Nearly two out of three students feel homesick to some extent over the first six weeks at university. Sometimes the symptoms are mild, like feeling a bit disorientated and muddled, unsure how to manage things in a new place. But some people take longer to settle and some of these feelings will be acute, even overwhelming, at times.
Often, going to university is the first time many people leave home. You may find yourself unprepared for so much change, facing challenges such as a new subject, sexual freedom, peer pressure to drink or socialise, you may miss close friends, or realise that you are here to please someone else or because of the expectations of others. At university you are expected to become self-sufficient; looking after yourself - eating well and doing your own laundry, getting to class on time, managing coursework, making new friends and carving out a new life in a new city, or maybe even a new country.
For international students, the extra obstacles that come with adjusting to life in a new country, often in a new language, can heighten feelings of homesickness, sadness or depression.
Throughout your degree, you will experience lots of emotions - some highs and some lows.
Remember that it's normal to get homesick and that you won't be the only one to feel down or depressed every now and again. You need to be kind to yourself when you arrive. Give yourself the chance to make new friends and allow some time to settle into your new life. Be brave. Take yourself out of your comfort zone by organising social events with classmates, meeting as many people as possible, and getting involved with lots of extracurricular activities on and off-campus. And if you ever feel down, talk to your peers or an academic adviser or come and see us at Student Services. We are all here to support you.
University can be difficult, but it can also be amazing.
How you can help yourself
- First of all, admit that you are homesick and accept that it's totally ok to feel this way. It takes strength and honesty to confront your feelings and to do something about them
- Keep in touch with friends and family - Keep good contact with the people you have left behind; arrange a time to go back to see them, perhaps after a few weeks. But also give yourself time within the university to begin to get involved here. Don't let looking back actually hinder moving forward. Encourage friends and family to come and see you in your new setting
- Get out of your comfort zone - Try to get the right balance between doing new and uncomfortable things, so they can become familiar and comfortable, rather than always feeling you have to rush back to the familiar
- Talk to someone - If you haven't yet made any friends, try talking it through with your personal tutor or make an appointment with the Wellbeing Advisors at Student Services. Remember that many other people will be sharing similar feelings, although you may assume that they are doing fine. They may look fine from the outside but you can't read their minds, just as they can't read yours
- Don't make any major decisions - even if you eventually decide that you don't want to stay, take your time and talk to people
- Make your own space - decorate your room with familiar items from home, such as photos, posters, plants, etc. It's a really good way of making yourself feel at home in new surroundings
- Find your own routine - get into a routine. The fuller your days are the less time for feeling homesick or lonely
- Treat yourself - food that you enjoy
- Remember to get enough food and sleep. These affect us emotionally as well as physically. This is much more important than we sometimes realise.
- Walk around - explore your new surroundings
- Be realistic about student life. It's not expected that you will work 168 hours a week and you couldn't even if you tried. 30-35 hours is sufficient and leaves you plenty of time for making friends and leisure activities. On the other hand, if you don't put in enough time on work, you can very quickly get behind, which only adds to the stresses
- If work is proving very difficult, can you improve your study skills or your organisation of time and work so that you gain satisfaction from what you do. There may be people in your Department or Student Services who can help in this area, such as your Tutor, LTSO or Wellbeing Advisor
- Familiarise yourself with the Student Guild. Apart from all that it offers, it is an excellent way to meet people in the early days before lectures and social events are really underway. Make a real effort to join societies/activities and to make at least one or two friends. This might feel very difficult, but the more you feel part of campus life, the less homesick you will feel
- Volunteer to help with something. There are plenty of groups looking for volunteers
- Don't expect to get everything right. You're bound to make mistakes, forget things, get lost, not understand things etc. Expect and prepare yourself for frustrations, disappointments and things going wrong, as they will in life. Learn the skills and resilience to manage these situations, rather than let them overwhelm you.
If you are concerned that you cannot keep yourself safe then please do ask for help.
Further information
What we can do to help
Student Services offers a range of support that includes Wellbeing Advisors, Counsellors, and the Mental Health Advisory Service. To access any of these services contact the Student Advice and Guidance team. This is the entry point to speak to the Wellbeing Advisors, Counsellors, and the Mental Health Advisory Service and all our services are confidential.You can email the team on advice@liverpool.ac.uk, or call 0151 795 1000 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.