The transition from high school to college is a struggle that all college students share. Most of us have never lived away from our parents or home until now. As some can relate, a lot of us had to make the difficult decision to either attend college near home or far away. Not only are we moving away from our homes, but we’re living on our own as new adults.
On top of transitioning to college, several of us were 18 or 19 when we graduated high school. Therefore, we’ve barely had time to adjust to adulthood when we already had to move to college. In my case, I literally turned 18 on the day of my graduation.
First semester
As a first generation Mexican American and college student, I am very close to my family. We are all a tight knit family and have always relied on each other for many things. However, my parents have mostly relied on me for several events. I was the one to translate, to fill out paperwork, to take them to places, and to explain stuff to them. This is not meant to be taken as a complaint, but rather to show how much reliance is in our relationship. This is also the reality for many first-generation Americans who are often the backbone of their families due to being the only bilingual one to help them around. Therefore, the transition to college was a tough time.
During my first semester of college, I didn’t really get an opportunity to feel homesick because I went home every weekend. I would finish my work during the week to go home and not worry about anything until I came back. I would avoid making plans on weekends to in order to go home. However, this changed when I began needing to make time for other things and people. I met more people that I cared about and wanted to set aside time for them as well. I had to stop going home every weekend, and instead every other weekend.
In addition, I spent so much time in my room. I would go to my dorm after every class, and I only studied there. The only time I would get out would be to walk to class or eat. This was not a great habit, nor did it make my college experience great.
Second Semester
Now, I’m currently in my second semester of college and there have been numerous changes.
Basically, I made a promise to myself that I would stop working myself too much by staying in my room and focusing solely on school. I needed to be more social and involved on campus. I wanted to be involved in different groups because I didn’t do any of this during my first semester. I knew that if I didn’t, I would be stuck in my room and that’s not healthy for anyone.
Therefore, I signed up for a bunch of clubs and organizations. Now, I find myself out of my room more often with a busy schedule. To my surprise, I am able to handle all of this while taking 7 classes. I realized that I could have a social life while attending school which may seem odd, but this is simply based off of my experience from last semester.
However, this is where the homesickness truly kicked in. I couldn’t go home every other weekend anymore. I became too busy on the weekends to even have time for my own friends or partner. I had to make time during the weekdays which was also a hassle. I became too busy to have my frequent calls with my parents and this has had a big impact on me. I’ve started becoming so homesick lately that I needed to cope with this in another way other than simply being sad about it.
How I cope with being homesick
I decided to distract myself by having self-care time. I haven’t been dedicating time to myself lately and this is very crucial as a college student. I’ve taken some time to do stuff that I like such as watch videos, skincare, makeup, etc. This has truly helped me feel better about being homesick.
While I continue with my busy schedule, I try to not think too much about home by avoiding staying my room as I stated before. Being in my room will only leave me with my thoughts and I’ll eventually be sad again. Therefore, as a current homesick college student, I suggest spending more time with yourself outside of a space that reminds you of home. That space for me is my dorm room.
Go somewhere you enjoy whether it be by yourself or with some friends. Study somewhere else other than your regular spot. Treat yourself to dessert or new clothes. Either way, don’t let the feeling of being homesick take over your life. Embrace the college experience and the feeling will slowly decrease over time.