L.O.L. (Lots of Learning)

        Going off to college is a unique experience. For me, I ended up several hundred miles from home, knowing no one on campus. I knew that the academic aspect of college would be a challenge, but I wasn't prepared for how hard it would be to make actual connections with people. I started off the year in a triple, clearly a great way to make instant friends. It started off fine and dandy, but eventually things went sour. Next thing I knew it was two against one, and I was living on my friend's futon until housing assigned me to a new room.
      Once I moved, the situation was umpteen times better. My new roommate didn't go through my drawers, didn't keep stolen property in our room, and didn't blow up air mattresses at 4 A.M. The downside though, besides losing two "friends" and having to move all of my things, was that I lost my entire group of friends. Everyone ended up on my roommates' side, leaving me alone to deal with everything. I would end up sitting alone in a study pod, being as anti-social as possible. Losing my first group of friends at college was a big shock to me. It had happened before in high school, but I assumed people would be different in college. I dwelled on my friendlessness for a few days, hoping someone would realize I wasn't around and try to find out what was wrong. No one did.
    Seeing this happen, however, really taught me a lesson. People are great to have in your life; they keep you company, they make you laugh, and occasionally laugh at your not-so-funny jokes. The thing about people though, is that you can be happy without them. There's no rule that says you need to have X-number of friends by the end of first semester, or second semester for that matter. Once you realize that your happiness isn't based on how many friends you have, life gets so much better. Being able to go to the Bluu alone and get work done is an amazing thing; when you eat meals with other people there's always the awkward conversation while trying to actually eat food. Losing my friends taught me how wonderful the Bluu can be for getting homework done. My little loner table is right by an outlet and a window--it has yet to let me down.
         I'm not saying it's bad to have friends, albeit less efficient. Having friends is great. What I learned though, is that you don't need to rely on other people for everything you do. Once you realize that being independent doesn't mean you're an outcast, life gets easier. Looking back on my first semester at college I can really see how much I have changed. I was the girl that wanted a big group of friends to spend time with on weekends with Netflix and to study with during the week. Over the course of the semester, I became the girl that found the most interesting places to study on campus, enjoying finding new spots to get work done. You'd be surprised at the people you meet when you branch out from your dorm's study pods; it's crazy to think if you had stayed cooped up in your dorm you never would have met them.
      Going under the radar and studying around campus also teaches you who your real friends are, assuming you have at least one. These are the people that will search for you, and when they do find you, they make sure you know your presence was missed. These people are the best people to have in your life, in my opinion at least. So, if you ever doubt if your friends are real friends, take a day off from your normal routine and swich things up. The people that notice are the ones worth keeping around.