Pros And Cons Of Certain Friendships

(By Isabel Alice)

In university, certain friendships last and certain ones don’t. This is the space where you slowly begin to find your people, your support system, and sometimes… your biggest lessons. As a student at Namibia Institute of Technology, I’ve come to realise that campus is not only a place for lectures, deadlines and presentations, it is also where real connections are formed, tested, and sometimes quietly outgrown.

Friendships in university can be powerful. One of the biggest pros of having the right friends is emotional support. There are days when classes feel overwhelming, assignments pile up, and motivation disappears completely.

Having someone who understands your stress, because they are walking the same academic journey, makes a huge difference. Friends become your study partners, your reminder to attend class, and sometimes even your reason for not giving up when things get tough.

Another positive side of university friendships is growth. You meet people from different backgrounds, mindsets and ambitions. Some friends challenge how you think, help you become more confident, and push you to take your goals seriously. At NIT, many of us are focused on building careers, starting businesses, and creating a better future. Being surrounded by motivated people can inspire you to work harder and dream bigger.

However, not every friendship on campus is healthy and that is one of the hardest truths to accept.

One major con is distraction. Some friendships slowly pull you away from your priorities. You start skipping classes, postponing assignments and choosing comfort over discipline. What begins as harmless fun can quietly affect your performance and focus. In a place where every mark matters, this can cost you more than you realise.

Another challenge is competition and comparison. In university, everyone is trying to succeed. Sometimes friendships become tense when results, opportunities or recognition come into play. Instead of celebrating each other, you may feel pressure, jealousy or insecurity. This can damage trust and create emotional distance.

There is also the reality that some friendships are only temporary. People change. Goals shift. Schedules become heavier. You may grow in different directions  and that does not always mean anyone is wrong. It simply means that the friendship served its purpose for that season.

At the end of the day, university teaches us more than academic content. It teaches us how to choose relationships that protect our peace, support our growth and respect our future. The right friendships on campus will help you become who you are trying to be. The wrong ones will teach you what you no longer need.

So maybe the real question is not how many friends you have on campus but how many of them are truly helping you become the person you came to university to be. As students, we need to pause and ask ourselves: Do my friendships push me forward, or do they quietly keep me stuck? Because in this season of our lives, the people we walk with can either shape our future, or slowly delay it. And sometimes, the most important decision you will make at university isn’t about your course, it's about who you choose to call your friends.

Isabel Alice  is a Digital marketing student and the Student Representative Council (SRC) President at NIT