Original Response: “Homesickness”
When faced with new environmental changes and a lifestyle to adapt to, many college students feel overwhelmed by homesickness. Homesickness is most commonly due to anxiety, depression, and loneliness. A research studied concluded that homesick college students are three times more likely to drop out than non-homesick students. For many first-year college students, being away from home can be like an adventure. It’s exhilarating to be off on your own and completely in charge of your life and social well-being. I know that during my first week in college, I didn’t feel homesick at all because I was so anxious to meet new people, explore campus, and check out my classes. However, as I got more used to
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Many college students often feel overwhelmed by homesickness when starting a new chapter of their lives. Homesickness is most commonly due to feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. A research study concluded that homesick college students are three times more likely to drop out over a student who has adjusted well to college life. For many first-year college students, being away from home can feel like an adventure. It can be exhilarating to be off on your own and completely in charge of your life as well as your social well-being. I know that during my first week in college, I didn’t feel homesick at all because I was so anxious to meet new people, explore the campus, and start the new journey of my life. However, as I became more used to the setting and people around me, I found myself to be occasionally missing home at …show more content…
As an incoming college freshman student, homesickness was something I experienced first-hand and learned to cope with. Even though I am only two hours away from home, it was still hard getting used to the fact that I could not just go home whenever I wanted. In the article, “Homesickness and Adjustment in University Students”, prevention strategies were given to provide college students with coping methods. The prevention strategy that stood out most to me was initiating contacts prior to the first day of school. During some of my summer visits, I had the opportunity to meet some of my future classmates. I remained in contact with a few of them over the course of summer. When the first day finally rolled around, I felt a sense of relief knowing that I had already made some friends. In my revised response, I explained three prevention strategies that I found to be the most useful. I was able to mention the importance of self-compassion, which is ultimately in my opinion, the most important element in overcoming homesickness. I also mentioned how adjusting to college life just takes time. This seems to be how the majority of college students overcome feelings of homesickness. After reading the article, it just made me realize how many students are actually affected by homesickness. Sometimes I had the feeling that I was the only one struggling, but with prevention and treatment,
So far, I am only in my first semester of college, but I love it. I have met a whole new set of friends and find that things are always happening on campus and in the city. I was homesick for about the first week, but after that I never thought about being homesick again. I had too many interesting things to do. For the first t...
Students entering college for the first time become concern with their college life. The students are on their own once they enter college. There are no parents or guardians telling them when to do homework, when to go to bed, or how to eat healthy. These student are now responsible on how they are going to succeed in school and meet their own needs. From the beginning, these students wonder what their experience is going to be like and are they going to handle the demands from college. Students are becoming more stressful due to academic demands, social life, and work. First-year college students should receive more help from school to learn how to help themselves and become independent.
In Jennine Crucet’s story, “Taking My Parents to College” she really explains to the reader how challenging it was leaving home and starting a new chapter in her life. When the author and her family first arrived to Cornell University, they were sitting there when the dean ended his speech with: “Now, parents, please: Go!” Being a first generation college student Crucet nor her family had any idea that they were not supposed to stay for orientation and had to leave her as soon as they got her settled in. They did not even have all the right materials and supplies that she needed to begin with by stating, “Every afternoon that week, we had to go back to the only department store we could find, the now-defunct Ames, for some stupid thing we hadn’t known was a necessity, something not in our budget: shower shoes, extra-long twin sheets, mesh laundry bags.” Both Crucet and I suffered from similar issues during our first few weeks on our new journey in college and we both had no idea what was ahead of us.
Many first year college students face problems as they enter a new educational environment that is very different than that of high school. However, the common problem is that many first year students become stressed. For many students, college is supposed to be the most fun time of their life; however, their fun can be restricted if it is limited by stress and other mental illnesses. According to the National Health Ministries (2006), stress is caused by “greater academic demands,” the feeling of being independent from family, “financial responsibility,” homesickness, being exposed to meeting new people, peer pressure, “awareness of one’s own sexual identity,” and the abuse of drugs and alcohol (p. 2). However, the causes to first year students’ stress mainly include academic demand, parents, finance, and peer pressure.
Millennials desire and seek a sense of belonging within their environment. This emotional connection can be described through the use of several different terms: sense of place, sense of community, placemaking and place attachment. As a cohort, these young adults wish to identify with their surroundings, and feel like a member of their community because it provides emotional safety, personal connection and encourages personal relationships.
