Moving away to college is an exciting milestone that comes with big changes and feelings. If you find yourself missing your family, friends, or even your childhood bedroom, you are experiencing something completely normal: college homesickness.
What is Homesickness?
Homesickness is a universal experience that can affect anyone at any age and in any place. Homesickness is a feeling of missing familiar places, faces, and communities. The good news? These feelings are temporary. As you become familiar with your campus and community, your dorm or apartment will start to feel like home.
How to Deal with Homesickness
Start by building relationships in your new community. Joining local clubs, classes, and community events is a great way to meet people and learn about the area. Exploring your neighborhood, whether it is a coffee shop, farmers market, or bookstore, can help you feel familiar with your surroundings, and you may meet new people along the way. You do not need to replace the past, but you can build new memories alongside it. Take it one day at a time, decorate your space with what you love, and remember: home is something you build, and you have already started building your home away from home.
How to Explore Your College Town:
- Art museums
- Local trails
- Community events
- Sports games
- Trivia
- Join clubs
- Try new restaurants
Build Your Campus Community
Social connection is the best remedy for homesickness, so get involved early:
- Join student organizations or campus clubs that you are interested in
- Attend campus orientation and dorm events
- Form a study group with classmates
- Participate in sports or campus activities
Exploring Your Neighborhood
Exploring new places is a great way to meet people, discover local favorites, and start feeling more at home in your new environment.
- Attend community events
- Join a community club or group
- Visit a local farmers markets
- Try a new restaurant
Staying Connected to Back Home
Keeping connections to home can bring comfort and familiarity as you adjust to your new environment.
- Call family and friends
- Do activities that remind you of home
- Build a new community
How Collegeboxes Makes the College Transition Easy
Packing up your life and moving to campus can add unnecessary stress to an already emotional time. That’s where Collegeboxes comes in. Powered by U-Haul, Collegeboxes takes the hassle out of college move-in, move-out, and any care packages in between so that you can focus on adjusting to campus life.