With everyone leaving for college lately, it's given me time to think about life. Starting college in a new town can be scary.  You have to start over in a new place without all the familiarity of home. Your friends and family aren't there to support you, to protect you, to push you. You are completely responsible for yourself. You're an adult. You're on your own. You could change who you are, and no one is there to call you out on it. No one really knows who you were in your home town, so starting with a clean slate sounds very attractive and is completely possible.
I've been flirting with the idea of having a completely different life at college. My morals keep me from having the lifestyle that most college students have so I've considered forgoing my morals so that I could "fit in" with the other college students. It would be way easier to make friends if I could mold myself to fit their lifestyle. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that wasn't me. I am the way I am for a reason. I would not feel comfortable living any other way.
You don't have to change who you are to make friends. I promise people will be attracted to your fortitude. Other people are out there looking for someone who is not wishy washy. Someone who doesn't change every time a new situation is thrown at them. Someone who sticks to their morals.
Like I said earlier, starting college can be frightening. And changing who you are sounds like an easy fix. I just ask that you remember who you are. Any group of friends that forces you to change who you are just to hang out with them, is not worth being friends with. Never compromise yourself, I promise you won't regret it.