When I was a freshman leaving for college, I did not always find the transition to be easy. There have been times in my college experience that I found it difficult to transition from living at home to moving two hours away. Even though the transition from leaving home to staying at college was far from easy, I eventually adjusted to the college life living on campus. If you are a first-generation college student that is having trouble transitioning from leaving home and staying on campus, do not worry. Give yourself time to adjust to the environment around you. Getting comfortable living on campus takes time and most likely will not be an overnight transition.
Going from living at home to staying on campus was not smooth sailing. There have been times where I miss being around my family deeply. As a freshman, I struggled with being two hours away from them. I did not know anyone on campus and found it hard to make friends. Also, sometime during my freshman year, I lost contact with some of my friends that I was close to during high school. However, once the years started passing by and I began to feel more comfortable living on campus, my living experience soon became easier. As I began to get involved with more clubs and form close connections with professors and the students around me, the college life living on campus was not as bad as what it seemed. Once I began to get to know more people around me, I realized that there were many people who were in the same position that I was in. I had to remind myself that I was not alone. And when there were times where I would miss my family, especially if they were doing very exciting things at home, I would have to remind myself that this was for a good purpose and that if I made the sacrifice now, it would pay off in the future. I had to remember that this season and what I was experiencing was completely normal and that eventually, living on campus will be a walk in the park. And during the times that I did go home for breaks, it made the experiences and the moments that I shared with them even more special than before.
To any first-generation college students, if you find it hard leaving home and living on campus, that is okay. There is always a transition period that most people experience from the result of being far away from home. You will adjust and adapt to the new life around you. Take your time getting to know the environment around you and getting settled into your new living style, whether it be a dorm, apartment, townhouse, suite, etc. Just know that the transition and living on campus will become easier the longer you stay living on campus. It will become repetitive as the years fly by. Also, the longer you attend your institution and get more involved on campus, you will see that there are many people who are in the exact position that you are in. You are not alone. And remember, because you are not living at home anymore, it makes the moments that you do have with your family even more charitable and worthwhile. To any first-generation college student, even though the transition from living at home to living on campus may not be the easiest transition, it is manageable, and you will adjust to your new living situation as you continue to get more comfortable during your college experience.