‘Dear Aspect, I am feeling quite homesick after not being able to visit my family due to restrictions. How can I combat my homesickness in order to enjoy my first year?’
Homesickness is so normal and can make you feel super lonely. It always seems that everyone is having such a blast, but almost every student feels homesick at one point. Try to speak to your peers and see if they feel the same, or connect with your loved ones whether it be on zoom or even a Netflix Party. This could make you feel so much better, or give you an opportunity to tell your loved ones how you feel. If going home is an option, then you wouldn’t be letting anyone down, and it could be nice to gain a sense of normality, as moving to university is a huge rollercoaster. Be honest with your loved ones, your family might worry if you feel homesick but it means they will be able to support you. This could be anything from sending letters to each other, or a nice care package to get you through. You got this!
‘Dear Aspect, I need some advice on how to adjust to being back home after living in halls. Can you help?’
The jump from moving out of home into university is huge, but let’s not downplay the moving back home for the holidays. Try and get your schedule synced with the rest of the family so you can enjoy the quality time together and be sure to keep up any hobbies you do, to pass the time. Suggest doing things that you enjoy as well as the family, to make nice memories for your return to university. We found that making schedules for the week, whether it be finishing essays or meeting friends from home, really makes a difference in keeping you on track, whilst still getting the most out of your stay.
‘Dear Aspect, my flatmates and I get along so well, except for one. He never gets involved. We are searching for houses next year, and we need to tell him that we want to part ways, but we don’t want him to feel left out. It’s just, we don’t feel he is a match for our house. Any advice?’
We have all heard of this situation, so don’t feel bad! It happens sometimes. The first thing we recommend is to bring up in conversation their plans for next year- you might find they already have other ideas which will save you a lot of worrying! Alternatively, you could try and make a conscious effort to get to know them more, maybe over the space of a few weeks with flat games nights, or making dinners together. If you still feel the same after, then it might be important to sit them down and be honest, as it is better coming from you than them finding out in a different way, such as mutual friends. This will be daunting for you, and them, as they now have to make new plans. Be sure to give suggestions if you can to help them out and make an extra effort to check in on the individual as they may feel low after hearing this.