Many students are going weeks and even months without seeing family after moving out of state for college, leading to homesickness that can ultimately distract from academics and lead to depression.
Chemical engineering sophomore and West Laville Hall Resident Assistant Sarah Napier is from San Antonio, Texas. Driving back to her hometown would take at least seven hours, which she often finds is unrealistic to fit into a two-day weekend.
“I can’t do random weekends where I can just drive home. I have to schedule them and I can’t have a ton of time off,” Napier said.
Napier has lived on campus for two years, but says the distance from her hometown has become more challenging this past semester due to being an RA. As an RA, Napier has to stay on campus when many students are leaving for break. Because of her work schedule, Napier can go two to three months without going home, leading to negative emotions.
“It hurts during times like fall break when everyone is talking about going home, but I’m on call,” Napier said. “Especially during holiday weekends when everyone else gets to go home and I’m just chilling here.”
To deal with these feelings, Napier calls home frequently, which she said has helped significantly.
Feeling homesick is especially common among college students during transition periods, such as at the beginning of the semester. A study done by the UCLA Higher Education Institute reported nearly 70% of college freshmen feel homesick.
Plant and soil systems freshman Catherine Hirchak is from Alexandria, Louisiana. While Hirchak tries to go home every two to three weeks, she still finds being away challenging.
“The distance is very difficult because I have a very loving family,” Hirchack said.
After a long, stressful day, Hirchak finds that she usually wants nothing more than to make the two hour drive home. She described going home for fall break as “a nice reset” where she was able to destress and spend time with her family. Like Napier, Hirchak believes that staying in touch with family back home helps, like FaceTiming her mom every night.
Hirchak said for her, the distance has gotten easier with time.
“I realized that being homesick is not a bad thing and it’s totally acceptable,” Hirchak said.
Freshman biology major Karla Mendez is from New Orleans. She hasn’t been home since before Hurricane Ida, and her family has not had air conditioning or internet since then, forcing Mendez to stay on campus.
“I’ll randomly call my mom or sister just to annoy them–like things I’d do at home, I try to do on the phone,” Mendez said.
Instead of going home, Mendez’s family frequently comes to visit her at LSU to spend the day together. They also bring her favorite home-cooked meals, which has helped her feel less homesick.
Back in New Orleans, Mendez would often visit her favorite coffee shops. To help ease the distance, she tries to do the same here, going to the cafés around campus and getting her favorite drink.
“I try to do the things I do at home and find something similar here,” Mendez said.
For students experiencing homesickness, the Student Health Center offers one-on-one counseling and group therapy sessions to discuss their feelings and how to overcome them.
While there is no “cure” for homesickness, many have found that getting involved on campus and meeting other students has helped ease these longing feelings, while calling home also helps to stay connected with family and friends.
According to Napier, the best way to cope with feeling homesick is to surround yourself with other people.
“Being with friends always helps,” Napier said. “It’s always best to go be with people that are going to make you feel better.”
