- “Never grow up” by Taylor swift
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This song is perfect for getting in your feelings once you arrive at college. You can reminisce on your childhood while attempting to cope with being a college student.
- “rivers and roads” by the head and the heart
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Being an out-of-state college student is hard. You are not with the people you grew up with, you are in a new environment and overall you are surrounded by all things new. “Rivers and Roads” is the perfect song to loop while sobbing about these circumstances.
- “changes” by cam
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A fun fact about this song– Harry Styles wrote it and this is featured by the whistles you hear in it. If you want to have a proper send-off for your hometown, this is it. It’s a love song to a town you are leaving to pursue your dreams.
- “half of my hometown” by kelsea ballerini featuring kenny chesney
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Similar to “Changes” by Cam, this is a love song to your hometown. This one is especially for the freshman as the basis of the song is seeing where the people from your high school ended up or where they are going. Wherever you go, your hometown will always have a piece of your heart.
- “older” by alec benjamin
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If you want to cry and lowkey panic about growing up, here is your chance. This is perfect to play when you are packing your things to go to college. Part of the song is overthinking about what the future will hold. It’s almost like an ode to those who fear the unknown (me too).
- “butterfly fly away” by miley cyrus
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This is a sweet song originating from Hannah Montana: The Movie. This is an excellent song for saying goodbye to your parents as you move on to a new life in college. It will especially hit different if you grew up with a single parent: “You had to do it on your own / Make a living, make a home”. There are butterfly metaphors all throughout the song as well which adds to the growing-up sadness.
- “slipping through my fingers” by abba
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A song that grew in popularity through the “Mamma Mia” soundtrack, “Slipping Through My Fingers” leaves no eye dry. It makes you understand how precious every moment is. Life can go by in the blink of an eye and this song makes you feel just that.
- “photograph” by ed sheeran
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College dorms are usually surrounded by pictures of family and friends from back home. Imagine listening to this song while looking at those pictures on your wall, no eye dry. The line “Wait for me to come home” gets a whole new meaning when relating it to college.
- “ready, set, don’t go” by billy ray cyrus featuring miley cyrus
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Billy and Miley Cyrus always know how to get those emotions going. The song is about Billy realizing that Miley will chase her dreams no matter what. There is support for her even though her dreams reach farther than their small town. Miley is looking forward to the start of a new life chasing her dreams.
- “grown up” by leith ross
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Ever feel like your childhood went by quicker than you thought? That is what is covered here. There is even a line for us that are indecisive. We are now in control of our lives and that is terrifying.
The next time you are in need of a good cry, or looking to reminisce on your high school years, these 10 songs would be great additions to your ‘feeling homesick’ playlist. While it is difficult growing up, you can remember that these songwriters also relate, and maybe it will help you feel a little less lonely when you are miles away from home on your college campus.