By: Isabelle Zhang
When I first arrived at BU, I didn’t experience much homesickness. Despite having moved a thousand miles away from home and not knowing a single person here, I was fine; orientation week and the whirlwind of new college experiences left me far too mentally and physically occupied each day to even think about what I had left. Yet, as the back-to-school activities quieted and my life in Boston fell into a routine, I found myself beginning to feel homesick.
Maybe it was the shifting seasons and shortening days, or maybe it was because I had gone home for a weekend and saw what I was missing. Regardless of the reason, my sudden homesickness rendered me incapable of doing anything except the bare minimum: eating, sleeping, and studying. It took several weeks of moping and some reluctant introspection to finally get me out of my funk and become a contributing member of society once more.
If you’re like me — coming from a far-away state and with few connections in Boston — it can be easy to get homesick. Here are my tips to feel better!
1) Call your friends and family!
It may seem like I’m stating the obvious, but this is something a lot of students neglect to do their first semester. I get it; you’re off to college and experiencing true independence for the first time — that’s great! But once the excitement dies down, you’ll realize that you haven’t had a proper conversation with your parents or friends in months. The best way to avert this is to set aside time every week or so to talk to your loved ones, and try your best to abide by it. I make sure to call my grandparents at least once every two weeks, and hop on a group facetime with my friends while we play Minecraft together every week!
2) Don’t hold yourself back from making new friends!
My sudden bout of homesickness last fall left me reluctant to do anything, especially socializing. I think I was worried that making new friends would pull me away from my old ones, damaging our bonds irrevocably. But going back for break and seeing my friendgroup interact as we normally did showed me that college hadn’t “distanced” us — rather, making new friends and memories made us more well-rounded, and, in turn, better friends to each other. Definitely don’t hold yourself back from socializing!
3) Bring home to Boston!
If you have any traditions or customs you always participate in, don’t skip them just because you’re away from home! This was the first year I celebrated the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival without my family, so I made sure to treat myself to a mooncake and have a long chat with my grandparents. Although it wasn’t quite the same, it brought me some much-needed comfort and familiarity.
Dealing with homesickness sucks, but don’t let it hold you back from having a great first semester!