October is here and freshmen are about to hit the first major landmark on their college timelines: Columbus Day weekend. The next, of course, will be Dumps, I mean Thanks, giving. In the meantime, first-year students are learning how to adjust to college life and deal with homesickness.
As a freshman, Columbus Day was a big goal for me; I didn’t want to go home until then, no matter how homesick I felt. Oddly enough, the best way to conquer homesickness is by not going home. By making an effort to spend time on campus, both by yourself and with others, you’ll come to appreciate the wealth of opportunities that surround you in your new home-away-from-home. Soon, a trip to your real home will be like a weekend getaway which you’ll look forward to, but will be anxious to return from.
“I’ve been a little homesick. But I’ve tried to keep myself busy by getting involved and meeting new people,” said Briana Simonian ’08. “Each days gets so much easier. I love Fairfield now, and the warm community that surrounds me.”
It’s important to stay in touch with friends from high school, but not to the exclusion of the new pals you’ve made here. After all, they’re the ones you’ll spend the most time with and who can best relate to your Fairfield experience.
For those of you who are ready to transfer because you feel lonely, alienated, or otherwise disgruntled, give it a couple more weeks, if not another semester. A good friend of mine spent the majority of his freshman year, as well as the summer after, wanting to transfer. He even sent transfer applications to a few schools. Upon his return to Fairfield his sophomore year, however, he realized how much he’d miss his friends and everything else the school has to offer.
Homesickness is not a problem unique to Fairfield; it’s something you’ll run into no matter where you are.
“I miss my family and friends all the time,” said Brian Morrison, a freshman at
Loyola College, “but I know other people here are feeling the same way.”
Remember that everyone is in the same boat, whether it’s your roommate or the random person you ate breakfast with this morning. The more open you are to new people and the more you are willing to branch out, the easier it’ll be to combat homesickness by meeting friends who’ll make you feel more a part of Fairfield.
And it is okay to spend a day or two at home every now and then-even juniors and seniors need the occasional home-cooked meal.
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