Balancing Friends From Home In College

Kaylea and I have been best friends since fourth grade. We take family vacations together, spend Christmases together, sleep together, and anything else that involves doing something with your best friend. Our parents are the best of friends, too. I text Kaylea’s family regularly, and they even give me gifts for my birthday. Kaylea and I can share anything and everything with each other. There is no room for dignity or pride in our relationship; only a loving and a judge-free environment exists. I have also experienced Kaylea’s past. Kaylea moved from a small town in Kansas when she was eight years old after her mom passed away. I have met and interacted frequently with her close family and friends from the small town of St. John. Kaylea and I have a friendship that goes beyond the norm; I wholeheartedly believe that God put each other in our lives to show us what a true friendship is like.

Being a freshman in college is hard. You have to leave your home, your school, your pets, your bed, your town…everything. There are no words to describe how painful it is to be wrenched from everything you have ever known. I am a person who strongly dislikes change. I went to the same private school for thirteen years of my life. Although I knew people coming to TCU, it was still no small feat. On top of leaving home, I also had to leave my best friend. Kaylea and I had rarely spent time apart until coming to college, and even then, balancing our friendship wasn’t easy.

Kaylea and I did not have a great relationship our first semester of freshman year. We both got so blinded by the coolness of college that we forgot we needed to keep supporting our own friendship. I think we were both so used to having each other by our side that we didn’t know how to cope when we weren’t. It was also hard because I had joined a sorority before Kaylea did. SMU has second semester recruitment, so I got a jump start on finding my people at TCU. I think both of our prides got in the way, but no one likes to see their best friend making new ones.

When Kaylea told me we were going to be sisters in Chi Omega, I was absolutely elated. She had kept what sorority she wanted to be a part of a secret for an entire semester. I feel as though this is when our friendship started to get back on track. It was understood that we both missed each other, and now we could also share a sisterhood that will forever tie us together. Now that we’re well into our sophomore years, Kaylea and I have finally found ways to balance our friendship with the challenges of college. Although it did take some soul-searching, we both realize that we would not want it any other way. Balancing your best friends from home is no easy task. But if you have a best friend as great as I do, I think you’ll find a way to make it work.