What I Learned from Moving to a Different Country for College

Although moving to a different country for college is difficult, the results are worth the initial struggle. The separation from family and friends is a challenging, but necessary step to charting a unique path for yourself. This is the pep talk my parents gave me before college move-in day. 

Moving 4,000 miles away from home to attend Kenyon College, I was initially skeptical of my parents’ advice. However, two months into my first year here, I’ve realized that my parents were right. College has allowed me to reinvent myself. When I was in high school, I would fall into the same routines with the same people, but at Kenyon, immersed in a new environment and community, I feel free to discover different sides of myself. 

Living in a new environment is initially challenging. Homesickness has hit me at unexpected moments, such as when I hear a song my mom loves or mistake a shadow for the tail of my cat. However, I have come to view moments of discomfort as channels for personal growth. My move from a town to a city, to the middle of nowhere in Ohio, has allowed me to interact with and live alongside people with diverse life experiences. Despite personal differences, I have been able to relate to people from diverse backgrounds and expose my world to new ideas. 

Living far away from home is daunting. I see my friends planning to drive home for the weekend with the ease of a five-hour commute, while I calculate flight time. Time differences are also hard. I miss my mom, my cat, and even my brother. Luckily, phones allow us to keep in contact! Although FOMO can feel like a curse, I remind myself that my friends back home likely admire the courage it took to pursue college in a completely new environment. 

One of the main things to remember about freshman year is that every first-year is in the same boat. We are all experiencing a new environment, even if some students are separated from home by a 10-minute drive, while others are separated by an ocean. Everybody is new to each other. Nobody knows that you are shy, or you cried when your parents hugged you goodbye, or your mom drew a heart on your hand to help you muster the courage to meet new classmates. Remember, you can try out new versions of yourself, and your classmates will be along for the ride. 

If you are wondering about making the leap and attending college in a new and unfamiliar environment, do it. Moving to a different country for college is hard, but ultimately, worthwhile.

• change
• freshman year
• lifestyle changes
• mental health
• moving countries