Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other gold.

After getting ready to leave high school four years ago, I was apprehensive and nervous about going to an out-of-state school with no one that I knew well and making new friends. Freshman year is like a blur to me — getting to know tons of people, well and not-so-well, and finding your niche.

Sophomore year I bonded and formed tighter friendships with the girlfriends that are still my best friends. We all lived in the same house, shared the same meals, and complemented each other with our different personalities. Junior year we all went our separate ways abroad, all across Europe and down to Australia, and re-united during the summer via phone or across-state visits.

It wasn’t until this weekend when a bunch of us headed to Chicago to check out apartments and prospects for jobs for the fall that I realized that not all of my best friends will be in the same place next year. While some of us can’t wait to get jump-started on “real life,” others of us wince at the thought of moving out on our own. I’m sure this is a common emotional roller coaster that lots of young adults face at this time in their lives.

Even though I am an independent person and enjoy doing things on my own, it’s so hard to think that only telephones or e-mails will be keeping me in touch with some of these girls next year. The same ones who embrace my flaws, yet never fail to point them out for me, keep me in line, listen to me sing out loud in the car, and dance with me whenever we feel like it.

My dad always says you make your lifelong friends in college. He still does everything with his fraternity brothers, and they all live relatively close to each other. I know I also made the same type of friendships, and I would tell anyone that it would be a shame not to come to college and go through it without people you care about, and who are experiencing the same things with you.

At breakfast earlier this week, we were talking about how nerve-racking it is, even for the most independent of people, to think about starting over … again. We did this four years ago, have grown accustomed to our lifestyles and friendships, and while we know it’s time to grow up, it’s still a scary thought that is at the same time exciting. It’s refreshing to talk to people who have recently graduated and say that they are pleasantly surprised at how much they love their “new life,” and while they miss college, as most do, moving on isn’t so bad. Sundays are a good day out “there.” You don’t have to worry about catching up on work, cramming for exams or going to school tomorrow. It’s just work.

For those of you who aren’t concerned about moving on, you’re brave. I commend those who move to cities on their own completely by themselves — it is a growing experience that most would benefit from.

If I’ve learned anything valuable in college besides academic knowledge (who really needs Math 112 skills at the grocery store?) hopefully I’ve learned something about life lessons and friendship. College isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning. A new step toward independence, and knowing that it’s OK to rely on the ones who keep you strong. Friends are the family that you can choose for yourself.

Lindsay Zuckerman ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism.