Moving away from home to college is a natural part of growing up, but that’s not to say that it’s easy. Leaving behind friends, family, and familiarity can be very difficult. For some people, it can be too much. If you are reluctant to go, then you need to work out how you are going to deal with being homesick. Moving to another place for college is how you gain your independence and become an adult. This post will provide some very useful tips that you can use when moving, to ease the stress and make everything much simpler:
Moving Belongings
One of the most difficult parts of moving away to college is moving one’s belongings. When you are leaving home for the first time, it’s very likely that you will want to move as many of your things as possible. According to the professional movers from My Baggage, entrusting your belongings into a shipping company’s hands is a quick and convenient way of transporting one’s belongings. A good idea if you are going to send things to yourself this way, is to take out an insurance policy. An insurance policy will protect you against loss and theft.
Homesickness
Homesickness is something that is unavoidable when you move away from home for the first time. It can be very hard to deal with if you aren’t prepared. One of the most effective ways of staving off homesickness is to take little mementoes with you, that you can look at and enjoy every time that you miss your family and friends. It’s very important that you don’t cut your losses and return home, simply because of homesickness. College is a fantastic opportunity that can positively shape the rest of your life. Homesickness will abate with time if you push yourself.
Regular Contact
One effective way of reducing the severity of your homesickness symptoms is to keep in regular contact with your family and friends. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make is not phoning them and video calling them when you feel lonely. By keeping in regular contact, it will be easier to adjust to your new situation. Schedule in a time with them, then phone them at the same time every day. This will help to create a sense of routine and make you feel more involved in your family’s daily routines.
Similar Positions
Something that you need to remember is that all of the other students sharing halls with you are in similar positions. Most of them have likely never left home before, either. When you realize this, it becomes a lot easier to adjust. With this in mind, you should try to socialize and make friends with people. Every person that you meet in college is a potential contact in the future. In fact, college is the best time to network. A circle of friends will also make it easier to adjust to your new situation.
Asking Questions
Don’t be afraid to ask colleges. College can be daunting, if you don’t ask questions then you won’t be able to get your bearings. Most likely, your college will have appointed two senior students to act as student advisors. These students will be able to answer any of your questions and give you advice if you are struggling. You usually have to book an appointment with them, which can probably be done online. Some even have offices that you can drop in to if you need their help. Don’t be afraid to make use of this service.
Walk Around
The worst thing that you can do when you are new to a college is to lock yourself in your room. If you don’t walk around, then you won’t make friends. Additionally, if you lock yourself in then you won’t familiarize yourself with the college, meaning that you could get lost when you are going to lectures. Getting outside and getting some fresh air is also a good way of eliminating the horrible symptoms of anxiety and depression, which are often caused by homesickness. If your symptoms persist, then you could consider visiting your college’s student councilor or a physician.
Classmates
Get to know all of your classmates. The people that you share your first-year class with, will likely be present in all of your classes moving forward. If you don’t get to know them, then you will constantly feel as though you are surrounded by strangers. One’s classmates are the easiest people in college to become friends with because you share a classroom with them. You will likely have an opportunity to meet them all on an individual basis, so there’s no need to rush. At first, just introduce yourself to them all.
College Life
Immerse yourself in college life. The college experience can be a lot of fun. What’s the point in attending if you aren’t going to take advantage of everything that it has to offer? There’s likely to be a club focused on an activity that you are interested in, and a fraternity full of like-minded people for you to join. Throwing yourself headfirst into college life is another extremely effective method of overcoming homesickness. If you don’t want to join any clubs or fraternities, then at least consider participating in extracurricular activities or study groups. These will help you to make friends and to familiarize yourself with other students.
Hard Work
Most importantly of all, work hard. It’s easy to immerse yourself in the wrong things when you are new at college. Many students begin drinking and partying very hard, in order to eradicate their homesickness. All this does is lead them to developing bad habits later in life. While college should be a time of exploration and fun, it should also be a time of study and education. If you do not take full advantage of your time at college and spend it all drinking or partying, then you won’t get the grades that you might have hoped for.
College is the first step toward adulthood. If you are moving away to college, then you need to prepare. If you arrive unprepared then it’s very likely that you will experience homesickness and perhaps even depression. Preparation will make it easier for you to overcome homesickness and to immerse yourself in your new college.