RA360: Homesickness
TL;DR
Homesickness is common to experience while in college, especially for first year students (but not just first year students!). As a student staff member, familiarize yourself with the signs of homesickness and strategies you can utilize to help alleviate it in your residents.
Homesickness is a very common experience throughout one’s life, but frequently felt during college–particularly with students who may be away from home for the first time. This isn’t just an issue facing first year students, either, but also international students, and your upperclass students sometimes, too. Identifying and helping students experiencing homesickness can ensure they are retained at the university and ultimately find their community.
In this RA360…
What is Homesickness?
Homesickness refers to the feelings of distress, loneliness, or longing that arise when someone is separated from their home environment, family, friends, and familiar surroundings. It’s a common experience among students who are adjusting to life away from home for the first time. Homesickness can manifest in various ways, including sadness, anxiety, depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and a desire to return home.
What Might My Residents be Going Through?
For many students (particularly, but not only first year students), homesickness is triggered by significant changes in their lives, such as moving to a new city or state, living in a residence hall, adapting to a different academic environment, and needing to make new friends. Factors such as distance from their home, cultural differences, and the level of support from family and friends can also influence the intensity of homesickness.
“Don’t forget about your international students or students who may be returning from study abroad! Homesickness is not always a first year student issue. It can show up in multiple ways over a person’s life. Helps your residents recognize, cope, and come out of homesickness can be a lifelong skill you can help teach them.“
What are Potential Signs of Homesickness?
Be on the lookout for warning signs of homesickness within your community. Recognizing these signs early and offering support can help college students adjust more smoothly to their environment and alleviate feelings of homesickness. Have you noticed any of these signs in yourself or in your residents?
Emotional Signs:
😢 Sadness and Crying: Frequent feelings of sadness or unexplained crying spells.
😔 Loneliness: Feeling isolated or disconnected from others, even in social situations.
😰 Anxiety and Stress: Increased anxiety or stress, especially about academic performance or social interactions.
😡 Mood Swings: Unpredictable mood swings, ranging from irritability to apathy.
🫥 Depression: Signs of depression, such as a lack of interest in activities they once enjoyed.
Behavioral Signs:
🚪 Social Withdrawal: Avoiding social interactions or isolating themselves from friends and peers.
📱 Communication: Frequent calls or messages to family and friends back home, seeking comfort and familiarity.
🙅 Lack of Engagement: Disinterest in campus activities, clubs, or events.
⏰Changes in Routine: Disruption in daily routines, such as irregular sleep patterns or eating habits.
Physical Signs:
🛌 Sleep Issues: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much.
🍽️ Appetite Changes: Noticeable changes in eating habits, such as loss of appetite or overeating.
🩺 Physical Symptoms: Unexplained physical symptoms like headaches, stomach aches, or fatigue.
Academic Signs:
💤 Decreased Motivation: Lack of motivation to attend classes or complete assignments.
📉 Decline in Performance: Drop in grades or academic performance.
🐢 Procrastination: Increased procrastination and difficulty concentrating on studies.
Cognitive Signs:
💭 Preoccupation: Constant thoughts about home and the people there.
🏡 Nostalgia: Excessive reminiscing about past experiences and longing for the familiarity of home.
When To Escalate (What To Watch For)
Homesickness is usually temporary. Escalate when you see:
- Persistent withdrawal from classes/food/sleep for 2+ weeks.
- Marked increase in anxiety, panic attacks, self-harm talk, or substance misuse.
- Statements like “I don’t want to be here at all” or ongoing inability to leave the room.
Severe, ongoing homesickness is linked with higher rates of anxiety/depression. Involve counseling and your supervisor early. If there’s any safety concern, follow your department’s protocol immediately.
Homesickness And International Students
Homesickness for international students often goes beyond missing home. It’s deeply intertwined with cultural adjustment. You may notice signs like cultural fatigue, language challenges, or social withdrawal that don’t always look like traditional homesickness. Celebrating cultural diversity and offering simple, consistent check-ins can make a significant difference in easing the transition to life abroad.
Common Signs (Beyond the Usual):
- Cultural fatigue – Mental exhaustion from navigating a new culture (e.g., language barriers, unfamiliar social cues).
- Food and routine disconnection – Difficulty finding familiar foods, struggling with different mealtimes or sleep patterns.
- Loss of identity anchors – Feeling “different” or “out of place” more frequently or intensely.
- Academic stress amplified – Pressure to perform while navigating a foreign academic system and possibly language.
- Overdependence on co-national groups – Isolating within a small group from their home country.
- Loneliness even in social spaces – Feeling like they’re “invisible” in large groups, or finding jokes/banter hard to follow.
Case Study
A first-year resident, who was active early on but has recently gone quiet, is keeping to their room, skipping events, and saying they’re “just tired” and miss home. When you invited them to hang out, they said, “Maybe,” but didn’t follow up.
- What are the signs of homesickness here?
- How could you check in again without pushing too hard?
- What small steps might help the resident feel more connected?
Colin, an RA at the University of Connecticut joined the ResEd Chat podcast to discuss strategies for supporting homesick residents in our communities.
“That’s just what happens when we put ourselves outside of our comfort zone.”
A perspective on homesickness from a psychology professor, Dr. Vince Tsushima, at Hawai’i Pacific University.
Strategies for Working Through Homesickness
While homesickness is a natural response to the transition to college life, it can impact a student’s well-being and academic performance if not addressed. Fortunately, there are strategies and resources available to help freshmen cope with homesickness, such as staying connected with family and friends through phone calls, video chats, or visits, getting involved in campus activities and clubs, seeking support from counselors or peer support groups, exploring the campus and surrounding community, and developing routines and self-care practices to promote mental and emotional resilience. With time and support, many students are able to overcome homesickness and thrive in their new environment.
“When I remember thinking about my first time leaving home… and how that made me feel… I isolated myself a little bit. Identify students who may or may not appear as if they’re isolating themselves. Do occasional check-ins. Ask them that question upfront, be honest: “How do you feel being away from home?” Encourage them that it’s okay if they’re not feeling 100% happy-go-lucky about their new college experience.“
Questions To Ponder:
- Have you or someone you know experienced homesickness? What did that look like? Feel like?
- What can you do when you think your residents might be homesick?
RA360 Outcomes:
RAs and student staff members will be able to:
- Define homesickness.
- Identify signs of homesickness in residents.
- Employ strategies to help residents cope with homesickness.
More To Explore
RA360 is a set of resources organized around skills, topics and competencies relevant to Resident Advisors and similar related student staff positions in college and university residence halls.
