Freshmen year of college is like the weirdest time ever. For starters, you don't know anyone but for some reason, you want to befriend everyone. Soon enough all you want is a group you fit in with even if it means forcing yourself to shift your own personality to fit theirs. Finally, you're just stuck surrounded by these people that you think you have to be like in order to have friends. You think these people know what the hell they're even doing in college and you learn to adjust yourself for them.
There's this constant need to compare what you do on a daily basis to your friend's routines. You really just want to be liked so you're willing to clean up your act in hopes they start to consider you a friend. In my experience, I found me and the people I started hanging out with had a lot in common except for one huge thing: how they handled being away from home.
It sounds so random but we all deal with it in our own ways. I was someone who was horribly homesick when I first moved away. I'm an only child and talked to my parents a lot so to be away from them was just odd for me. Due to this, I Facetimed them quite a bit. However, no one else in the group did. And they made sure to point that out. I felt really bad for missing my family and wanting to communicate with them so I eventually just faded out from it. I wanted everyone to like me and for some reason, this little thing was such a big reason for there being a disconnect with the people that I thought were my friends. It even got to a point where they made me feel bad for wanting to talk to my family. I don't think that was quite fair.
Moving away from your set life is a huge, huge change and everyone copes in their own way. Some people can move on easily and enjoy their freedom. Others find it harder to let go but will slowly get there. Some never get over it and go back home. Everyone has their own way of coping with the giant change that is college. So, if you're someone who's not doing great with it I'm promising you that it is okay. If you need to take an hour out of your day to phone home until you feel comfortable at college, do it. If you decide you enjoy your freedom and don't worry about your family, that's fine too. But don't make people feel weird if they're having a hard time moving along.
It's a delicate transition that everyone makes. It can be so much harder to deal with when the people you are around acting like they don't even have families anymore. But that shouldn't discourage you from coping with change in your own way. It's okay to admit you're homesick. Deep down, everyone is when they move away. We just all handle ourselves differently. Be patient, you'll find your way soon enough.
