I’m feelin’ this beautiful fall weather at the core of my soul and I LOVE IT.
I just broke out the boots this morning since they were calling my name from the back of my shoe collection bottom of my shoe pile.
Let’s catch up by talking about how to be a good friend in college. The edition that doesn’t have to do with carrying your friends home after a frat party (although, that’s also what good friends do).
My friends here in college are honestly some of the best people I’ve ever met, and I am constantly inspired by how much they want to be better people through education, self-sacrifice for the good of others, wholesome experiences, and nourishment of their faith.
Thanks to these wonderful people, I’ve compiled a semi-serious list of…
{how to be a good friend in college…and at any stage in life}
–Forget the age/year difference. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students can all hang out and their social lives will not be tainted. In fact, they will flourish.
freshmen, sophomores, seniors, and grad women gathering for our freshman friend’s birthday
–Have an early breakfast date with a friend. (Walk to the farther dining hall just to eat good omelettes. Bonus points if you both bring your own peanut butter and then take pictures of one another.)
–Be a good lab partner, because college labs can be deathly tedious.
–Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. That’s when the deepest and best connections happen.
–Sing and dance like a fool around your friends. If they tell you to stop, you can stop. But try it anyway, they might join you.
–Set goals with one another. Whether that’s going to the gym five times a week with a buddy, acing a class, going to church every Sunday…or checking off food bucket list items together.
#42: Spicy Food at Thai Dish — check!
–Tell your friend if he/she has something in his/her teeth. That feeling of looking into the mirror after talking with lots of friends and seeing stuff stuck in your teeth. You know.
–Reserve judgement. We all do silly, stupid, sinful things.
–Embrace spontaneity and don’t be afraid to ask your friends to join you. I’m always afraid to ask people to do things with me on a whim because I’m afraid of rejection, but I have learned that I love when people reach out to me to do spontaneous fun things.
like a movie night and epic hair braiding feat. Lauren’s gorgeous locks and Rachel’s mad skills
–Don’t pressure your friends. Peer pressure is real in every way. It’s easy to be pressured and it’s easy to fall into the trap of pressuring others. It’s not the end of the world if either one happens to you. Just be aware.
–Pray for your friends. Especially when you kinda don’t want to talk to them/you’re annoyed with them.
–Ask for prayers from your friends. You need ’em too.
–Branch out. Having a close friend group is so important and good to have. That being said, cliques are overrated, and there are people who really want to know you but are too scared to approach you. You might even be that scared person. Launch out and just talk to people. The people worth having as friends will reciprocate.
Hope you all have a fabulous day!
I don’t know what your hair looks like today, but however it looks, ROCK IT.
[source]
So tell me:
What is one way you can be a good friend/one way your friends have been good to you?
Do you believe “age is but a number” after a certain point in life?
What did you do this weekend?
Where should Rachel and I go next for our food bucket list!?
Daily Moves and Grooves 
I love the food bucket list!
I find myself wanting to be friends with people who are older than me, but I often am afraid to approach them because I’m afraid they wouldn’t want to be friends with me, especially when they are in a different stage of life than I am. So I guess I want to believe in the age is just a number, but I’m a bit scared to, if that makes sense. 🙂
I think it’s totally normal to feel that way, Abbie! I thought the upperclassmen would be kinda cold to us freshmen last year, but it is quite the opposite! I hope you find that to be true too ♥ I’ve found that blogging breaks down the age barrier too!
This was a great post:) good people you got up there and they are lucky to have you!!!
Love you friend 😘
Ps that braid is epic😂
Thanks, Katie! I’m very blessed to have them (and you)!
“Ask for prayers from your friends. You need ’em too.”
Remember when I made you pray haha 🙂 You’re the best.
Still praying for you whether you like it or not. 😉
We watched a Disney movie together as a family…it was fun and hilarious! I loved this list! Thanks for some great reminders!
I like people to think of me in terms of “age is but a number”, because some of the people I love and enjoy being around the most are the ones where there is the greatest age difference between us. But when I’m making friends, I oftentimes feel like the younger people will think I’m trying to butt in on their “coolness”, while older people are too busy most of the time…so I usually just refrain from doing anything, even when I really want to be friends…I should probably stretch outside my comfort zone, because chances are, there are people thinking the same thing about me. 😉
Remembering birthdays is one thing I try to do, sending my friends a text on their birthdays. And when one of them remembers mine, it makes me feel extra special!
Ooh, you have so many yummy-sounding things on your bucket list!! But numbers 11, 22 and 28 sound so enticing, I wish I lived nearby and could join you ( 😉 )…but I’d say go whatever you two are feeling like on the day of.
I totally bet there are people who are thinking, “I wish I could be as old/young as Hannah because she’s such a cool gal!” 😉 I think that if two people have enough in common or personalities just click, any age gap can be transcended.
Asking for prayers from people is hard because it’s humbling, but it’s SO GOOD. On your food bucket list, I think… you should have squid? ;-D Or is that little too weird? I do think that the older I’ve gotten (even though I’m only 22), the age gap between me and people seems to disappear, because it’s more of just a number, and only that.
I’ve eaten squid before! Calamari 🙂
I think the best way to be a good friend is just to listen. It’s amazing how many people in this world just need to talk. But I totally agree with all of the above – esp if you have something in your teeth – I mean what sort of a friend would they be if they allowed you to go all day with something in there. That’s what your siblings do.. because they are mean 😛
Very good point. Rather than talking our heads off to other people, it’s a good skill to just listen to others and be there for them.
Aww, so good. 🙂 Praying for your friends is such a great way to bless them, and also I find it helps me to understand them better somehow. I’m super lucky to have housemates that pray with me every night and it’s helped me get through the year. Don’t know what I’d have done without them!
Branching out is a great point, too. And yes, I feel like age does not necessarily correlate with maturity, and the older you get, the easier it is to be friends with people a number of years younger/older than you, and it can be wonderful. xx
“Age does not necessarily correlate with maturity” <— SO true! It's amazing how mature some people are who are younger than I, and it's equally amazing how immature some older people are.
I absolutely love this post! It makes me so happy 🙂
Is it horrible that the first thing that came to my mind was holding back your friend’s hair while they pay homage to the porcelain gods, and not freaking out at them when some ends up on your shoe? 😆 Omg yeah that’s not quite the same — let’s go with all your suggestions instead 🙂 And I definitely thing that age becomes irrelevant after a certain point. I have a hard enough time remembering how old -I- am, never mind the people I like spending time with.
HAHA. I had a feeling some people would think that immediately upon reading the title. Those are definitely still things to do to be a good friend!
I totally agree that age is just a number when it comes to friendships. There is so much wisdom that can come from having friends of various ages. I have friends that are in their forties and love spending time with them! There is something to be said about having peer friendships, too but I’m all about friends of all types!
YES to the vulnerability one. Every time I take the chance and open up completely to a friend, the friendship becomes so much stronger, even if you think they will judge you. I think it all comes down to realizing we are all human and all just craving connection, so to let people be there for you. You are a great friend, my dear ❤
I think that’s what makes blog friendships so quick too. A lot of us are so vulnerable on our blogs, so other people can slip into that part of our lives and connect with us on a deeper level right away. ♥