The belief that University will be the best time of your life looms over your long car journey as you move back in to halls, following you through from first term. It's supposed to be the most fun you'll ever have, so why are you feeling so low? I asked myself this throughout my first term. In reality,
70% of students, according to Warwick University, experience homesickness at some point, so you are not as alone as you might think.
I made the five hour move from Bristol to Durham to study. Being so far from family was already psychologically testing and the relentless torments of fresher's flu made me want my own Bristol bed more than ever. While my school friends' social media depicted a fun-filled fresher week, my first few weeks felt comparatively flat. I was struggling to motivate myself to mix with the amazing new people I was surrounded by, that I now love spending time with.
Now in second year and absolutely loving University life, so glad that I never gave in to the distant thoughts telling me to drop out and that University just wasn't for me, this is what I would tell my troubled fresher self.
1. Don't hibernate
It's all too easy to feel sorry for yourself, segregating yourself in the sorrow of missing home. But while you stay in wallowing, your future friends are bonding
without you, making you feel even more left out and alone. If you shied away from socialising in first term, this is your chance to get stuck in - join a society or simply make more of an effort to talk to your course mates. It can take time to build friendships and feel comfortable, but the more you do this, the more distracted you will be from the homesickness at heart.
2. Talk to your friends about it
It's so common to feel the way you are feeling, just talk it out with someone - this could be someone on your course, a flat mate, or anyone in your halls. Chances are they are feeling the same. Bizarrely enough, you might actually bond over it, make more friends, and as a result, feel less homesick.
3. Phone, Don't Facetime
To my surprise, I felt a lot better when my family and I decided to stop face timing and just ring. Something about not actually seeing their face was a lot less upsetting, and saves you from having to explain that they actually have to turn the camera around for me to see them.
4. Try not to go home
I was the only one of my friends at University not to go home or be visited by family in my first term. It was tough but so helpful in the long term for coping with homesickness. Powering through early on made each term more and more painless, helping me to adjust quickly.
5. Speak to student support services
If you're really struggling, your university will have some fantastic services to help you settle in. Don't be afraid to speak to them, they will have seen so many other students in the same position as you.
While you might not want to face it now, moving away from home is something you would have to face in the near future regardless of whether you'd gone to University, so why waste this time worrying about it when you are surrounded by so many amazing opportunities? Like the dreaded fresher's flu, homesickness
will get better, so don't be rash and quit straight away. Talk to your family and friends regularly and just relax - it won't last forever.
