I am currently sitting by the sunny poolside of a resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C., enjoying the view and hopefully getting somewhat of a tan.
You might ask why the heck I am not lounging oceanside right now, but that’s because there is no Wi-Fi there to send this column to Tara.
Anyway, I am currently on a great vacation, 12 hours away from home and I couldn’t be happier.
This isn’t an ordinary vacation as one might assume, though. I get to enjoy this awesome ocean getaway with my seven best friends.
It’s weird to think that at the beginning of this last school year, I had no clue who half of the people I am vacationing and goofing off with were.
My friend Spencer was just some random freshman who was awful at playing Catch Phrase and needed a haircut.
The four girls with us were just random girls, not my close friends who I am comfortable being my complete self around.
However, after two semesters, we managed to craft a perfect little dysfunctional family.
They are the reason I am writing this article, not the scenery or vacation.
Before my sophomore year, I didn’t manage to make many good friends.
Freshman year was blah. Once I moved into Offenhauer last fall, that all changed. I already knew some people on the floor from high school and through their connections and my own outgoingness, we expanded our social network
tremendously.
We started off by meeting each other when we played games in the lounge. People would come in and join and soon we were eating meals together and so on.
Now, just as my own family, I love them to death and would bend over backwards for them. They are one of the big reasons I love the University so much.
I’ve become so used to them that, when I return home, I no longer feel at home anymore. Home is with them and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Seeing as we all live in different places, getting the gang together would pose as a challenge. So we came up with the idea of a group vacation.
Luckily, our friend Steph had some sweet hookups in Hilton Head, and after a long 12 hour car trip filled with sing-alongs, laughter and craziness, we made it to this beautiful location so we could relax and enjoy everyone’s company once more.
Vacations, even with your friends, do come with stress, but it’s worth that small amount for the ginormous amount of fun and memories we are forging together.
Things we will remember for the rest of our lives I’m sure. The best part is it is only day three of seven.
So, as I sit here and type in the blistering Carolina sun, I take away from this experience the importance of friendship and how pertinent it is to make friends in college.
They are the reason I stay and part of who I am.
It’s worth putting yourself out there in possibly awkward situations to make friends that will last a lifetime.
Getting involved, being outgoing and striving to make friends, as long as you are being yourself, will definitely make your college experience and future life better.
As for me, my friends are beckoning for me to join them in whatever hijinks they are in now, so I am going to stop typing now.
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