As the summer comes to an end, the inevitable goodbyes will start to happen as you begin to say farewell to your friends, telling everyone that you will stay in touch or that you might try to visit them up at whatever school they may be going to. While this is a great and noble idea, the unfortunate reality is that sometimes, this just does not happen.

It is, without a doubt, pretty hard to stay in contact with every single friend that you had in high school. In fact, you will probably not see many of them again because, unfortunately, that is just what happens in life; people drift apart. You might grow distant from a person that you were close with in high school, but that does not mean that you cannot go out and meet new people.

Meeting new people is one of the most exciting and rewarding things about going to college since almost everyone, just like you, barely knows anyone to begin with. You can go down the hall and meet a new person, or join a club or sports team and meet a whole new group of people right then and there. You may not become friends with any of these people; on the flipside, they may become your closest friends, even closer than your high school friends. However, you will not know this unless you go out and explore your new campus and environment.

Now another thing to keep in mind is that you still will probably talk to a couple of your friends from high school. Do not be dissuaded from talking to them, as they were your closest friends for a reason.

In this new age of technology, keeping in contact is easier than ever: with the touch of a button you can send a text to a friend 1,000 miles away, and vice versa, so if you feel that distance may be a problem, it surely will not be one if you and your friends are willing to make your friendship work.

However, do not let old friends from back home keep you from meeting new people. Do not feel guilty if you do not talk to your old friends as often as you may have liked, or that you do not get to see them. That is just a by-product of going to different colleges and this should not deter you from going and meeting new people. You only have one time to go through college as an undergraduate, whether you are a freshman or transfer.

Make the best out of your first year at Stony Brook; get involved, go to events and meet new people. Then, when the breaks roll around, see your old friends again. You will be able to keep a balance between your old and new friends and although it may be hard to figure out at first, it is something that you will eventually learn to do.

So, with that being said, enjoy your time here at Stony Brook, and remember that Stony Brook is what you make out of it; you can have an amazing four (or more) years here or a horrible four-plus years here.

The deciding factor in that situation will ultimately be you. Good luck and enjoy the semester!