Everyone goes through homesickness! It can be quite upsetting especially if you’ve never been away from home before. Follow these tips to cheer yourself up and make the most of your Nottingham experience!
1) Get excited!
You got in – congratulate yourself! You’re in a new city so go exploring and be sure to check out the shops, roam around campus and generally just get used to your surroundings!
2) Remember everyone’s in the same boat
Be friendly and try to make the effort to invite people to things like societies/coffee/shopping or just chill with them in the kitchen. Try and be confident and socialise outside of social media. Knock on doors and remember that someone has to make the first move!
3) Start making memories
Go to a societies nights out, mixers and events. Make sure you hit the freshers fair and get involved! Take pics and have some printed – check out Snapfish for 40 free prints or get the Printic app for cute polariod prints. As well as great nights out try and keep busy during the day. Soon you’ll have some great memories/inside jokes/stories with your new friends (hopefully no embarrassing ones)…
4) Societies
Don’t avoid going to a society meeting or night out just because you’ll be going alone – you’ll meet people there! Yes, it’s daunting but it’s worth it to make friends all over the place. Remember – the people you live with in first year aren’t the only people at uni! It’s good to have friends all over the place!
5) Bring a bit of home with you
Bringing some photos along will make you feel better. Adding personal touches to your room will make it feel more like home. You can also bring home recipes, letters from friends, old books you love, cuddly toys – the list is endless!
6) Enjoy your freedom!
Revel in your independence! Learn how to cook for yourself, decorate your room the way you like it or reinvent your look. It’s time to start living like an adult! It’ll take your mind off missing home and help you adjust to your new surroundings. Be sure to enter our Her Campus Nottingham – Best Bedroom Competition. Great prizes for your creativity! (sorry for the shameless plug!!)
7) Use a planner or a calendar
You’re at uni now – it’s time to get organised! Mark trips home on your calendar seeing how close they are will put you at ease. Add events and meetings to your planner/calendar so you feel busy and have things to look forward to.
8) Stay in touch
Try and keep a balance between staying in touch with friends and meeting new people. You don’t want to miss out on meeting the people you’ll spend your university years with but you also don’t want to ignore your dearest friends and family. Set Skype times, send texts, write letters and send snapchats but keep it short and sweet while you’re still meeting new people. How are people supposed to get to know the lovely you if you’re not there?
9) Plan trips to go home or see friends
Talking of old friends…try not to plan anything until you’ve settled into uni. Once you’re settled you should look into possible trips home or to see your friends at other universities. Make sure to budget!
10) Host
After you’ve met some people feel free to host something cute and cosy like a movie night or fajita dinner. If you fancy going out you could suggest a club night out to everyone and have pre drinks at yours. This will combat homesickness by showing you how great you have it at uni! Co-hosting is also a great idea and much less pressure on you!
11) Take some ‘me time’
Getting involved, meeting new people and showing your face are all very important, however there will be time when you need a bit of home comfort. After the rush of Freshers Week things will be dying down a little bit and you’ll have some time to yourself to do whatever you like whether it’s watching TV or Skyping your family!
12) Exercise
Going to the gym is a great way to make yourself feel better. You’ll feel like you’re doing something productive and good for you. It’s the best way to keep a smile on your face!
13) Talk to someone
Everyone goes through this! But beware – talking to your new uni friends about how much you miss home can make them feel bad too especially if they’re international students so try not to talk about it too much with them. Remember that you can also talk to family, your tutor, the University’s counselling service and Nottingham Nightline.
Don’t stress collegiettes! In a few weeks Nottingham will feel like your second home!
Nottingham Nightline – Nottingham Nightline Website 01159514985
Nottingham Counselling – Nottingham Uni Counselling Service