Overcoming Homesickness
New college students will experience some degree of homesickness when so much is new and different in their lives, especially living in a new place, sometimes many hours from home.

• Friends from high school are scattered all over the country, and the challenge of developing new friendships seems formidable.
• The routine and structure of high school is replaced by the freedom and flexibility of college life.
• There are new academic expectations, and the volume of reading and course work can be much greater than it was in high school.

Everyone misses home!
When faced with so much change, many students find themselves longing for “the way things used to be:” the comfort of their family and old friends, home cooked meals, and their own beds!

• Students react in differing ways. Some will do everything they can to stay busy, meeting lots of new people and taking advantage of every opportunity to try new things.
• For other students, the transition can be more difficult, and it can be a struggle for them to feel like Iowa City is their new home.

Advice for parents
Here are some things you can do to help.

• Many students think they are the only ones who are homesick.
  • Help your child realize that all first-year students are going through exactly the same transition, and facing the same set of changes in their lives.
  • Your student would be surprised to find out how many floor mates have said the very same thing to their parents!

• E-mail is a quick, flexible, noninvasive way to “check in” and find out how things are going, and it encourages regular communication: We’ll share our lives with you and expect you to do the same!

• Send encouraging cards and small gifts that send the message that you are thinking of your student. Nothing beats a handwritten card or letter once in a while!

• Staying busy and being active can help curb homesickness.
  • Talk about how your student can get started: by joining a student organization, attending a campus lecture, sporting event, concert, or other event.
  • This will help your student begin to form a group of friends who share the same interests and values, which can make the transition that much smoother.

• Perhaps the best thing new students can do for themselves during the first few months of school is to remain on campus for the majority of the weekends, so they can spend some time with peers who are in the same situation, and get to know them well.

It’s important for new students to give themselves enough time to regain control over their lives. Some students can do this in a few weeks, while others need several semesters to feel completely comfortable with college life.