“We are family! I got all my sisters with me!” Coming to college, students wonder many things. They often ask themselves “Will I make good friends?” 

Older people often reminisce about the “brothers” and “sisters” they met in college. These friends eventually become bridesmaids, groomsmen, godparents and lifelong friends. Good friends are like family, not related by blood, but by a special, unexplainable bond. 

A group of friends on campus may refer to themselves as a “squad.” The word squad is usually used in the military to describe the smallest military unit. In law enforcement, the term is used to describe a group of officers. However, according to Urban Dictionary, squad has taken on a more informal meaning to describe a crew or a posse. 

What happens when people accuse you and your friends of being a clique? After all, you all “roll deep” nearly everywhere you go. Five people may walk into class together. Ten people may go to the café’ to eat together. Fifteen people may walk to the game together. Squads vary in size.

When you think of your friends as family, it is hard to imagine that others could look at your group of friends and label the group as being a clique. The word “clique” carries a negative connotation.

For instance, in Mean Girls, when everyone followed Regina George, or typical high school movies where the so-called “elite” group of people stick together and is mean to everyone outside of the group. A squad is not clique per say, but all members of the squad click on another level by sharing common interests, goals, and values. 

For a freshman, who is still trying to get acclimated to college, it’s nice to know that you have a group of people who support and encourage you. As you matriculate through college, these are the people who know everything about you, share inside jokes and feel most comfortable around. 

Even if you don’t consider you and your friends to be a squad, it is important to find and make good friends that are loyal, trustworthy, loving, encouraging and empathetic. 

Remember everyone won’t always agree. Like any family, people may have their differences in the group, but that does not mean that you all cannot get past the issues, so long as you all have love for each other.

It’s okay to have other friends outside of your squad. At the end of the day, your squad will always be family.

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• Kristen Shipley Register Contributor