Many students experience homesickness when they leave home for college. The feeling of missing home is more common than you’d think, and it may take a week, a month or three months to kick in, depending on the person and how well they are adjusting to their new environment.
It is now October and midterms have passed; more than half of the fall semester is behind us. Even if you came to campus excited to have freedom away from home, you might start to miss your loved ones.
Sophomore allied health student Jordyn Bass says she’s been homesick for a couple of weeks.
“I didn’t expect to get homesick because I was so excited to leave,” Bass said. “But now that I’m here, I miss my family every so often. I realized I was homesick when I began to call them more often and think about the little things I did with my family.”
Bass most misses having her car, taking care of her dog and family interactions. She tries her best to enjoy her college experience by hanging out with friends and attending events to cope with the feeling of homesickness.
Students may feel depressed, withdrawn, experience social problems or have academic difficulties when being separated from their familiar environment. According to The Scholarship System, students should keep in contact with their families to overcome homesickness.
“Usually, I miss home when I find myself scrolling through my photo gallery and looking at pictures of my family,” engineering student Richard Allen lV said. “I treat it by facetiming them and asking them how they’ve been doing.”
Since Allen had never really traveled on his own or been out of state, he expected to be homesick. The things that bring people comfort like food, friends and family are what he anticipates having again the next time he visits home.
When students leave home, it doesn’t mean that they can’t bring parts of it with them to college. Personalizing your space with pictures, decorations, music and things that remind you of home creates a familiar atmosphere.
Quality time is sociology major Autumn Rivera’s love language. Since being away from home affects that quality time she loves having with her family, Rivera does things that she would normally do at home.
“I’ve been watching a lot more movies since that’s something my mother and I would do together,” she said. “We also watch ‘The Bachelorette’ and discuss it together on the phone.”
Rivera visited home in September, so she hasn’t been as homesick as she expected to be.
“I always get homesick if I’m away for more than three weeks,” she said. “I don’t know what it is about the third week that gets me.”
It is completely normal to experience homesickness, according to experts. If you’re a student who is missing home, you can overcome those feelings by getting involved on campus, spending time with friends, exploring your new college town and sharing your feelings with your loved ones.