Written by: Madalyn Young
Everyone told me that I would meet my lifetime friends in college, but I always thought that was a make believe myth. I thought that all my close friends in high school would be my life long friends and that we would keep in touch forever and our little kids would eventually even be friends. Little did I know that once I started my adventure at the University of Arkansas, I would meet girls and boys that I had so much in common that it is almost shocking, and the myth was busted almost instantly once I moved in. I met my best friend the first day of rush walking to our first meeting. I would have never guessed that giving advice on her outfit would lead to me meeting someone that I have so much in common with, it is almost creepy. We started talking more later on in rush and we found out that besides having similar appearance, the same first name, and both being in the business field, both of us were lifeguards in high school, both of us played basketball and were very competitive people when it came to sports and school, both excelled in high school academics, held leadership roles within our high school, and had high standards of what our grades were going to be this semester. We later found out that we lived in the same dorm and we eventually rushed the same sorority. Our friendship has evolved so quickly over a semester I feel like I have known her my entire life. We spend some much time together that everyone thinks we are roommates and people even call us the “Maddis”. We even are planning on study abroad this summer together and being roommates next year in our sorority house. It’s a breath of fresh air to have met someone that I have so much in common with and get along so well with, because in high school I wasn’t that lucky; I dealt with cliché petty girl drama and was friends with girls because it was convenient. We had some things in common and had a underlying tie together because we played sports together and were friends since we were little kids. I have never had such a strong bond with someone so quickly. That is an example of just one of my best friends, I have a handful of stories that are as just as touching and dear to my heart. The moral of the story that I want everyone to know is that yes; college is the place where you have the opportunity to meet lifelong friends with whom you actually share interests, morals, and work ethics – not just friends because of convenience. So go into college with the mindset of being open to meeting people that could possibly be your maid of honor or best man at your wedding, and enjoy the strong bonds once you find them.
