Homesickness common among new students

The transition from high school to college can seem exciting for many incoming freshmen, but experts say it’s often overwhelming.

Moving into a new room, finding new friends and even learning the campus layout can stress new students. As a result, some start longing for the comforts of home.

“Transitioning to college can be hard,” said IU alumnus Harlan Cohen , author of “The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College.” “No one really tells you that it can be lonely or difficult.”

Some students incorrectly assume that homesickness is only associated with children or young adults, Cohen said.

But it is not uncommon for campus newscomers to feel some sense of loss for the friends, routines and other parts of life that they leave behind, he said.

Senior Marie-Gisele Ngouen, a Resident Assistant in Collins Living-Learning Center, said plenty of new students face homesickness every year.

“As an RA, dealing with homesickness is part of our everyday duty,” she said. “Going to college is an adjustment in itself, let alone living on campus and trying to find your niche.”

The symptoms associated with it can sometimes mimic depression, said Dr. Nancy Stockton, director of IU’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Some may experience a little loneliness, sadness or anxiety, she said,

while others experience physical symptoms, such as a decreased appetite or sleeplessness.

“For most students it passes, but (it) makes the first two to three weeks uncomfortable,” Stockton said. “For some students it can be just miserable with lots of unhappiness.” Many students from small towns struggle to adjust to the size of IU’s campus, Ngouen said.

“They are used to being known by their surroundings, and suddenly they move to a campus as big as IU and feel like a drop of water in the ocean,” she said.

The Higher Education Research Institute at the UCLA, reported that about two-thirds of students experience homesickness.

Even so, Cohen said it doesn’t help to continually thinkabout the issue.

Homesickness eventually goes away as students immerse themselves in the campus and all that it has to offer, he said.

Stockton also said that students can adjust by being as positive as possible about new friends and the variety of
new things in and out of the classroom.

Students should also force themselves to get out and explore campus, she said.

“The way I deal with (homesickness) is by visiting the places and events around campus that remind me of home
... and by surrounding myself with people who share my values and interests,” Ngouen said. “Freshman year was the hardest for me; one day I told myself this is where growth starts. Either you grab the bull by the horn or regret it the rest of your life.”

Cohen said students should take advantage of all that IU has to offer. That way, homesickness will subside and students will become more confi dent and independent, he said.

“If you are homesick and you don’t know that many other students are homesick, you can feel like a loser,” he said. “Knowledge takes away embarrassment and feeling ashamed.”