Homesickness at University Blog
It is totally natural to find miss home while you are at university, especially in the first few weeks while living away, it still feels very unfamiliar. This blog will give you a few top tips for surviving university especially when you first arrive and how to tackle homesickness. Personally, it was the middle of October when I felt most homesick. I think that is because the novelty of being a ‘fresher’ had worn off by this point, and it dawned on me what I was really here for! In addition, other people I knew were going home for a break having survived the first month, but studying a long way away from home, I hadn’t made any to.
Stay in touch with friends and family
My first top tip is to stay connected with friends and family back home but don’t rely on this too heavily. University is going to be one of the best opportunities in your whole life to make a wide range of new friends across your course, clubs and societies, volunteering and other interests. Equally, when you have had a bad day or need some advice perhaps, a quick phone call with a loved one can help everything feel just slightly better! I’d recommend not going back home too early into term; wait until you have settled in properly and feel happy with your routine.
Create habits and routines for yourself
Creating routines in your day-to-day life will help you to feel productive, organised and generally positive about how you are managing at university. As part of this, I like to set myself manageable goals for each week, so I don’t become overwhelmed by the number of things on my to do list but equally everything important gets done. Every Sunday, I plan out my week on my whiteboard. Everyone tends to live quite independent lives at university, so it is easy for sleep schedules to slip, with many students becoming almost nocturnal! Try as best as you can to maintain a regular sleep schedule this way you hopefully won’t miss lectures or become too exhausted over the course of the term.
Make your room your home
One thing I cannot recommend enough is making your room feel homely, especially if you are living in university halls which can feel very bare and soulless when you first move in. Before leaving for university, go shopping for cosy blankets, fairy lights, cushions etc. which will make you want to spend time in your room. I also printed lots of pictures to stick up around my room on Free Prints to remind me of happy times and make me feel like my friends and family back home were always with me.
Chat to people around you
Hopefully doing a combination of these things will help to prevent feelings of homesickness but if you do feel upset and find yourself missing home lots, talk to people. Universities have a designated wellbeing team who are there to support you and your mental health. From my experience at the University of Plymouth, I know our wellbeing team offer drop-ins every Tuesday and if you need further support you can complete a short, online self-referral form. Friends can also be fantastic people to raise worries or concerns with, and they may also be struggling with some of the same issues. Lecturers or your personal tutor can be supportive contacts too; they will never mind you dropping them an email or visiting them in their office hours.
Ultimately, don’t worry about feeling homesick as it happens to the best of us! Knowing that everyone in your university community is here to listen and support you hopefully can reassure you that you will be okay. Once you are into the swing of lectures and you have made some strong friendships, it will feel like you have been at university forever. Good luck!