The transition between living with your parents and being surrounded by familiar faces and friends in your home town, to being thrown into the blank slate of a new university, in the midst of a sea of strangers and unfamiliar setting, can be scarily isolating. However, the constant hum of excitement in Freshers’ week provides a much-needed distraction from these feelings. Often, after the inevitable teary first day of moving in, it won’t be until after this excitement has died down and you are well into your university experience, that homesickness hits. I always thought the idea of starting new school years every drizzly September, after the reassuring warmth of the sun has begun to melt away into despondent grey clouds, was a strange one. This murky weather, paired with the unfortunate inevitability of freshers’ flu, make staying positive and motivated during the first term of university one of the hardest challenges you will face during your academic career. But, as dreary as all may seem in this time, I know from my own struggle with homesickness in first year, that there are several ways to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed by homesickness, and still be able to enjoy your time in first year.
1. Try not to go home before reading week
While in the short-term, visiting home cures homesickness, it is damaging to the process of settling into a new-environment in the long-term. As contradictory as it may seem, going home too early into university can have detrimental effects on feeling homesick. It takes a few weeks to settle into a new place properly, and, as tempting as returning to familiarity may sound, you need to adjust to the different surroundings before a home visit is a good idea. Once you are settled into your new environment, visiting home is a great cure for homesickness
2. Leave your room at least once a day
It is easy to rot in your room if you don’t have a reason to leave, and the occasional day spent in pyjamas watching Netflix can be a much-needed respite from Uni life. However, it is easy for this to become habitual, especially when paired with freshers’ flu, and lead to feeling horribly homesick and isolated. Going outside at least once a day, even if its just to stock up on soup or take the bin out, is so much better for your mental health. I learnt this the hard way in first year, and learnt that my homesickness became so much more manageable after I started leaving my room more, and naturally carving out a home for myself, rather than staying in bed wishing I was with my parents. Try to go on walks, explore your new environment and find third spaces (a place that isn’t where you live or work) to familiarise yourself with the city.
3. Not relying on home connections as your only support system
Facetiming and texting your friends and family from home is a great way to stay connected with them and get advice and comfort. However, relying too much on this can make you unhealthily dependent on these sources, keeping you stuck in the past, instead of helping you forge connections in the present. Not everyone gets lucky enough to find a platonic soulmate in your flat or first lecture at Uni, so joining societies, or reaching out to wellbeing services are great ways to find companionship aside from people from home.
4. Make your house a home
One of the best ways to settle into your Uni life is to decorate your space and make it homier. Bringing decorations from your bedroom immediately transforms a blank space into somewhere personal to you, and printing out pictures of your loved ones means they can be near you, despite the physical distance.
5. Find animals to cuddle
For a lot of us, leaving pets at home can be the hardest part of moving to university. Of course, decorating your room with thousands of pictures of them is the first step to remembering your furry friends. Aside from this, seeing animals on your daily walk to campus, or even on campus, can help ease the pain of missing your pets. On the University of Exeter’s campus, the famous cat, Napoleon can often be found roaming the streets or curled up in the forum. If you’re more of a dog person, welfare pup Ted comes to visit every Monday, and despite admittedly being more a cat-person myself, he lifts my spirits at the start of every week.