Listen to Liv’s blog here.
Growing up, I could not wait to go to college. I had always dreamed of going to school out of state and when I committed to URI, I cried happy tears. I was so excited to leave my hometown in Connecticut and move to Rhode Island, that I spent the rest of my senior year of high school counting down the days until I could move in. Even during the final days leading up to move-in I did not feel anxious or scared to leave home. I was the last one out of all of my friends to move into college, so the day could not come fast enough.
It wasn’t until a couple days after move-in that I started to feel homesick. My brother texted me asking how my day was going, and that was when I realized I couldn’t just walk across the hall and tell him. We have always been close and it was weird to see our texts go from “Are you coming home for dinner?” to “How is life treating you?”
As the weeks went on, my homesickness grew worse and worse. Sure, I was having the time of my life hanging out with my new friends and experiencing the freedom that I didn’t have under my parents roof, but that did not stop me from missing home. I expected to miss the normal things like my family and friends, but as the semester went on, I started to feel nostalgic for things that high school me would have never in a million years expected to miss. I started reminiscing about the times I would sit in traffic during my early morning rides to school, the fall festival that I would go to, not because it was fun, but because it was something to do, the sound of my dogs barking every time someone drove by my house, the list continues. I was so excited to leave my hometown and start a new chapter in my life that I took for granted so many things.
Now as a senior in college, so many things have changed. A new family is growing up in my childhood house, my friends are scattered across the country, and my hometown streets are becoming unfamiliar, as new neighborhoods are being developed. I feel like I have become a tourist in the town I spent 18 years of my life in. It is a weird feeling but I have become more comfortable with the idea of it. There are times where I miss living at home, but the one thing I have learned about this experience is that I need to focus on the now.
Feeling homesick and missing home after moving into college is something that everyone deals with. However, it does get so much easier. Leaving home has been one of the hardest things I have ever done, but at the same time, it has been the best thing I have ever done. It has allowed me to grow as a person and I have met so many new people that I can’t imagine my life without.
I recommend to anybody who is going through these same emotions to remember that feeling homesick is completely normal. It is a huge change that many of us aren’t prepared for until it is actually happening. Although it might not cure your homesickness, things like reaching out for support, staying busy, talking to your friends, and staying in touch with your family are all things that you can do to help when dealing with these feelings. URI also has some great resources that can help you transition, such as the Counseling Center, the Wellness Resource Center, and CampusWell to name a few.
The biggest factor when it comes to getting over homesickness is time. But I promise that it will be worth it in the end.
Hi everyone! My name is Liv Mott and I am from Cheshire, Connecticut. I’m a senior communications and public relations major with a minor in writing and rhetoric. On campus, I am also involved in Greek Life. When I am not writing or watching the sunset with my sisters, I am probably going on long car rides and exploring Rhode Island with a Starbucks pumpkin spice cold brew in hand. I love the beach and even in the winter, I can be found eating a Cool Beans acai bowl in the Narragansett Town Beach parking lot. This is my first semester as a blog writer for Campus Rec and I am super excited to share my voice with the Rhody community!