College can be an exciting and overwhelming experience. It might be your first time spending a significant amount of time away from home and family. Being an out of state student coming from Arizona, I struggled with homesickness. I missed the routine I had become accustomed to and felt like I had no one to support me since I did not know anyone at Miami and my family was over 1,500 miles away.
It’s totally normal for the initial excitement of coming to college to quickly turn to a feeling of homesickness. Homesickness can be an emotional response that may take the form of missing a sense of belonging, a sense of being known, old friends, pets, and all the comfort and regularity that come with routine. It will take time for Miami to feel like your second home, and that’s okay.
We all have to manage that transition from home life to independence, but we don’t have to do it alone. Here are a few tips to help you beat homesickness in your first month of college.
- Recognize that feeling homesick is normal and temporary.
When you feel homesick, you might also be feeling alone. But know that you are not alone in this feeling. According to Psychologist Tamar Chansky, “with little exception, all students will feel homesick at some time, usually in the beginning…whenever it does happen, know that it’s like a wave.” Know that what you are going through is a normal feeling in a time of transition and that with time the feeling of being homesick will fade.
- Reach out to others for support and share your feelings.
Many students in your residence hall or in your classes are all experiencing the same feelings that you are experiencing. Take the first step in sharing your feelings with others and you might be surprised how many of your peers feel the same way. If reaching out to peers isn’t working for you, Miami’s Student Counseling Service offers individual counseling and group workshops that may be able help to alleviate anxiety.
- Create new traditions that make campus feel like home.
Have a movie night on Friday in your friends residence hall room, or go uptown to eat on Thursday nights. These routines can help ground you in your new environment and help you connect with your peers and feel involved.
- Familiarize yourself with your new surroundings on campus.
Explore buildings beyond where you have class. Take a hike on a nature trail. Eat at different dining halls. The more familiar you are with campus and Oxford the more it will start to feel comfortable and like your home away from home!
- Establish routines that help you get through the day.
Whether it is waking up at the same time every day or meeting friends for lunch at your favorite dining hall, establishing a routine can help to restore the sense of belonging and ritual that you may be missing from life back home.
- Stay in touch with friends and family.
Maintaining relationships with family and friends at other universities or in your hometown is very important. Friends and family can provide support and an outlet to share how you are feeling. Additionally, maintaining these relationships can add a sense of normalcy to your new life.
- Find opportunities to connect with other students through student clubs or on-campus jobs.
Get involved on campus and in the community! Miami University offers hundreds of clubs and student organizations; there is no shortage of things to get involved in. Recruit friends from your residence hall to make an intramural broomball team. Join a spiritual or religious organization that supports your beliefs. Get involved in a cultural organization with people who share your culture and have shared life experiences. Join a Greek life organization that shares your values. Volunteer in the community for a cause that you are passionate about. Attend a job fair on campus or visit the Career Center in Armstrong Student Center to get a job that helps you build your skill set and expand your knowledge. The possibilities are endless!
What worked for me?
To overcome my homesickness, I talked with my roommate and new friends on campus and realized that everyone was having the same anxieties and feelings that I was no matter how close or far they lived.
I also made an effort to get to know the town of Oxford by going on walks, or eating out uptown which made Oxford feel like home. I also got involved both on campus and in Oxford to build a sense of community. At Miami I joined a cultural club and made an intramural broomball team with my friends which allows me to get active. I got a job in the department of my minor which has allowed me to connect to my professors, and in the community I volunteer at the Choice Pantry which has further integrated me locally and allowed me to meet other Miami students with the same passion. While I still get homesick from time to time, making a conscious effort to get to know others and my surroundings has made Miami home.
Grace Cooper
