Homesickness a natural, treatable effect of leaving home
BY MARGARET BEHM
You’ve spent 18 years living
at home, and you think you’re
sick of it. Then you finally go to
college, and suddenly you’re
homesick.
Marty Ramirez, a counselor
at the University Health Center,
said being homesick is nothing
to panic about.
“Homesickness is normal,”
he said. “When you have people
coming to UNL, it’s a big adjust
ment, especially for freshman.”
Ina Luhring, coordinator for
residence hall administration,
said students see a shift in their
lifestyles when they go to col
lege.
“There’s nobody here to
look over their shoulder and
say, ‘You need to be doing this’,"
she said. "It’s a whole new way
of life, so it’s an adjustment.”
Ramirez said students also
may come from small towns
where they felt comfortable.
“For many students, they
were the big fish in the little
pond,” he said.
“But they come to UNL, and
they find people brighter, more
athletic or more pretty than
them. So university life is a big
adjustment.”
Ramirez said it’s important
for students to deal with their
feelings right away because
they can get in the way of class
es.
“Don’t be afraid to let others
know you’re feeling bad,” he
said. “The demands of the aca
demic world are high. So if
you’re coping with stress issues
too, watch out.”
Services are available for
students from Counseling and
Psychological Services at the
University Health Center. The
first three sessions are free for
students.
Luhring said students who
live in residence halls can
always turn to their residence
assistants for help with aca
demic or personal problems.
“RAs are there to help stu
dents work through the transi
tion from high school to college
and to make this their new
home,” she said.
Students who are homesick
are overwhelmed and want to
return home to where they feel
secure, Ramirez said. They will
be better off by not going home
the first few weekends of
school, he said.
“On the Friday evening of
the week of the 21st, you’ll see a
mass exit of people heading
home,” he said. "Don’t go home
that first weekend.
You’ll find yourself going
home every weekend.”
Students also should limit
phone calls home to once or
twice a week, Ramirez said. If
they start feeling really sad,
they should write home, he
said.
Homesick students should
remember to take care of them
selves, Ramirez said. They need
to establish regular routines of
eating, sleeping and going to
class.
It's important students also
plan time for social activities,
Ramirez said. They have to
replace the familiarities they’re
used to with new skills, inter
ests and people.
“It often amazes me when I
hear about all kinds of students
who stay in their rooms,” he
said. “You’ve got to get out and
meet people.”
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