{"id":5676,"date":"2026-11-09T16:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T21:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/?p=5676"},"modified":"2026-10-28T12:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T16:14:13","slug":"what-if-my-friend-group-changes-from-year-to-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/2026\/11\/09\/what-if-my-friend-group-changes-from-year-to-year\/","title":{"rendered":"What if My Friend Group Changes From Year to Year?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Going to college is exciting but sometimes nerve-wracking at the same time \u2014 new places, new experiences, new people. How do you balance your friends from home with your new friends? What if your friend group changes from year to year? Will your friends be friends for life?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You aren\u2019t the first person to ask these questions, and you won\u2019t be the last. Friendships changing is a very real possibility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, from one person who has asked these questions to another, this is a <\/span>philia<\/span><\/i> (brotherly love) letter about friendship to you and me: to you as you prepare to enter the college arena and for me as I prepare to exit it. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forming Friendships<\/span> in College<\/span><\/h2>\n

Will you find your people at Cedarville? Yes, probably, but it might not be immediate. It takes time to build new friendships<\/span><\/span><\/a>, and that is perfectly fine. And how you make friends<\/span><\/span><\/a> might look different than you expect!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You might be expecting to meet all friends in your courses<\/span><\/span><\/a>, but you will also make friends over lunch, while waiting for coffee, during your work, in the orgs you join, and through new friends who pull you into their friend group (that has happened to me!). <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You may also think your friend group in college will do everything together: eat, pray, disciple, study, and have fun together. Technically, that\u2019s probably not how it will play out. There are group projects to do, errands to run, exams to study for, and other things that might result in friends saying, \u201cI can\u2019t today.\u201d Different friends will be there for different parts of your campus life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in freshman year, my classmates and I were walking up from the laboratory after a forensic science lab, and I marveled at how close all of us would no doubt become throughout the course of four years as we learned, studied, and worked together. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That summer, I changed my major, and over time, those friendships faded.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For most of my friendships freshmen year, the commonality was that we were in the same classes. Today, my friends at college aren\u2019t friends just because we take the same courses. Many of us aren\u2019t even in the same major. But we have other similarities: We are all quirky, our beliefs are similar, and though our hobbies vary, we are all happy to learn about each other\u2019s interests.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

It took multiple years for me to find this group of people, and there were other wonderful friendships along the way. So maybe \u201cfinding your people\u201d isn\u2019t a once-and-forever choice like you might\u2019ve thought.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Friend groups take different forms than what you expect. My group certainly does. Yet whatever your friendships look like, they take intentionality to keep.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keeping Friendships<\/span> When Life Separates You<\/span><\/h2>\n

In college as in the rest of life, our friendships will change over time because friendships are a choice. Everyone\u2019s schedule changes from semester to semester, and sometimes, commitments change too.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keeping friendships despite shifting schedules and priorities takes some creativity, but your college friendships are worth activating the right side of your brain.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some ways to keep your friendships going during a busy time:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n