It’s certainly not an understatement to say that moving to university for the first time is a huge change in our life. For many of us, it drives up muddled up feelings of excitement, nervousness and anticipation – and in cases, something we might not have expected: homesickness. From personal experience, it’s certainly not what I anticipated after watching my parents drive off; I expected myself to be so swept up in my new life and friends that I wouldn’t have time to even think about home – but I was wrong.
What I didn’t realise that I definitely wasn’t the only one who went through homesickness at university – in fact, research shows that 50-70% of students experience homesickness during their first few weeks after leaving home. This is also completely understandable – for most of us, this is the first time we’ve lived away from our home and our family. So the first thing to be clear about is that you’re certainly not alone in this – and that homesickness can affect anyone.
This might be difficult to believe, as almost definitely most people, including friends from home, are looking as if they are having the time of their lives. Looking through your friends’ endless ecstatic Fresher’s photos on Facebook doesn’t help either. But talking to people around you can definitely be useful – although it sounds like a cliché, chances are that some of them (despite photos telling you otherwise) are experiencing the same things you are, and knowing this can help you feel better about your own feelings.
If you’re feeling down, it’s really important to keep busy. Staying alone in your room will only leave you feeling more depressed and alone. Joining university presents you with an unbelievable amount of new opportunities in the form of sports, societies and many other things (should probably add in studying for your degree somewhere in there too!). Throwing yourself into university life is a great way of helping you stay busy and distracting you from brooding over thoughts of home, as well as helping you make a load of new friends.
Try not to give up too easily; if you are really having a bad time, try and wait it out until Christmas at least. It takes time to settle in, and for some, longer than others. In my case, the first term passed by in a blur, and it was only after Christmas that I felt more at home. As a result, I enjoyed the Spring semester a lot more.
But if things for you are only getting worse, don’t ignore them. Phoning home is never something we should be ashamed of, but if it’s happening too often and you really feel like you’re really unhappy, it’s important to talk to someone at the university. If you feel comfortable, you can talk to your tutor, but you can also contact Nightline, a free confidential and anonymous listening service that provides students with emotional support in difficult times. You can also contact staff at the university counselling service, who will also be more than happy to speak with you.
Nightline Telephone: 0115 951 4985
Internal extension: 14985 (from UoN Hall Phones)
Email: nightlineanon@nottingham.ac.uk
Instant Messaging: www.nottinghamnightline.co.uk/IM
University Counselling Service
Telephone: 0115 951 3695
Internal extension: 13695 (from UoN Hall Phones)
Email: counselling.service@nottingham.ac.uk