Basic tips and advice for coping with homesickness at university particularly during your first year and the first term which can be the hardest for many students. It is the reason why this is the term that many students drop out before even finding out if the course is right for them merely. Working with students as an essay writer helper, I know that it happens because the jump between living at home in the town you grew up into living away from home in a new city was too much. So hopefully these tips will help make that jump less scary and make life at university a more enjoyable experience
Bring a reminder of a home
Yes, that old teddy bear you’ve had since you were a baby may be embarrassing and slightly scruffy but it’ll sure help to have something familiar with you on your first night in student accommodation. Other reminders could be photographs or special mementos. Things that will remind you of home and make your stark blank student room look more inviting and relaxing. The homelier your room at university looks the less you’re going to want to go leave to go home. This is your room, and as long as you stick within the university and accommodation landlord’s rules you can do whatever you want with it and make it your new home.
Socialise
Sounds obvious, but it can be scary when faced with a crowd of new people even for the most outgoing of people, however, most first-year students have one thing in common, they too have just moved to a new town and are scared about having to settle into university life and find new friends. So just jump in, and talk to everyone, the girl queuing behind you for enrolment, the guy who sat next to you in your introductory lecture, and especially the staff at your university.
They deal with thousands of new students just like you every year and know not only what you are going through but also the best ways to deal with it, so if you ever do feel like it’s getting too much or like you need even just a little bit of help figuring out university life then don’t hesitate to speak to someone at your university.
Study
From the moment you hit the ground, study, it is easier to keep up with the university workload if you don’t fall behind in the first couple of weeks. Many students, after finally getting their freedom to forget what university is supposed to be all about. So they fall behind with their studying as the exams and deadlines. They seem so far away that it doesn’t matter if they miss the first few lectures they’ll be able to catch up. Of course, they can ask somebody to ‘write my paper‘and fulfill all tasks successfully. It may seem a chore to get up for that 9 am lecture, but you’ll be thanking yourself when everyone else is left with twice the amount of work later on as they play catch up.
Also at university, no one will be there to make sure you do catch up or that you at your lectures, this is your responsibility, a thing that many students aren’t used to having to have especially when it comes to studying after going through so many years of being spoon-fed. However, if you keep up with the workload, you should have no trouble not only handling this but also being able to balance work and play. Again if you ever feel like you struggling or there is something you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to talk to your tutor or lecturer, it’s better to talk to them before a problem than them having to talk to you afterward.
Phone home
Now, this tip isn’t necessarily for everyone it depends on what is best for you. If phone home now and again and having a chat help you then go right ahead. However, the essay writer site suggests that if you are like many students and phoning home just makes you miss home even more then try and keep contact to a minimum just until you are settled into university and no longer feel like phoning home will make you want to go home.
The same goes with visiting home, many students go home often especially during the first year however this might not be the best option as it could make you feel even more isolated constantly going back and forth and never really settling in. At least for the first term, it might be better to stay at university and try and settle and make it your home away from home, and then when you do go back home for the holidays you’ll have plenty of stories to tell your parents and old friends.
Explain to your parents that you need to be able to settle in and meet people at university and you can’t do that by constantly being reminded of home, your parents may be upset about you taking this step towards independence as it’s part of your growing up and becoming your person and no longer there little boy or girl, but they will understand and be a lot happier when they see how well you’re doing and that they have raised you well enough for you to be able to stand on your own two feet and succeed at university.
Alicia Saville did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in mental health and well-being.
