Hi, I’m sorry if someone has already asked this question but I’m freaking out because my whole life I have stayed with my family, my friends, my animals and I just moved into college, a college I knew I didn’t want to attend but told myself to do it anyway. It’s been two days and I’ve been feeling sad and sick to my stomach, I call my mom and dad and friends non stop and it just makes it harder, I cry every time I think about being here and I feel miserable. I just don’t know what to do because I know this isn’t the school I wanted to go to but I did it anyway and I can’t decide if I should just go against how I feel and stay or go home. I want to go home, I’ve never felt like this before, if anyone has any advice please let me know!
Why you don’t like your college?
Take a minute and think about so many people who wish they had the opportunity to go to college and couldn’t. Think of so many freshman like you, who are also nervous and feel alone, get up tomorrow with a good attitude and start making great friends, in a few days everything will change.
It’s super common to be homesick. You are not alone. If there are orientation or hall events, push yourself to go. Join a club that you are interested it. It does get better!
You are panicking…it is normal! Your whole life has changed and every fiber of your being sees it as a threat at the moment. Maybe a big part of you is grieving…for home, for your animals, for the possibilites you gave up to choose THIS particular place (whatever your reasons) It’s a lot to deal with.
If you’re the kind of person who needs to withdraw into a cocoon to cope, let yourself do so for a day or so. But don’t do it longer than that! (If you need to withdraw for a little while every day to regroup that’s OK). Get yourself out there and find out what there is to love, or at least like, about your new life. The first few days people will be meeting and bonding like crazy and if you miss this window of time, it will be harder to break in. If this happens, don’t worry too much, because the early friend groups do tend to break up and reshuffle, and people often meet their long-term friends over a period of time. But it can be a little more awkward to find people to eat, walk and go out with in those first weeks if you don’t take advantage of the flurry of getting-to-know-you opportunities happening right now while friend groups are fluid/nonexistent. Who you hang out with now don’t have to become your long-term friends, so try not to worry unduly about these early relationships. If you’re an introvert, honor that! You don’t have to be the life of the party, just your own true self. And remember, many of the people who look so confident and smiling are as uncomfortable and unsure inside as you are right now. So go bake some cookies and open your door to share with your hallmates, and see what happens next…
What are your reasons for feeling that you knew this was the wrong decision?