Fall marks the return to university for students around the nation and across the world. It is a time full of excitement and celebration with many new first-year students embarking on the next chapter of their lives and leaving home for the first time. College comes with the promise of new friends, adventures and good times. For those re-entering their upperclassmen years, college brings with it the return of independence and a jubilant reunion with classmates. But what about the elements of college that aren't talked about as often in the lead up to September?
College is frequently attributed to being the 'best four years of your life', forgetting about those students who struggle through this time. They may have to work full time to support their education, perhaps they have health concerns or other problems, or simply, it could be that college is not exactly what they envisioned.
By the spring of my freshman year, I already had doubts about returning for subsequent semesters, a feeling that did not dissipate over time. Despite having always loved academia and consequently feeling that college would be a breeze, in reality, it posed challenges I hadn't had to deal with before. Not only was my campus experiencing a range of disruptive issues from building works, to housing shortages, to food problems, but I was also nearly 8000 miles from home. A distance I could never have anticipated would affect me so deeply but having to leave my home and family behind was more heartbreaking than I could have possibly imagined.
After a short while in college, it became apparent that I was in a foreign country with no essence of familiarity. I desired to pick up the phone and talk to my parents, but lengthy-time differences prevented this. College becomes lonely and isolating, not because of a lack of socializing, but because the people you love more than anything in the world are no longer accessible. This is not to say that college is not enjoyable, because it most certainly is, however, there is, simply put, a lingering yearning for family and home.
I was never one to believe homesickness would affect me. It therefore came as a shock when I began to feel like a part of me was continually missing, when I would excite for upcoming long breaks like Christmas and summer when I could be with my family, but dread the ensuing return. College has definitely taught me the worth and importance of loved ones now that I am no longer surrounded by them day in and day out. It is funny to notice the little things I now miss that I took for granted before. Even now, at the start of another semester, I am counting down the days until we are reunited.
When you begin your college career - even more so as an international student - you are often shown a cycle of what it looks like for the average person to settle in. This pattern generally involves homesickness in the first few weeks before it then becomes forgotten later in the semester, but that is not always the case. It is something that without a doubt has stayed with me and affects how I perceive my college experience.
In the run-up to college, all of its positives are often reeled off like the credits that follow a movie, but it is important to remember that there are plenty of less favorable emotions that come with starting college too, freshman or otherwise. These should neither be ignored nor forgotten. Being prepared for these eventualities makes you better equipped to handle them if or when they come along. It is paramount to remember that it is okay to struggle with the start – or even the return – to college, it is, after all, a major lifestyle change. Homesickness, in particular, is an all too real side effect of moving away from familiarity at any age, but that doesn't make it a weakness and it doesn't change the fact that college remains a phenomenal experience.
