Hello,
How have you helped your college freshman overcome homesickness? Related to this is that D has been having a little trouble making connections and friends. She made a few during orientation, but now that classes have started their schedules are all different and they don’t have times to eat together. I told her that it can take several weeks to even begin to make friendships, but in her homesick state she views the campus as full of people who are friends and she is on the outside looking in. Have your freshman kids dealt with the same thing? What advice did you give them that was helpful? Was your child an introvert or an extrovert? Thank you for any help that you can offer.
Been there. Done that. My DD was homesick last year… Though mostly it was just difficulty finding friends. And, it took a while. The kids that stood out to her were all having fun (at least that’s the way it looked to her) and she wasn’t. My DD spent a lot of time with her roommate but she felt it wasn’t enough. There were lots of tears and ups and downs.
My advice is to keep reminding her that it takes time. Look for groups to join. Go to events … Maybe smaller ones where there is less of a party atmosphere. Try getting involved in something. Busy is always better. A part time job. Joining a club.
My DD is not really either an extrovert or introvert. She takes a while to warm up to new people and I have to remind her to take the sour look off her face. 
(resting bitch face they call it) But it’s just who she is. Once she’s comfortable, she’s all in. So it was a challenge to be far from home with a campus full of strangers.
It is a very difficult time and I’m sure you don’t like hearing her sadness through the phone.
Going to the gym would be a good release for her.
I tried to remind my DD that she’d find her people. It’s going to take time. And it did. 2nd semester was so much better!
Hang in there. Don’t let her give up.
Bumping for you, because I am sure I will be posting the same ? in a couple of weeks.
I will take an old-timer. @lookingforward , any advice?
I remember saying, a few years ago, that kids need to put themselves where other kids are. It’s human nature that the more that people see you, the more they assume you’re part of their general circle (and it builds from there.) I still think so. It’s not just being in the dorm, in classes, or at meals. It’s the social part.
If a group is watching the game on tv in a common room, go be with them for a while. Come back next time. Phoenixmomof2’s advice to join things where your effort is needed is good. Some kids need to try bigger groups, where they don’t feel like cliques are already formed.
They sure can miss the peer connections they used to have Most of them, in hs, had known each other for years. Sometimes, it takes a little time to replace that.
We had some rocky times with D2. Ironically, now, her closest gf is one freshman roommate. But even that took time to get so close, over their whole 4 years.
There’s a thread on this topic in the “College Life” forum. There might be some good ideas already posted. My older D had a lot of trouble when she went to college, mostly I just listened to her when she would call unhappy-she needed a sympathetic ear-but would suggest ways she could find things to do so that she would feel less alone, if not surrounded by friends. She was then and remains a “one best friend” kind of person. It took her quite awhile to feel comfortable. Younger D has been at college for 3 weeks and already has a passel of friends and is always busy so no sad calls from her yet.
I think it’s important for kids like the OP’s to get involved, particularly in activities which interest them. You can help by reviewing the clubs/groups available at their school and pointing out the ones that be of interest. I emailed my D a bunch of clubs to check out, and also links to classes for yoga and rock-climbing at the school gym. I didn’t push her to do any of these things though, just helped a bit with the research which a shell-shocked freshman might not be in the right frame of mind to do on their own.
Once classes start you should also encourage your D to join study groups and such. Just getting out and about doing stuff will help her make friends naturally over time.
There were a few times during the year when D was feeling down and we arranged a take-out food mini-party for her. Basically arranged delivery of food from a local restaurant (quick and easy to do online these days) and told her to invite over a few friends to hang out. Of course by that point she had friends to invite over, but little things like that can help with the blues (and provide stress-relief during finals) once they’re a little bit established.