Change of Address: Top 10 Reasons College Freshman Get Homesick

Top 10 Reasons College Freshman Get Homesick

When you move away from home for your freshman year of college, things can be rough. It’s natural to find yourself feeling homesick. Most freshmen do find themselves feeling the same way at least at some point (although some won’t officially admit it). Many people I know are finding themselves in a situation where they are dealing with homesick kids at college so I put together this list of 10 reasons why college freshman get homesick (guys, hope this helps some as you begin to realize how normal this really is):

Significant other is back home. One of the most difficult challenges for a new college student is if they either have a long distance romance with someone back home or if they just broke up with someone expecting to move on while at college. At a time when so many things are changing for them this makes it even harder because the one person they are currently closest to is not with them or accessible in person (skype, texting, calling aside).

Mom and Dad. As difficult as it may seem just knowing that Mom and Dad aren’t in the next room can be very hard for some kids. Yes, they complain and complain about their parents and then when they aren’t there it can be a little scary (after a few hours of intense celebration).

Roommate problems. If you get stuck with a bad roommate in college that is just not at all like you are (which is highly likely), it can make for a very rough first couple of weeks of college. They may party a lot, have people of the opposite sex sleep over which is awkward, or even “borrow” more than they should.

Classes are a reality check. Those first few classes can be enough to overwhelm any freshman as they realize that college is actually going to be quite a bit of work. This is when thoughts of auditing one or two classes quickly come to mind as they question what they got themselves into.

New peer pressures. It’s college and inevitably half of the people there are going to be doing some strange things that they have never seen before. There will most likely be a lot more alcohol and potentially even some drugs that they will have to resist and/or try depending upon their response to new peer pressures.

Starting over again (bottom of the rungitis). Okay they are no longer at the top of the food chain like they were as high school seniors. This is the down-side of the well documented senioritis where they spend a year making it well known that they are running the high school campus. They go from knowing it all to not knowing much at all.

Money concerns. The reality sets in that things cost money and… they may not have much of their own. Sure they can call Mom and Dad, but who wants to do that when you just gain your independence? Plenty of kids do, but others also find a job and try to make their own money. This is hard and naturally causes additional stress.

Miss home-cooked meals. Let’s face it, college cafeteria food is not even close to the home-cooked meals that Mom or Dad used to make. Normally families get into a rhythm of serving favorites for each family member every week or on a frequent basis. That is just not going to happen in the cafeteria. Say goodbye to Mom’s chicken and dumplings (for a while).

Doing things they normally wouldn’t do. Since they have their independence they may try new things that they would never have done while they were at home. This can naturally lead to feeling different about their own person as they may ask themselves, “what am I doing?” This is completely natural.

They realize they are truly on their own. The one thing they dreamt about for so long has finally come. They are on their own. Especially if their friends all went to a different school and they are miles away from home (because they wanted to get away). Sometimes that reality is not what they had built it up to be in their minds.

The good news is that this feeling of being homesick is temporary. What is unfamiliar will eventually become familiar and what is scary will become just the way it is. How long does this take? It’s different for every college freshman. Sometimes it’s a couple of days, sometimes weeks, and sometimes months. However, it will happen if they stick to it and give themselves the time they need.