Going home is overrated
Going to college six hours away from home there are many obstacles ranging from homesickness to not knowing anyone. I have certainly have had all of these experiences. But, one thing has jumped out at me today and I felt the need to share it.
There was an editorial in The Parthenon encouraging students to take a weekend and go home. The author talked about her bouts of homesickness and how a recent trip home made her feel much better about her experiences here at Marshall.
I had to immediate reactions to this. First, this may not work for everyone. Sometimes going home all the time or having your family visit you often can actually cause more homesickness. I interned in Washington, D.C. this summer which is less than two hours from my hometown. Because it was summer and I was so close to home, I went home everytime I had the opportunity to. I was more homesick there than I have ever been at Marshall. I have found that fully immersing yourself into the situation you are in is a thousand times better than splitting yourself between two lives.
My second reaction was much more personal. I found myself wanting to scream at the newspaper, “What about those of us who live too far away from home?!” Clearly, living six hours from home it is far less likely that I can go home on a regular basis, if at all. In fact, I do not go home except for on breaks from school and even then it is tough to find a way home. Yes, I knew what I was signing up for when I chose to go to a school six hours from home, but it is extremely difficult sometimes to deal with the lack of understanding of those who go home a lot.
So, here is my advice to you. Whether you are from close or far away, get involved on campus. Find an organization you enjoy and there you will meet people who have similar interests. Quite often these groups are busy on the weekends too, so you have an excuse to not go home. Also, you will be surrounded by others who don’t go home on the weekends either.
Part of growing up, and going away to college, is learning how to be on your own. Once we enter the real world, we will most likely not have the ability to go home to the place we grew up all the time, so we need to learn to be comfortable in this new place.
Yes, this will be extremely hard, especially during your freshman year, but trust me it will be worth it. Not only will you save money on gas and save time on traveling, you will also meet some amazing people you would not otherwise meet.
And, there are loads of things to do here on the weekends, so there is no excuse to be bored!