At the end of summer, many of this year’s seniors will have to face the inevitable: going away to college. When leaving family and friends at home, it’s important to stay in touch and not leave them behind. This gets difficult when drives are long, days are busy and schoolwork becomes heavier. While it is important for college freshmen to spread their wings and fly, missing home and family is something that affects everyone. Luckily, there are ways to stay close to hometown friends and family.
Phones bring a world of opportunity for long distance communication, like FaceTime and partner games. Students can schedule weekly phone calls with their family and friends so that they can set aside time to maintain these close bonds.
2024 Trinity alumna and University of Florida student Natalie Ewbank stated, “I’m really lucky that I still talk to a lot of people from high school. Since we can text, call, FaceTime and more, it makes it really easy to stay close. I have visited my best friend, Giana [Sasselli], who goes to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Florida, and I always try to see my other friends when I’m home for breaks!”
Holidays and seasonal breaks are also a good time to catch up with friends from high school and respark old relationships. In college, it’s difficult to nurture old friendships when meeting so many new people. During Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other short time at home, reach out and update old friends on what’s new so the connections still remain for a lifetime.
“I originally didn’t feel homesick in the first semester, but after returning from winter break, it became more difficult to be so far away. It was really hard to adjust to not being able to see my family every day,” remarked 2024 alumna Sasselli.
In dorms, there is also plenty of empty wall space to tape up pictures and mementos from home. Using cork boards, scattered tabletop picture frames and more, comforting photos and memories can be placed all around without damaging dorm walls.
As students settle in and find their own community, the sadness about leaving home and being out of high school naturally fades away. Joining different clubs or groups and talking to others also is a good distraction against feelings of sadness and yearning and makes the college experience better. It’s important to have a supportive community to combat feelings of loneliness.
Ewbank shared, “It definitely fades over time, once you find your place and get settled. Since it’s a brand new everything, it takes time, but it’s really cool to get to experience a whole new place on your own.”
Even though it’s important to keep old friendships strong, another step to feeling comfortable at college is getting closer to new friends that can bring comfort and fun.
Sasselli commented, “I think the best way to make the feeling of homesickness go away is to surround yourself with a good group of friends who make it feel like home.”
When combating the feelings of homesickness and loneliness that come from moving away, keep in mind that all other freshmen are in the same boat and are looking for new friends and comfort, too. Just stay in touch with old friends and family to keep busy while staying grounded.
