So many new experiences and new things to do, but who do you do them with? The first few weeks are tough. “Who do I hang out with?” “Where should I sit?” “Should I become friends with them?” These are all questions that are asked every year while trying to make new friends. Everyone has an idea of the kind of friends they want, but they might not be the kind of friends they need.

I don’t think people understand the importance of having friends in their life. They are people that we can go to whenever we have something exciting to share, a problem in our life or if we are down in the gutters. We all want the friends we make to stay in our lives forever, but what you need to realize is what friends are the right friends for you.

We all need friends, but we all have different needs. Some people need friends that will make them laugh. Some people need friends that they can have serious conversations with. You also must find people you connect with. “Although absolutely fine on the surface, the relationships didn’t have any depth. It turned out that once the newness settled, you didn’t really have much in common” (Marie Hartwell-Walker). In a way, we all came to college to start the next chapter of our lives, but we all don’t have the same ideas or goals on why we came here. Finding people who have the same interest with you will only make your relationship stronger with them.

Now here comes the tragic part. There are people and even friends that you will make that are not good for you. College is a merciless place where people either make it or they don’t. Having friends who are bad influences and who don’t seem to take things serious are automatically people you should avoid. “The people you associate with have a major impact and influence on your personal success. You can tell where most people are going to end up in life simply based on who they hang around” (Stacia Pierce). Friends can affect your success. They can either bring you down with them or help bring you up to your goals and dreams. College will be a place where you’ll probably try a lot of new things, but you must be careful because you need to focus on the thing you came here for and that’s your education.

Go out and make friends. Don’t let this read discourage you or hold you back from making new relationships. We’re going to be here for a decent fraction of our lives and its only human nature to make mistakes. We will all make friendships that aren’t good for us. What I’m recommending to you, is to reflect on these relationships you’ll make or have made and see what’s going to be best for you. Find out if the relationship is a healthy on and one that you want to keep around for the years to come.