Starting college can be a fun and exciting chapter in life for any student. But unfamiliar routines, new faces and living away from home can also bring an unexpected sense of loneliness and homesickness.
Although homesickness is a common feeling for many students, there are plenty of things you can do to help combat that feeling once you get to college. Here are some of my favorite ways to feel close to home when you’re living far away.
Make your room feel like home
One of the best methods I’ve found to deal with my homesickness is by using decor to make my space feel cozier. There are lots of ways you can do this, such as bringing your favorite throw blankets from home to decorate your bed or hanging cute posters on your wall.
Putting photos on the wall of my friends and family back home has worked best for me. When I first moved into my dorm room freshman year, one of the first things I unpacked was an envelope full of photos to hang up. They served as a nice reminder of all the people I loved and helped combat the occasional longing I would feel by bringing a little bit of home to me.
No matter how you choose to decorate, making your dorm feel more like your safe space is one of the easiest ways to combat homesickness while you’re at school.
Keep yourself busy with clubs
One of the worst things you can do as a new student is let yourself wallow in loneliness. Joining clubs and organizations around campus can be a great way to combat your homesickness while also getting to know new people and keeping active. I have joined plenty of organizations since coming to IU, and they’ve all played a massive role in helping me find my place and people at school.
You can find a list of clubs on the IU Hoosier Life website under Student Organizations or on IU’s beINvolved site. IU also runs a Student Involvement Fair during Welcome Week, where students can walk around and talk to representatives from various campus clubs.
Whatever you’re interested in, there is sure to be a community waiting for you. The more connected you feel on campus, the easier it will be to adjust to life away from home and finding your people is just the first step.
Keep in touch with your hometown friends
Going to college doesn’t mean cutting ties with everyone from home. In fact, I’ve found that keeping in touch with my friends from home is a great way to prevent homesickness. Whether that means the occasional call or just a quick text when I see something that reminds me of them, this time with my friends helps remind me that home isn’t as far away as it might feel.
It’s also a great reminder that I’m not the only one feeling homesick. I have plenty of friends that also moved out of state for college and experience moments where they miss home too. When you have the chance to talk with people that have known you for years and you get to work through those emotions together, it’s a reminder that you aren’t alone.
Explore Bloomington
If you want Bloomington to feel like home, you need to get to know it better. This can mean trying new restaurants, walking around the square or attending various events in town. Not only does exploring town help you get familiar with the place you’re about to call home, but getting out of your room and going outside can help reduce any loneliness you might be feeling.
Especially for freshmen, it can be easy to keep yourself in the confines of campus, but Bloomington has so much more to offer. Even if it’s just for a short walk down Kirkwood Avenue or a weekly study session in a local coffee shop, I encourage you to explore town as much as you can. If you feel like Bloomington is a place you can call your second home, being away from your first home won’t feel so difficult.
This story was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student's 2026 Orienter.
