Friendship

By Brianna Altman

Friendship, friendship, friendship. It’s what everyone wants. It's what everyone needs. Wanting friends is in our DNA. According to Dr. Robert Seyfarth, a primatologist at the University of Pennsylvania, it is “part of our biological heritage to want the kind of friends that we know we can count on.”

But while friendships can enrich your life and help fulfill a biological need, there can also be turmoil, heartbreak, and trauma. A strong bond between two best friends can turn sour within a moment. There’s an unpredictable element to these kinds of relationships. While you think your best friend in the entire world will be with you till the day you die, you truly never know what tomorrow has in store for you both.

This is especially true in college, where many students fall in and out of friendship groups, especially during their freshman year. This is a time when many students (who are still teenagers and in their very early twenties) do not know themselves, or their emotions, or what they desire. In such a confusing time, where students have been thrown into the adult world, where independence and self-sufficiency reign supreme, this process of radical growth and change has many pitfalls for a friendship between underdeveloped adults.

For those who are still trying to find their place — never take things personally. People will come and go, friendships will fade and wane. Always value yourself, and put your needs before others. Ultimately, college is a great time to explore who you are and the type of people you want to surround yourself with.