The countless hours spent drinking, partying, meeting new people can be overwhelming when you are at uni. Your newfound independence away from home can slowly start to fade away and that little homesick part of your brain that was earlier suppressed by copious amounts of alcohol is resurfacing. You are probably surrounded by some of the most interesting people, already have a bunch of readings to get through in your first week itself and have countless ‘Give It A Go’s to visit, but if you still seem to have that slight unsettling feeling, it’s probably homesickness.

Leaving home, transitioning from hearty home-cooked meal to a Tesco meal deal is never easy. It is important to remember that the whole point of coming to university is so much more than just getting a degree.

It’s about getting to know yourself and building your own individual personality, which otherwise would be so much harder had you decided to stay cooped up in your comfort zone. So, congratulate yourself for making a sensible decision in moments when you let a tear or two escape. Start thinking of the amazing three or four years you are about to have at uni.

Now is the time to get absolutely stuck in. It’s probably a good idea to try out that activity that caught your fancy years ago when you were mindlessly switching channels on tv. If making friends is going a bit slow, then societies are where you can meet people with similar interests.

Don’t panic if the first few lectures haven’t been quite what you were expecting them to be. Stick to it and you will eventually stop doubting your choice. If not, then a good 15 minute whining session to family on FaceTime will really work wonders and help with homesickness too.

Homesickness isn’t always missing your family, but also missing home and the place you have spent a major part of your life in. So start off by thinking of Leeds as a second home and not just a place where uni is. Get familiar with the city, explore the beautiful culture, ride the bus and just live like a local. Come to terms with the fact that this isn’t a holiday and you will be living in this city for some of the most important parts of your life. It is going to take some time accepting this place as home and getting somewhere without using google maps. Once your new room in halls starts giving you that nice welcoming feeling after a long day at uni, when finally you won’t have to run to Morrisons every second day to get something you initially forgot, you my friend will be over with that dreadful homesickness.

Nishta Mital

Image: Mostly Morgan