No matter what year you are currently in from freshman to senior, it is completely okay to be homesick.
While there are ways to cope through this that include facetime calls, sometimes technology cannot get the job done.
Statistics have proved that 69 percent of college students feel homesick within their first year of college, according to a survey by the UCLA Higher Education Institute.
The absence of not being able to see your family members and friends while being away in a new environment makes it difficult to focus.
What makes this worse is that students can eventually become less interested in continuing in college, and also can affect a student’s work ethic.
Here are three ways to cope with being homesick:
Get Interactive!
It is okay to be shy! College usually begins with a feeling of being nervous to meet many people at events that include mixers and community events on campus. Mingle with other students who are in the same boat. You might meet someone who misses their family just as much as you do.
Do not isolate yourself:
Isolation is the worst way to continue feeling homesick, in order to feel better it is recommended that finding a comfortable space in groups that engage with you could potentially help students to come out of their shell. Attend events for a group that sparks an interest inside.
Roommates are ideal
To have a group of students in your same environment and living space is one of the best ways to become less homesick. Communicating with your roommates can help with this process because of the somewhat at-home experience that you can get through them. Your dorm room should be like the space that feels like home to you.
It may be hard to find comfort in the college setting because of what is required from students, but there are many alternative ways to cope through it.
Constantly visiting home has proved to make matters worse, forcing students to want to create a habit out of visiting home.
This can also be soothing to students who feel that home is the best medicine to get through it.
Having a realization why attending college has been important to students actually can help students keep calm while processing the fact that they are in a different environment.
Regardless of the situation, becoming comfortable in a new setting can make things hard but this makes the experience completely worth it in the long run.
The best option would be to visit home once, and to actually enjoy the college experience for what it is.
Do not be afraid to get out of your room and to get to know other students, it all starts with you!