Old and new friends a true gift

Everyone wants a friend they can count on. In fact, everyone needs at least one friend throughout life.

A friend is someone whom you can trust, and count on at anytime.

Friends share common likes and dislikes. Although they may have different goals and aspirations, they tend to support each other.

Many people believe that college can help build lifelong friendships.

So, if this is the case, what happens to the friendships that were developed and existed in high school?

Most college students’ tend to transform when it comes to developing friendships while in college.

The qualities that they may have looked for in a friend in high school no longer applies.

Maybe its due to the fact that college is the place where most individuals discover who they are.

Some students are often afraid to meet new friends during their first year. Getting to know people can be an amazing experience.

In college, the people that you meet may not necessarily be from the same background.

With the numerous types of people that attend college, the experience gives individuals a chance to expand their mind.

Developing friends that are from different places in the world pertaining to different cultures is what transforms students’ outlooks on life.

Once freshmen get over the hump, and decide that it is okay to open up, they seem to place themselves in a bind.

I have realized first hand during my own college experience that freshmen students have the hardest time balancing previous friendships with present ones.

As a freshman, I felt at times that I was neglecting my existing friends by hanging out with new friends.

As a result, I found that my previous friendships were slowly diminishing.

Is it possible for friends to outgrow each other mentally, socially and even spiritually?

While this seems obscure, it’s happening on many college campuses. Friendships are diminishing due to unimportant factors.

Certain things such as distance, change of personality, aspirations and career goals influence friendships to outgrow each other.

I’ve found that having a friend is one thing, but keeping a friend is another.

There are several good things when it comes to keeping in contact with friends from high school.

Previous friendships allow individuals to stay within their comfort zone.

You don’t have to prove yourself to previous friends. The most important thing is that you can count on them when everything else fails.

Having a friendship means more than sharing common goals. In order to have a friend, one must first be a friend.

Friendships don’t have to diminish because of goal changes or dreams.

Balancing friendships is extremely important. Having a friend along with being a friend is a precious gift. Working to balance friendships can strengthen friendships.

Along with the balancing of friendships come many benefits.

Planning a weekend to spend time with friends can help with the balancing.

If your friendships seem to be diminishing take the time out and try to balance it.

Although friendships may come and go, the strong ones are worth the sacrifice to hold on to.

Ashley Felder is a freshman public relations student from Fort Lauderdale. She can be reached at ashley1.felder@famu.edu