On Homesickness

Whether you live in Roanoke, DC, or are an out-of-state or international student, you’re going to feel homesick at some point. And that’s okay. Tech comes well-equipped with resources to help you deal with it.

The first step is to talk to your RA. Part of his or her training covered how to help homesick residents. They can help you to become more involved if you’re feeling lonely or even just be there to talk.

If it’s possible and you have a free weekend, make a trip home. Don’t have a car on campus? Home Ride of Virginia runs buses almost every weekend. One route goes to Northern VA (Vienna specifically) and stops at either JMU or UVA, depending on the trip. The other route goes to Hampton and makes stops at UVA and VCU. Check out Home Ride’s website for ticket prices and dates. Just going to the Roanoke area? The Smart Way bus leaves from Squires on a regular basis (you've probably seen it driving around, as it's a commuter bus) and stops at the Roanoke Airport, Hotel Roanoke, and at Campbell Court.

Sometimes it’s not possible to go home. You have a big test on Monday or it’s simply too far or too long of a trip. If distance is an issue, or even if it’s not, set a time each week to call home and talk to your parents. For most of us, it’s the first time we’re living away from our parents, and as much as they drove us crazy the last 18 years, we miss them.

I call home a lot. Sometimes it’s just because I want someone to talk to, sometimes I ask for advice on medicine to take for a cold (both of my parents are in health care, I grew up with it), sometimes I just need to hear my mom or my dad’s voice because I’ve been having a bad day.

You’re allowed to get homesick. It’s okay if you even need to call home and just cry for a while. Know that they are missing you just as much, if not more.

My best tips for preventing homesickness are this: the set time to call home I already discussed and keeping busy. When you’re doing your chemistry homework or out playing volleyball with people from your hall, you’re not thinking about how much you miss home.

So get off the internet, call your parents, chat with them a little, then take up that offer to go get milkshakes at Deets.