Music has always played an instrumental role (no pun intended) in my life, but as a college student, music has become even more prominent. Whether I am walking to class, studying or getting ready with my friends, music is always playing.
The cathartic feeling of finding a song that depicts exactly what you are feeling is truly unique. So, here are five songs that have resonated with me as a first-year college student.
- “This must be the place” by The lumineers
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“Home is where I want to be
But I guess I’m already there
I come home, she lifted up her wings
I guess that this must be the place”I know, I know, “This Must Be The Place” is originally by The Talking Heads, but as a die-hard Lumineers fan, I will always listen to their version. This song perfectly captures the excitement but also the uncertainty of the time period that is college.
I have dealt with so much unfamiliarity these past few months but I still have hope that I will one day feel comfortable and feel like I belong here. However, even through these feelings of displacement, I know that “this must be the place” and that I have a purpose to serve here at Penn State.
This song is comforting in the way that it assures you uncertainty is okay and that the journey is a part of the destination.
Despite confusion and feeling like you do not belong, that sense of discomfort could be exactly what you need to get you where you are meant to end up. This song always helps me to romanticize college life and appreciate everything I did and experienced to get to this point.
- “Go Your Own way” by Fleetwood mac
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“You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can call it
Another lonely day
You can go your own way”As an out-of-state student coming from a place where a majority of people go to the same few schools, the idea of moving to a new state and going to a school where I would not know anyone was daunting. To be honest, this was my college application anthem just as much as it was my first-semester of college anthem.
This song is exactly what I need when I am in the depths of homesickness.
It reminds me why I chose to go out of state and that although I am missing home, taking this step was staying true to myself and my goals. It also reminds me that choosing your own path instead of the one most followed can be uncomfortable but the “lonely days” are a small price to pay for every other benefit of taking your own path.
I have a print of this song hanging up right by my door so I see it every time I leave my room. I find having that reminder before leaving my room every day sets me off on a positive note and makes me appreciate the sacrifices I make on a daily basis being away from home to be here at Penn State.
- “Ribs” by Lorde
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“This dream isn’t feeling sweet
We’re reeling through the midnight streets
And I’ve never felt more alone
It feels so scary getting old”It is incredibly easy to feel lonely at a big school like Penn State, especially with the abundance of people coming here already knowing so many people from high school. Trying to break into that dynamic can be really challenging.
I remember feeling so alone as I watched my parents drive away after dropping me off for college, and feeling like I had left my entire life behind.
Having to realize I would not see my best friends, family and even my cat until Thanksgiving felt like the weight of the entire world. I will let you guess how many tears I shed that day. I leaned so heavily into this song, recognizing myself within the isolation and fears of growing up Lorde conveyed so perfectly.
I think it is so important to be able to lean into negative emotions you feel. While many of the songs I have on repeat are positive and uplifting, sometimes I just want to feel sad and homesick, and this song is my go-to for that.
“You’re the only friend I need (you’re the only friend I need)
Sharing beds like little kids (sharing beds like little kids)
And laughing ’til our ribs get tough (laughing ’til our ribs get tough)
But that will never be enough (but that will never be enough)”Another reason this song is such a perfect sad song is that it is not all sad. I can also see the positive parts of my college experience so far in this song. The duality of feeling lonely and anxious about growing up, but also making amazing memories and laughing is a flawless representation of these last few months.
When listening to this song, I am able to wallow in my homesickness but also be reminded that I am building deep connections and that soon enough this place will start to feel like home too.
- “Landslide” by Fleetwood mac
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“Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?”Surprise. Another Fleetwood Mac song and another song about being scared to grow up. Something about this song is so comforting and reassuring, even though it is touching on a lot of the anxiety I have had in this first semester.
Moving to college has been the most drastic change of my life, so I relate so heavily to this song. Will I be able to handle this change?
You would think this song would worsen my anxiety but it does just the opposite. It makes me realize this is just a season of my life and that I will adjust. It reminds me to embrace the changes I am experiencing and make the most of them.
This is also a song I grew up singing with my parents, so I am always transported back to those memories when I hear this song.
- “Home” by edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros
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“Oh, home, let me come home
Home is wherever I’m with you
Oh, home, let me come home
Home is wherever I’m with you”This song made me realize that home is truly the people, not the place. Sure, I miss my bed and my room, but it’s my family I think of when I think of being homesick. I was fortunate enough to already have an amazing relationship with my parents and siblings before leaving for college, but those relationships have grown exponentially since being away.
I am putting so much more effort into these relationships and their absence has made me realize how lucky I was to be close to them all the time.
Listening to this song just makes me feel warm inside because it reminds me of everyone I have waiting for me at home. I feel lucky to have people to miss so deeply and this song makes me appreciate these bonds so much more.
It also serves as a mood booster and gets me out of the funk of homesickness to think about all of the people I love. I think I have also begun to appreciate the company of people I am around on a daily basis more because now I realize how many relationships I took for granted.
Music has the power to evoke about every emotion under the sun, including those you just can’t describe. Turning to music to be able to process and feel emotions has been so helpful this past semester and it is my sincere hope that even one of these songs can help you to do the same.
Relating to a song can make those big emotions just a little smaller and more importantly make you feel less alone. Try making music the main soundtrack of your life instead of just background noise.
Tune in and see how much easier it is to balance and identify what you are feeling.