The quality of friendship I had with some of my early college friends did not match the quality I had with my sisters or my new young professional friends

If you know me you know I'm a very sensitive person, especially when it comes to friendships. More times than I can count, I have felt ostracized in my group of friends. For some reason I was always the odd one out and I didn't understand why. It got to the point where I kept myself excluded and stayed in my room only hanging out with my boyfriend.

If I excluded myself, I can't get upset right?

Wrong.

This was sophomore year of college and after becoming a bit depressed from seemingly having no friends, I decided to change that. The following year I rushed and became a member of a multicultural sorority on my campus. After building great friendships with my new sister, I began to realize that it was dumb of me to get upset over some of my old friends. The quality of friendship I had with some of my early college friends did not match the quality I had with my sisters or my new young professional friends. That's when I realized all my friends are not the same. In the last few months I've been thinking about that a lot and have began separating my friends into groups. Let's call those groups different levels.

Level One

Most of my college friends probably fit in this category. In the words of Drake: I expect them to be here for a good time not a long time.

Level one friends are the ones who you go out, get drunk and party with. The are there to dance, drink and maybe take a few dumb snaps with you. You'll catch up on life with them at the pregame then turn up with them at the bars. As young twentysomethings these friends are great to have when you have the urge to get out for the night.

Level one friends are not the people you are going to be venting to when you have a problem. You will almost never hang out with any of your level one friends alone, they always come in a group. You guys will not always be included in each other's lives, so don't be upset if they are hanging out with other people and not you. These friends are here to make you laugh and have a good time so don't take the friendship too seriously.

As you all mature into older twentysomethings, these friends will either step up to another level or disappear from your life. Either way, enjoy the times you have with these friends because nights with them will probably make great party stories.

Level Two

Level two friends are a step above level one because you actually do normal everyday activities with them. While you may do some fun actvities with these friends, you most likely hang out with them because they are avaliable to you. Whether these are friends from work or a sports team, once you are out of that scenario with them, you mostly won't hang out with them anymore.

But that's okay.

Even though these friends may only be around for a while, you can still make good memories with them and they can be an integral part of your life.

Level Three

Once you get to level three, you start getting into long lasting relationships. Level three friends are the ones who you can have fun with doing almost anything. You'll have inside jokes and a lot of great stories together. They'll give you advice if you need it and make sure to have your back. The only things that stops them from being level four friends is longevity and comfort.

When you have to talk to a friend about an issue, these friends will not be your first call, but they'll probably be your second. There will also still be some level of politeness with these friends because you may not have broken down all the barriers that put them in the golden few category.

For some reason if you happen to lose a friendship with a level three friend it will be hard because they will be a big part of your life. Just like any serious relationship, there needs to be a give and take with these friends because they may not always be around and easily able to hang out. You will have to make time for each other but the good times will be worth it.

Level Four: The Golden Few

Only a few people in life will make it to level four and the ones that do are golden. Level four friends are true friends that have been through thick and thin with you. Sometimes these friends may not always be around but when they come around it feels like no time has passed. In many cases, these are the friends that you have known your whole life and become like family to you. You will have to make effort to hang out with them just like most of the other groups of friends but even if you don't talk for months, you know you'll always have them when you need them. Make sure you cherish these friends because they are few and far between.

I wish I had understood the different levels of friendship a long time ago. Ever since, I've made this realization I have been A LOT happier. No longer do I worry about what people are doing without me and feel excluded. I've realized that some of my friends that I thought were close friends of mine, are just level one and level two friends that don't need all the time and attention I try to give them. I've also began to realize which friends I need to make more of an effort to hang out with because they are my level three friends. By stressing less over who is not hanging out with me, I have been able to spend time with the people who do and keep our friendship growing.