Battling Homesickness

Home Sickness

Everyone adjusts to college differently, depending on your personality, the relationships you have at home, your proximity to home, and how you plan on staying in touch, the transition can flow effortlessly or be a bit more of a challenge.

From the moment you leave your driveway, you are going to be caught up in a whirlwind of excitement. Between unpacking and setting up your dorm, meeting your roommate, and then running off to the start of WEPO, you aren’t going to have time to wrap your head around the fact that this is the beginning of a whole new chapter for you. As you say your goodbyes there will be tears, my mom was crying, my sister was crying, and my Dad was trying to keep himself together muttering “all good things to come”. Throughout WEPO the excitement and activity levels will be running high, it will fill all of your waking hours, and leave you sleeping like a rock at night. At the end of the week you will have made new friends, mastered new skills, and have a great story to tell everyone back home.

How to Stay In Touch Back Home

With all of today’s technology, there are numerous ways to keep in contact with all of your loved ones back home

• Facebook/Twitter
• Skype
• Blogging
• Text messages
• Phone calls

For me I had a group text message that was constantly being updated by both my sister and my parents so we kept in touch if only briefly almost every day. I also had a group message for all of my girlfriends back home so we could stay in touch as well. I also started blogging so all of my aunts and uncles, and teachers could see their little girl all grown up *sniff*sniff*. The ball is always in your court if you want to reach out and talk to someone back home. In the beginning I would call home whenever something major happened, the first day of class, I joined a new club, or something really funny happened.  I blogged about my classes, and the friends that I had met, the events I did with my clubs, and the football games that I went too.

When it Strikes….

It might happen within the month, around fall break, at the end of the semester, or not until the spring; it might start out small or rush at you all at once, but eventually you might realize that you might be homesick. No it doesn’t mean you’re weak, or un-prepared, or not ready for college, it simply means that you have people that care about you, and you care about down the road/across the country/on another continent.

For most people visiting is always an option, busses run from State College every weekend with students headed home, you won’t be the first or the last one to buy a ticket. Parents are welcome on campus for more than just Parents’ Weekend, they can come visit for the day, or for a weekend. There are always things going on for them to do with you, and make sure you pick your favorite restaurant when they come. Football games are a great way to see friends and family from home. What better way to say hello, catch up, and have them bring you that pair of pants you can’t believe you left at home.

For those weekends they can’t come up for a visit, I will risk saying that your mom or dad, aunts or uncles, brother or sisters, even your dog, would love to hear your voice over the phone, or see your face over Skype.  It hit me as I was headed back to Penn State after Thanksgiving how much I missed my family. I started Skyping my parents every Sunday night, and make plans for my sisters to come up and spend the weekend with me.

Don’t let homesickness cripple you, stay busy, go out and join a club/sorority/THON org, make friends, everyone back home will want to hear what you’ve been up too, they want you to make the most of the time you have here. The best advice I can give you is not hold it in, make sure you have that friend nearby to talk to, a roommate, classmate, teammate, rover, mentor, pick up the phone and call home, buy a bus ticket, because that hour on the phone or weekend away can make your college experience that much more enjoyable. WE ARE…..PENN STATE, and everyone here wants you to enjoy being here.

Gina Valerio is a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering and a Rover for WEPO'13.  To read more about Gina visit her WEPO Profile: http://raindancer45.wix.com/ladyengineers#!gina-valerio/c1zo2