Homesickness is a Common Occurrence for All College Students

Beginning a new college career is an exciting time for most students. This is because they are about to embark on a new journey and adventure. However, many students may still find themselves feeling the heart wrenching pangs of homesickness and loneliness once the excitement of attending new classes and living in a new city has worn off. The first few weeks of college is the toughest part of any university student's year, though it is especially difficult for first year students who are experiencing their new life away from home for the very first time. It is not uncommon to hear tales of first year students being in tears during the wee hours of the night as they pine for home, family, and friends.

It is not difficult to figure out why many freshmen students go through this period of melancholy and heartache. Even those who are not close to their families will experience homesickness when they move away. This is because the familiar has been removed and students are faced with a totally new life fraught with uncertainty. This anxiety can trigger longing for the familiarity of home. In addition, most students who move for college are also doing it alone. When they leave their hometowns, they are not only leaving behind their rooms, parents, siblings, and friends, but they are also leaving behind the carefully cultivated social support network that they have relied on for years. Those who arrive on campus for the first time do not have their best friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, or confidants in tow, leaving them to feel lonely, isolated, and inevitably, homesick. Even those who stay at home for college will feel a certain sense of sadness when their peers move away for school or the lack of a structured school day means that they do not socialize as often. Luckily, as these students begin to go to classes and establish relationships with their peers and professors, a new social support network will arise and the negative feelings of homesickness will melt away.

Yet, for some, homesickness does not fade. Students who cannot adjust to the college lifestyle often find their grades suffering as a result. This is because those who are suffering from unhappiness generally are also apathetic about their course work, leading them to not put in sufficient effort to succeed academically. Students who are still suffering from symptoms of severe homesickness and depression should seek out the help of counselors immediately. To combat feelings of moderate homesickness, students can keep in regular touch with their friends and families so that they do not feel as isolated, and also make an honest effort to go out and build a new social support network.