow you to keep a stronger, more positive friend group.

College is not easy, but it is more bearable when you have healthy friendships with those who can support you through it all. So, find your people, communicate, find the time for those you love, and have fun.