You may think you’re the only one, but trust me you’re not. It’s your freshman year of college, your first time away from home, and you’re feeling homesick.
And that’s okay.
Even the most outgoing, independent freshman down the hall that seems to have the whole college thing under control is still missing their mom's cooking, trust me. Homesickness is a very common reaction to prompt change and a great deal of adjustment. It’s missing what is comfortable, which is the place that you’ve been for the last 18 years. Homesickness is nothing new (it’s mentioned in Homer’s “Odyssey” and the Bible’s Old Testament Book of Exodus), so here are some tried and true tricks on how to make your college a second home.
Stay connected but limit your connection
Call your mom. Skype your dad. Send letters to your grandparents and Snapchats to your best friend that decided to go to a different college. Staying connected to things that you’ve been familiar with for the past 18 years is great. But college is a big next step in your life, and when that happens, friendships and other ties get cut. It’s sad, for sure. Fortunately college is the place where you make way more friends than you could’ve ever thought!
Get involved
Getting involved in clubs and activities at your college will help you stay busy and meet more people. Doing things you love will help you love where you're at.
Make yourself comfortable in your dorm
Decorate the walls with pictures of your friends and Christmas lights. Hang up DIY canvases and all your favorite blankets and have a hiding place for your Oreos. Make the space homey, and it will start to feel like home.
Go for a run
Even if you think running is the worst thing possible ever in the world, going for a jog around campus will help you familiarize yourself with campus and get you out of your dorm room! Plus it will help with keeping away the all too real Freshman 15. So lace up your tennis shoes and go for it.
Realize that homesickness (no matter how old you are) is normal!
You're not weird for feeling like you're not loving college because you are missing home. It's not troubling that you don't feel like you fit in automatically. It's going to be weird and hard at first because this is a whole new chapter in your life! But it's going to be good and it's going to be worth it.
