Back So Soon?

I was only away at college for two weeks before I was back at my childhood home. Nothing tragic brought me back, and I was only in my hometown for 40 hours, but I felt so out of place. I wanted to go back home: back to my school. It felt like, even after just two weeks, my life was there, and I was missing things I should be doing.

I lost all of my so recently achieved freedom. I couldn’t just get up and leave my house without an inquisition, and I had to abide by someone else’s schedule. I felt as if I had to explain everything I did to everyone.

Coming back home so soon also caused me to fall back into some of the bad habits I had worked to abandon in my efforts to “turn over a new leaf” in college. My studying suffered, and I felt tired and lazy all weekend. Being in my own room again definitely brought back my high school mentality of, “I don’t really have to study that much, I’ll finish all my homework in an hour, it’ll all be good anyway, so I don’t have to study,” and, as most students can attest, none of those three statements realistically apply to college.

Going to college is a huge milestone in the lives of many teenagers. Some come down with a serious case of homesickness or fear that they cannot make it without their families only an arm’s length away. No matter how bad it gets, going back home right after leaving may do more mental harm than good.

Whether you go to a school that is close enough for you to come home every weekend or you moved across the country, it is best to accept that your school is your new home. Trying to return to your families so soon can psychologically sabotage you: your life has drastically changed, you found a new routine, made new friends, and created a completely different schedule. Throwing yourself back into the life you had in high school that you only recently left may either frustrate you, because you’re back under observation (and criticism) of your parents, or magnify the scale of your homesickness, and make returning to school and your new life all the harder.

In my time back in my hometown, I was inundated with information from my friends at school, and between them and my homework, I felt as if I was missing everything, and I was anxious to return so that I could be productive again.

So to all of those who recently left for college: do not go back home so soon. Even if you are homesick, stick it out. It’ll be worth it in the long run!