You’re in a new place. You’re on your own. For the first time ever, you’re getting to call the shots and make the decisions about what you’re doing with your time.
This exciting, new-found independence comes as a perk of being a freshman in college.
But what happens when you’re sitting alone in your dorm on a Friday night and you realize you’re sitting in your dorm alone on a Friday night?
This is where homesickness creeps in. It hits. And it hits hard.
Making the adjustment from high school to college is difficult. Not just academically, but socially and emotionally, as well.
Not only are you adjusting to a new class schedule, academically challenging classes and are perhaps outside of your comfort zone, but you have to be away from your family, too.
Maybe you’re missing your mom, your dad, your sibling or your pet and you’re feeling a little down and out.
The first thing you should know is that homesickness is perfectly normal.
There’s a good chance you’re experiencing things now that you’ve never had to experience before, so wanting to go home is a natural reaction. Homesickness is all part of the adjustment process.
The second thing you should know about homesickness is that it’s absolutely temporary. Homesickness lasts as long as you let it.
Who says you should stay in your dorm and worry about what’s going on back home when there’s a whole world of possibilities out there for you to explore?
Melanie Payne, director of New Student Orientation, said homesickness is more common among freshmen than students might think.
Even the most seasoned traveler or independent student will experience homesickness at some point during their freshman year.
“Most students think they’re not going to go through it,” she said.
But when it finally hits them, she said, it can be a little hard to combat.
When the homesickness hits, it’s important that students are able to hit back.
We put together a list of some tips and tricks on how to combat homesickness during your freshman year.
