Now a month into the school year, many students may be feeling homesickness setting in. It's not a bad thing to miss home, but there are some ways to feel more comfortable in Lincoln and alleviate loneliness. Here's what three University of Nebraska–Lincoln students had to say about their homesickness struggles.
Kate Rautio, Big Red Resilience and Well-being ambassador, senior
Any student, regardless if they are out-of-state, international or neither, can experience homesickness. As an out-of-state student myself, I know it can be difficult to miss home and not have the ability to easily go home on weekends like some of my friends had. The best piece of advice I can offer on how to overcome homesickness is to find an activity/group on campus to join that reminds you of home. For me, that was dance. Dance was a huge part of my life back in Minnesota, so joining the dance program as a dance minor and the Orchesis Dance Group on campus really helped me to feel like I had a part of home here with me. It also connected me to other students who shared similar interests and created a second family for me on campus. So, whether you were really into riding horses, part of your student government, sports, or you just really miss your dog, there’s an organization on campus that will help you have a piece of home here at UNL.
Nick Birdsley, well-being coach
My first year coming to the university, that feeling of being homesick didn't hit me until about two weeks in. You just have so much going on, so much to learn and so many people to meet that it keeps you distracted from those you feel like you've left behind. In addition to that, not many of my friends from high school were able to make it to Lincoln, so I had to start my network from the ground up, which is both exciting and intimidating. The biggest thing that helped me was reaching out to different clubs or organizations that I was close to in the past. For example, my youth group I was in for the longest time when I was younger transferred over to my new friends I have met through City Light. Another one would be intramurals; I really enjoyed sports in high school, so having people to compete against and work together with was impactful. The best advice I could give to anyone reading this is to look for the things you used to enjoy and write a letter to the people who had the biggest impact on your life so far. It helps make it seem like home isn't so far away.
Karlie Van Meter, Big Red Resilience and Well-being ambassador, sophomore
Being from Lincoln, I wanted to pick a school that was close to home. Due to the reason that being homesick is something I deal with often, I decided to go to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Although my house was just across town, I still felt some homesickness being alone. To help, I began to get involved with different organizations that helped me feel comfortable, such as my sorority Alpha Phi, NHRI and Big Red Resilience and Well-Being. All these involvements allowed me to spend time and energy developing relationships and making a difference in areas that are most important to me. Be involved on campus to reduce homesickness, this allows you to live out your passions and be surrounded by familiar faces. It helps make such a big campus feel a little smaller.
For more information about Big Red Resilience and Well-being, visit their website. If you'd like to talk to a fellow student about homesickness or other topics, schedule an appointment with one of their coaches.