For the past 8 years, I’ve lived in a town with a smaller population than some of my friends’ high school graduating classes. I loved those 8 years, but living in such a tight-knit community has its limitations. For example, out of 49 students in my class, I was the only one to leave the state of Arkansas, or even go to a private university. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with staying close to home, that’s the comfortable and convenient choice, and that choice was nearly mine as well. However, I visited Baylor and I immediately knew that this was the place I wanted to spend the next four years. It felt like home and I haven’t regretted my decision once.
Every new graduated high school student wants to get out of their parents’ house. They want independence, and to feel like they are going somewhere in life. Well, that’s what I thought. Moving out was the hardest thing I had done so far. I had just graduated and was barely making any money but I thought oh well so many people move out this young I’m just going to have to work harder, maybe skip school this semester until I can get on my feet to take classes. I knew all too well that I wouldn’t be able to afford it on my own, so I asked my best friend if she wanted to live with me. Little did we both know that living with another person would be a very different experience then living with our parents. We had plenty of fights over messy rooms, the empty fridge, empty bank accounts, and annoying neighbors.
According to Huang. Y. et. al., College students in their undergraduate years typically have a difficult time balancing their self identity when first leaving home. Many psychological and psychosocial obstacles may arise during the transition of their departure from living under their parents household.
College is a new setting for most students, especially the ones no longer living at home. The transition can be easy and worry-free, or a challenging and stressful time. Brougham states, “Growth and change were often accompanied by the experience of stress. The cause of stress varies from person to person. Overall there can be similarities such as ’academics, social relationships, finances, daily hassles and family relationships’ (Brougham, 2009, pg 86). As student, academics is the reason why we are in school; we are aiming to get educated and to learn. Family relationships vary from student to student depending on how close the family is. My immediate family and extended family have such a close bond that when I am needed at home, I drop everything for them. Social relationships are smaller support systems individuals can count on. Finances all come down to economic status and a person’s unique financial aid package. Daily hassles range from what I should wear today to not having enough time in a day.
Going to college can be an exciting new experience that can challenge a person more than he or she thought was possible. Attending college, especially for the first time, can be a very stressful time in a person’s life. Some of the stress that is associated with attending college are living in a new place, having to meet new people, having new responsibilities, and of course the homework that goes along with taking classes. If a person does not learn to cope with these stressors in a healthy way, that person may become very overwhelmed and possibly depressed (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2010) .To keep one’s body and mind safe from the overexposure of stress, they can practice the following techniques.
Leaving home for the first time and going away for school can be very difficult for some people. In many cases for college freshmen this is their first time being away from their home and parents. Many times they get home sick and want to isolate themselves. They have to get into a new routine of going to school, and change can be very difficult. It is definitely hard to get into the swing of college. They have to navigate through classes in a new format while living away from all the comforts of parents. A college student’s life usually consists of attending classes, long hours of studying, working at a job (sometimes), and having a social life. Some students work at a job or study harder than others, but they are all trying to get degrees so maybe one day they will have meaningful and significant lives. It is a constant struggle for everyone who is trying desperately to make him or herself into a success. And every college student wants to be involved with something in order to further their education, or just have fun. There are lots of new opportunities out there. The struggle consists of demands on time, financial pressures, parental pressure and conflicts, interpersonal conflicts, managing freedom, peer and academic pressure and the transitional period to a new academic environment (Stanford University 4). All of these factors combined can cause emotional disturbances and one of the most common is stress.
If you ask anyone what home means to them more than likely you’ll get several different opinions. In my case home has never been a specific place it’s always been wherever my mom was! My Mother and I have been moving from place to place ever since I could remember.
When students are still in high school, college looms in the distance like an ominous cloud. Frankly, all of the students are scared about going to college. When students go to college they feel like going to the great unknown – to go to a place where they don’t know anyone. But after all college is not that bad.
“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends (Robot check).” A place becomes a home for me when I am around all the things that I enjoy and love. For example, when I am around everyone that I love, I enjoy a peaceful environment and the beautiful landscapes around me. The interpretation of home for me is not a physical thing that I see or that I can remember or even certain thoughts that I can relate, but it is a sensation that overcomes me when I envision being in the comfort of my own home. However, I know that this is a feeling that is calming to my soul and it quietly reassures me that I genuinely belong in a place where I can be free from people constantly judging me.
Usually, students go away to the college or university of their dream to further their education and to learn to live on their own. However, many pupils are realizing that they don’t have to go far, or let alone leave their bedroom to get their education. Students are staying at home as they get their education instead of going to another state. Education has converted to being a lot more moldable, and students can go back and forth from home to school or even do online classes. The positivity factors include not having to pay for living quarters and the tuition of staying at home is way less then leaving. Even with all of these differences students are still faced with decision of staying home or