[umm]

I can relate. It does seem the less you go looking for friends the more they come (and better quality, less toxic). But also the less dependent on the presence of friends one can become - and yes that is liberating!

I would challenge - for what it's worth - the notion that people make their friends for life at university. I mean, I'm sure loads of people do do that but I know several that acquire friends at varying times of their lives. I often think that whole friends-for-life thing tends to be more UCAS sales bumpf than reality.