Homesickness and hostel life
University life can be tough for new students, but even tougher for those far from home. For these students, university brings greater challenges of finding new friends, adjusting to a new city, settling into a new living space, all without their families there to provide direct support to them.
Many students suffer from homesickness for these reasons. Some learn to overcome it more easily by quickly beating the challenges of being away from home, but others may experience homesickness for a longer period of time and this in turn affects their academic performance, social interactions, lead to feelings anxiety, depression, loneliness, and demotivation. These students may question their reason for being at university, express desire to drop out to go back home, and feel guilty about not meeting their own or their parents' academic expectations.
The following tips can help in overcoming homesickness:
- Give yourself some time to settle down – what you're feeling is normal
- Join a club or a society to meet new people and make friends
- Step out of your room and get to know your neighbors
- Bring things from home that help you find comfort and would make the place more "homely" for you
- Don't hesitate to ask for help
- Explore, get to know the city
- Call home regularly, but not too much!
- Try to stay positive
- Exercise and stay healthy
If you're having difficulty coping with homesickness, please visit Student Counseling.
