College is all fun and games until your friends start graduating.

When I was a freshman, I never thought the day would come when I would have to say goodbye to my college friends. Yet here I am wondering where in the world the time went and if there is any way I can get it back. Watching your friends graduate college is truly a surreal experience. You’ve seen them work so hard to reach this milestone in their life, and you could not be prouder. However, it is not uncommon to also have feelings of sadness that your friends won’t be with you all the time anymore. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn back time, but there are ways to cope when your friends do graduate. 

I consider myself lucky in the fact that I met some pretty amazing friends at the beginning of my freshman year of college. I was able to watch them grow into incredibly successful people with the entire world in front of them. I was able to celebrate their successes and comfort them in their times of need, and they have been there for me. Here are some ways to cope when your friends are graduating:

Utilize Facetime.

I think the easiest way to cope when your friends graduate is to keep in touch through Facetime. Setting aside a little time every couple of days to Facetime allows you to catch each other up on everything going on in your lives. Apple created a Group Facetime option so more people can join the call! 

Make plans for the future.

Another way to cope when your friends graduate is to plan times to see them in the future. This gives both of you something to look forward to and a chance to plan something fun to do together.

Cherish the time you have left together.

My best friend graduated in August 2020. We both went home for a couple of months when school was moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic. When we came back to Auburn during the summer, it gave us a chance to really appreciate each other and to spend more time together. A fun thing that we did to remember our time together was taking pictures on disposable cameras. We used these cameras to capture more candid moments than we would have on our phones. I now have film pictures from moments I would have otherwise forgotten about. 

Recognize that this isn’t the end.

While your friends graduating is the end of an era, it certainly isn’t the end of your friendship with them. The people you meet in college are likely to become lifelong friends. While you might not see them as often as you once did, you’ll always have the memories you made with them.

I’m a firm believer that you don’t meet people by accident. There’s a reason you form strong connections with certain people, and time and distance don’t have to change that. So, celebrate your friends’ successes and look forward to seeing everything they will accomplish post-grad. 

Be well, Auburn.

Photography: Bridget F.