<p>Is the idea of forming lasting friendships in college a reality, or largely a myth?</p>
<p>I didn't have the 'typical' college experience since I was older and already married.</p>
<p>The possibility of making life long friends would be high on the list of things I wish my D to have with her college experience.</p>
<p>If you did (or did not) make life-long friends in college, what do you think were major factors in making those friendships last beyond college?</p>
<p>Is going to college near where you are likely to live important? being in an environment where others have similar socio-economic backgrounds? joining a sorority/frat? school size? living in a dorm?? What factors that might be different in different colleges do you think are important in making lasting friendships?</p>
<p>We just had a 30 yr. College Reunion… 40+ from my Sorority attended. Pledge classes spanned several years but we were all friends and still are. We all of course had our handful of really close friends but it was wonderful to reconnect with everybody.
Many of us were in each others weddings, helped each other find work, and now to have college age kids attending our alma mater - weird! But when you have history with people you are automatically close - we always will be :)</p>
<p>I did make lifelong friends at college, even though I went to 4 different schools before getting my BS. My son made many more lifelong friends (I’m guessing here because he’s only one year graduated) at his small LAC far from home. No Greek life there, just a very tight campus community.</p>
<p>Yes, just spent time over the weekend with our closest friends from college as a matter of fact. We don’t see them as much as we should, especially given they live 5 miles away but kids get in the way of our social life sometimes :D.</p>
<p>Yes, I did. And from high school. And grad school.</p>
<p>I am so proud of my girlfriends from college: one is a writer, one a rabbi and one a therapist for 9/11 first responders as well as a distinguish professor.</p>
<p>30+ years later I am still friends with the woman I roomed with in the dorm as well as our sorority house. I am also in contact with another sorority sister. If a reunion were held I would go in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>I would like to note here that I did not attend my college all 4 years, I started at a cc and then transferred. In my case it had no negative impact on making friends. Perhaps being greek made a difference?</p>
<p>Yes; I married one of them. Next best friend is college roomate (who was also my best friend in high school). Husband’s roommate was best man and, 35 years later, still considered best friends though we’ve lived on opposite coasts almost the entire time. I agree with @ldavis that shared history often makes you close. Hubby and I lived in a residential/learning community throughout undergrad and that surely fostered extra close and special ties. It was a magical time.</p>
<p>I did not maintain a close contact with my university buddies as I left the industry (theatre), and moved away. Facebook brought a lot of that back, for high school and college . What has really resparked a resurgence is my daughters’ interest in musical theatre, which has brought me into the sphere where they are. Some may end up teaching her when all is said and done. I’ve also found some of my old profs (20 years ago) through Facebook, and used them for advice as we explore her college and career options.</p>
<p>I’m married to one of my friends from college. So, yes, we are still in touch!</p>
<p>Other than that, no, I did not make life-long friends in college but it’s worked out find. I do hope my son is able to keep up with at least some of the good friends he’s making at college.</p>
<p>Yes, a couple; not many. However, I have gone to three or so reunions. I’ve found that the best part is talking to people I knew only vaguely when I was in college, and finding them to be so congenial that we actually kept in touch after reunion.</p>
<p>My high school friends and I were very close and kept in close touch for a long time, but except for the one in the adjacent town (who seems to live an abnormally busy life) most of the others live far away so we rarely see each other. Just got an email from my best friend from high school - her daughter just got off the waitlist at Dartmouth and she was looking for advice for being an au pair in France. It’s clear it would be easy for us to go back to writing about the books we love and that would be great. </p>
<p>I have one friend from college who I make a point of seeing every time I’m in Vermont. She’s smart and funny and I love her husband too. We read the same books too. :)</p>
<p>My other college friends, I just exchange Christmas letters with, but I always enjoy hearing from them.</p>
<p>I also really only have one close friend from grad school - love his partner, and try to see him as often as I can - which is usually only a few times a year. He’s in the same county, but about as far from me as you can get.</p>
<p>Like others, I did marry my bestest friend from college. He’s worse at keeping in touch than I am, but he has one roommate in San Francisco that I’d love to see again. It’s been probably ten years since I last saw him.</p>
<p>Yes. All of my best friends are the kids (men and women, mostly guys) I met on my dorm floor in Madison, at the University of Wisconsin. I almost married one, two others married each other, and we’re all going to a wedding of one of the guys in September. </p>
<p>It’s one reason I’ve encouraged my D to not have a single and not live in a suite at her college this fall. I think a big ol’ hallway lined with (hopefully) open doors and a big ol’ shared bathroom is most conducive to meeting people.</p>
<p>No, I haven’t heard from any college or h.s. friends in many years. I went to two different colleges and had good friends at both but we just lost touch over the years.<br>
DH is not in contact with his college friends either. Haven’t seen them in ten years.
DH and I were h.s sweethearts and got married after my soph. year of college (hence my transfer to a different college). So we’re pretty close! </p>
<p>S1 graduated from college three years ago. Most of his h.s. friends (guys and girls) went to in- state u’s. So it was easy to stay in touch.<br>
Two of them were his roommates. One still is. Of course he made other good friends in college too.
DH and I are amazed at how tight their group has remained ever the years. One got married last weekend and the whole tribe showed up for the wedding. S1, who’s in the military now, was so glad to see them all. Says he can’t wait for the next guy to get married next June.
S2 just graduated three weeks ago. We’ll see.</p>
<p>The only lifelong friends I made in school were my grad school roommates. Even though they live as far away as Anchorage, Portland, and Lago di Como we still keep in touch and visit one another. It helps that we all got married around the same time and have kids around the same age.( I introduced the roomie that now lives in Italy to her spectacularly wealthy and handsome husband. Since she owes me BIG TIME she is not getting rid of me in the foreseeable future )</p>
<p>No, I did not. I was a commuter. I attended class from 8-12 and worked from 1-5 every day. Two to three days a week I also worked another job from 6-10. Not much time for socializing. </p>
<p>I think that’s why it was so important to me that my children live on campus (even if they attended a local college or university.) They’ve developed many good friendships and I hope they stay in touch. Time will tell . . .</p>
<p>Yes. And it’s made a huge difference throughout my life to have those relationships. At PSU I met my husband and several very good friends that I’m still in touch with. And it’s been 30 years since graduation.</p>
)</p>