At some point during their first year, your student may let you know they’re feeling homesick. Whether they express it directly or give you more subtle indicators that they are missing home, use these tips to support your student through moments of homesickness during their first months on campus, directly from one of our Aggie Parent & Family Advisory Council members who has encountered this situation before:
1. Head it off at the pass.
Most students – even those who’ve been away from home for extended periods of time – get homesick in college. Do some planning: Find one or two groups or clubs you find interesting and join them. (Go to MSC Open House at the beginning of the semester or look online at OrgSearch.) Show up for the meetings. Even if you missed the Open House event, you can still sign up to join a club. Also consider joining a faith-based community. There are many to choose from in the College Station area and many within walking distance of campus.
2. Find an adult to connect with.
Again, it might be through a faith-based community or it might be an older student on campus who has a perspective on college life. Before you arrive on campus, see if you know anyone who has adult friends in College Station or Bryan who might be willing to have you over for dinner occasionally. Don’t be shy about reaching out. Most adults would be flattered to be asked to provide a home-away-from-home for a new college student.
3. Visit with your professors.
Professors want you to succeed. Really! If you go to their offices during office hours and talk to them about the subject they teach, you’ll be happy to find (most often) they are interested in you and your ideas (or questions or concerns) for the future. And they’ll remember you. Sometimes you might find your most interesting professor is one who doesn’t teach in your major.
4. Let yourself be sad for a day.
Pretty much everyone misses something about home. It’s OK for a day – and to realize that’s normal. It’s not normal if your sadness goes on for several days or weeks.
5. Follow good health habits.
Everyone is susceptible to feeling homesick when they’re tired. Get enough sleep (more than 5 or 6 hours) each night, and make sure you eat good meals. If you’re living on microwave popcorn and Pop-Tarts, it’s going to be tough to stay emotionally and intellectually strong for your college work.
6. Get moving.
You can’t spend all your time studying. Go for a swim or get rock climbing at the Rec Center. Ride a bike across campus. Jog. Join a yoga class. The key is to get out of your room and get those endorphins flowing.
7. Don’t get sick.
This seems obvious, but wash your hands – a lot. College Station is particularly prone to set off allergies, so take care of your allergies, making sure they don’t transform into a bronchial infection. If you do get sick, visit the doctor – either on campus at Student Health Services (A.P. Beutel Health Center) or at an off-campus medical facility. Everyone feels homesick when they’re sick-sick.
8. Stay connected with home.
You do need to call your parents or your favorite relative, but sometimes too much calling will just make you sadder. You are at one of the nation’s most outstanding universities, so when they visit or call, you’ll have lots of experiences to share with them. And it’s OK to ask your mom or dad to send you a box with your favorite homemade cookies or magazines.
9. Academics are the bomb.
Sometimes (not always) there’s a link between homesickness and academic performance. Sometimes if students are struggling with a class, they get sad and start missing their “easier” life in high school. The first second you find yourself struggling in a class, take action. Go to the Studyhub to get academic support; go to the Success Center to create a plan to master your classes; get together with classmates to create a study group; visit your professor; go see your academic adviser in your college; find an older student to help you out. Do not wait.
10. If you’re really homesick, reach out for help.
All sorts of people on campus are trained to help you, including your dorm’s RA, the TAMU professionals at the Student Counseling Service, the TAMU Police Department and the Campus Ministry Association. Don’t wait.