We met at the first coed party of second grade. As the only two girls amidst 20 rowdy boys in the laser tag arena, Lauren and I became immediate friends. The next ten years flashed by, full of  unforgettable moments– our spring breaks together, our surprise 16th birthday trip to New York City, and countless weekends and summers spent at her lakehouse.  

Last Thanksgiving, I stayed with Lauren’s family as my family traveled. When my grandfather passed away, her mother flew three hours to attend the funeral.

We are not attached at the hip. We don’t share the same classes or lunch tables, but I’ve never gone more than a day without talking to her.

But the summer of our junior year had a different tone. It was overshadowed by college visits and the Common Application. It was dawning on us that our last year together had just begun.

That summer, we decided to visit the University of Missouri-Columbia together, best known as Mizzou, after a long weekend at her lake house. And just like that, a school I had always regarded as a backup shot to the top of my list. Another selling point was that my best friend wanted to go there too.

Our moms were ecstatic, already planning future joint family visits.

The whole idea of college and moving six hours from home seemed a lot less scary with my best friend by my side. In the time since our visit, we’ve grown even closer,even submitting our applications together.

We both went over and over rooming options, sororities we wanted to pledge to and which dorms we liked the best.

And we had to decide to not room together. It sounded perfect at first, living with the girl I’ve known for years. But it wasn’t realistic. We love each other, but being so close would have pulled us apart.

We’re both messy people, we spend too much money on clothes, and we have a shared hatred for doing the dishes. We would fight, never clean up, and we wouldn’t make any new friends.

I would never branch out and meet people if I lived with my best friend because I would think it wasn’t necessary. We both would limit our experiences by staying inside of our comfort zones with each other. College is a time to make new friends and to find and become the best person you can be. I don’t think I could do that living with my closest friend.