Homesick at College?

Leaving home for extended periods of time can make anyone miss their old home and family. Leaving for college means leaving old friends and habits and loneliness is a common feeling for freshman who are not used to being away from home. In college, breaks may not allow the students to return home for months at a time. Living in a college town can help, however, for students who have decided to go to school out of state, finding a way home can be difficult.  Freshman may wonder, "How can I avoid being Homesick?" or "What to do if homesick?" and there are many choices and solutions for the student. The following blog post explains to students that being homesick happens to everyone and is especially common in college. Missing home is common because of the overwhelming change and sense of uncertainty that many freshman face. Fear and anxiety over the unknown next year of school is a reasonable cause of stress that can combine with loneliness and homesickness to create the perfect storm and a gloomy student. College Cranium is here for advice! There are solutions and steps to take when you begin to miss mommy and daddy. Put on your favorite song or start reading a book. If those two don't solve it try a video call to avoid separation anxiety and longing for home try meeting other students or get a head start on your classes and help ease the work load. The freshman year of college is a stage of much adjustment and homesickness is not uncommon or even abnormal.
College Cranium offers advice for the freshman student who is homesick. The following solutions to homesickness have been tested and verified as accurate and effective ways of dealing with separation anxiety.
Stay busy or find something to do. Just taking your mind off of the upcoming challenges you will face as a student is an excellent way to deal with the loneliness and overwhelming sensation that can overtake a new student. An even better use of your time would be to meet new people which can help with loneliness.
Don't worry about being homesickness, realize that being homesick is normal. Everybody around you is going through/ or have already gone through the same feelings you are experiencing. It would actually be abnormal if you didn't miss the home or the parents.
Meet your roommate. Chances are that as a freshman you're going to be sharing living space with a roommate, so if you don't already know each other, get to know your roommate and Residential Adviser or Resident Assistant because chances are they have both experienced homesickness and have figured out ways of dealing with nostalgia. Even if your roommate is the Big Man on campus, he can still be a good person to talk to as opposed to doing nothing. Unpack all your things and settle into the new place where you will be staying while you attend college. Decorate your room and organize your belongings because once classes start your mind will quickly find other issues to preoccupy itself with.
In this modern day it is relatively easy to stay in touch via electronic communication. With video calls you can figure out ways to see your loved ones and those you miss from any distance.
Ultimately, the college freshman needs to give the brain time to adjust and settle into a different routine and strange environment. After a few classes and making a few friends, you will realize that longing for home and old faces is just another aspect to life that is controllable and doesn't have to have a negative impact.
Independence gets easier over time and eventually your parents may be calling you to get in contact. Keeping close ties with family is an important lesson to remember once you overcome and conquer your homesickness. Missing home and wanting to see loved ones is a normal part of growing up and one of the less fun experiences of college but it is essential to maturing into an independent and responsible adult.
There are of course the exceptions- those students who jump right into the swing of things and never seem to miss home. Even then, be assured they too experience moments of missing their old environment and loved ones. Feel lucky to have loved ones to care about and realize their are international students who have family much further away. Getting overwhelmed by the shear immensity of the student body is understandable. Don't let getting nostalgic stop you from performing up to your potential in college.