As college starts for students across the country, each and every one has new adjustments to make. The commitments made during senior year either were exciting or dreadful, but whatever the decision was, now they are living it.
As moving to college can bring up many different emotions, each student’s experience varies. Feelings of uncertainty and anxiety are common upon first-year students, but so is a sense of relief and readiness to embark on their new adventure. Learning to be on their own and adjusting to differences in “normal” life can take a toll upon students.
Many universities offer ways to help incoming students deal with this toll and the most familiar of the emotions: homesickness. Homesickness is a state of emotional distress that people sometimes experience when they are separated from supportive friends or family members in an unfamiliar environment.. This feeling can be influenced by many things: students high on anxiety, low on self-esteem, high on neuroticism, fearing of living on their own, and dealing with abnormal circumstances.
Each student needs to find the way of coping that best helps them.
Former Pleasant Valley students find themselves each feeling a little different, “I have definitely felt homesick, although it has been really great to be independent. Jumping straight into sports and school just hit like a brick wall compared to my summer. It really is a different life,” Wartburg freshman Hayen Evans said.
For Ike Swanson, adjusting to his new home helps lighten the feeling, “It felt like I was alone for a little bit before I got settled in my new home. Missing your hometown and the people you are close with can be hard, but balancing it can be easy.”
(Ike Swanson)
Reconnecting with people at home via call, Facetime or text is another great way to reintegrate oneself with a feeling of normalcy. “My mom still texts me ‘good morning’ every morning. Keeping in touch with my family and friends brought me a lot of peace,” Evans said.
This feeling of normalcy is craved by new students, many of whom are not sufficiently used to their new routines. For that reason, experts advise students against going home for at least four to six weeks into their first semester. These weeks are crucial in making new friends, finding a healthy routine and trying new things. Usually, lots of scheduled campus activities occur on the weekends and not being there means missing out.
Campus is a new home for hundreds of thousands across the country. Each and every one’s journey and background is different. For students, remembering that others around them are going through the same thing is crucial. But, the only way to truly get over homesickness is to make campus feel like home. To do this, students have to be willing to reintegrate in their new environment. This consists of joining groups, meeting people and developing friendships to eventually create a new supportive and comfortable environment. Students who associate themselves with the area also have increased endorphins and allow for feelings of comfortability.
No one can erase their memory of home,. so being homesick can come and go, but curbing the initial effects is possible. The initial time period of homesickness ranges from person to person, but can last anywhere from 3 weeks to a full year. It’s important to realize that the longer students stay in their new environment, the more they find things that they enjoy there.
As the school year progresses, each student across the country will find their way and what is best for them. Students trusting their instincts and being open to new experiences is key in finding the perfect place for them.
