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Posted Oct. 17, 2025

How to deal with homesickness in your first term

How to deal with homesickness

Well done! You’ve made it to university as a postgraduate student – maybe even at a university overseas – and are now pursuing the masters degree of your dreams. But hold on a minute, something’s not quite right, you’re feeling homesick. Don’t worry, it’s a common feeling in your first term, even as a postgrad. The important thing is to recognise that it is homesickness and to deal with it in the right way, so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Here are a few tips and tricks to help you deal with homesickness at the beginning of your postgraduate studies.

Make your student room feel like home

First things first, it’s important to make your new student home feel like a home rather than just a place to rest your head at the end of the day. Decorate your room with photos of loved ones and pictures of favourite views or places from home. Get some nice soft furnishings – cushions and throws – to make it comfy and homely. These don’t need to be expensive, shops like Flying Tiger or Ikea, or even charity shops and markets will have some attractive and affordable options.

Create a study space

Next, it’s important to make sure you have a good place to study, after all that’s the reason why you have moved to this new town, city or country! No doubt, you will want or need to do some of your postgraduate work in the university library or in a lab (if you’re a science postgrad), however there will be times when you’ll need to work at home – for example, outside of library opening hours or the night before a major deadline. So, make sure you create a study space in your room to that’s well let, well ventilated and uncluttered.

Stay connected with your friends and family

Even though they might be far away, maybe even overseas, you can still stay connected to friends and family with on a regular basis, and this will alleviate feelings of homesickness. Ask your family to keep you in the loop of the goings on at home, so you still feel included. Modern life is so busy that it’s a good idea to schedule a regular phone call – maybe once a week – so you don’t let too much time pass between catchups.

Keep busy

When you first arrive at university, there is so much going on with Freshers’ events, joining societies, meeting lecturers, and generally navigating your new surroundings and new life. However, once things have settled down a bit, you might find yourself with time on your hands, and this is when feelings of homesickness and maybe even loneliness can settle in. To combat these feelings, keep busy. If you signed up for societies and sports clubs during Freshers’ Week – go to them. They’ll keep you busy, get you fit, stimulate your mind and body, and provide a space for you to make new friends. Establishing a routine – even if you have nothing scheduled – is also a great way to keep busy and help you feel settled. Some postgraduate courses don’t have that many weekly contact hours. If this applies to you, make sure you still get out of bed, do your daily ablutions, and head off to the university campus to meet up with a study group or do some research in the library.

Practice self-care

Conversely, although keeping busy is a good way to alleviate feelings of homesickness, it’s also important to make time for yourself.

  • Take some time for mindfulness and meditation – there are some great free apps to help you with this.
  • Eat well – a healthy colourful plate of homecooked food will feed your body and mind much better than takeaways and fast food.
  • Exercise regularly – use the student-subsidised gym to keep fit and healthy.
  • Enjoy the great outdoors – never underestimate the importance of fresh air and sunshine. It’s a great way to clear the mind and keep you topped up with vitamin D!
  • Get enough sleep – although you may have pressing deadlines and an active social life, it’s important to ensure you have enough sleep. Being tired can exacerbate feelings of homesickness and a good night’s sleep really helps get everything into proportion.

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