Beyond Borders:Taming homesickness, Embracing New tongues, and Unveiling identities in Uni Life

Welcome to University Life!

When a new academic journey begins, stepping onto a university campus heralds many new experiences and challenges for freshers. This is a time for transformation- leaving the comforts of home to embrace the diversity and unknown of university life. During this exciting and somewhat daunting phase, emotions come to the surface-- homesickness, confusion on how to respect different gender identities, and the challenge of language barriers. In this blog, I promise you a useful guide to overcome all the obstacles!

Coping with homesickness?

Starting university can be challenging, and during this time you may experience negative emotions such as homesickness. Homesickness is more common than people think, with up to 60% of students experiencing it during university (Fisher et al., 1985). Having these emotions and fears is completely normal in the transition. The change to a new environment can be hard and the new social environment can be difficult to adjust to, but you should not suffer in silence, seek help if you feel this way! (Claborn & Kane, 2019). 

We have suggested strategies and resources to help you. Some coping strategies suggested by Saravanan et al. (2019) that have been shown to reduce homesickness in international students:

- Contacting family and friends, can help reduce the feeling of being ‘alone’.

- Keeping busy e.g., taking part in societies.

- Physical exercise helps distract and allows opportunities for social interaction.

- Reduce screen time as spending too long online can make homesickness worse.

- Sharing problems and talking to others

The university offers resources on wellbeing and advice if you are struggling:

https://warwick.ac.uk/insite/news/intnews2/welcome_week_2014/homesickness/

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/wss/

Struggling with language barrier?

Transitioning to university often involves adapting to a new linguistic environment, this can be especially hard for international students, or those moving to a region with a different language. Navigating this change can be challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. 

Understanding the Challenge: When first entering university and attending lectures, some international students may struggle to understand the content, and the language barrier can make socializing with peers tough. This is supported by research that indicates that language barriers can impact academic experiences and social interactions (Rienties et al.，2012). Practice and Persistence: Regular practice is key to overcoming language barriers (Rienties et al., 2012). Ways to overcome the barrier are engaging in conversations with students from different countries, participating in language exchange groups, and immersing yourself in the language. Remember making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process. 

Cultural Integration: Language learning goes hand in hand with cultural immersion. To overcome the language and cultural barriers, we suggest participating in cultural activities, such as exploring different languages and embracing different cultural practices to help integrate into the community. Seeking Support and Patience: It is important to seek support when needed and to be patient with yourself. With prolonged language practice, research shows there is a significant improvement in reducing the language barrier (Bak, Long, Vega-Mendoza, & Sorace, 2016). Building language proficiency is a gradual process, and it takes time to adapt to a new environment so do not stress.

Gender identification!

Being part of university involves being part of a community where we embrace others’ identities and genders, you may not have encountered this before, so we offer advice on how to show acceptance and respect to gender and identity. In the transition to university, one factor that is often overlooked is the diverse spectrum of gender identities on campus. It is important to understand that acceptance of others’ differences, acknowledging and respecting this allows university to be a safe and welcoming environment.

Our advice is to not judge others based on appearances, and to not assume gender without asking. It is important to show understanding of others and their gender. Assuming gender can lead to discrimination, pressure, and overall worsen health outcomes of students, so it is important to be inclusive and kind to everyone (Gender and Sexual Identity in Schools, n.d.).

As a current student, I am here to tell you that we listen and ask others to ensure we accept and respect their affirmed gender identity and pronouns (Hager, 2014). Remember, we are free to decide our identity, and part of integration into university is embracing others’ uniqueness and choices. A key part of transitioning to university is learning to accept and respect everyone and saying NO to all discrimination.

Remember!

The transition to university can be an exciting and scary time, and you may face challenges in the transition. The advice we offer, can help ensure you have a good university experience. This is an opportunity to make lifelong friends, join societies and sports, and make unforgettable memories. Our advice is to go and take the opportunities offered, and if you are struggling at any point seek help!

By Alannah Goodman, Iris Zhou, Charlotte Chang.

References

Claborn, R. D., & Kane, S. T. (2019). First-Year           college students’ homesickness and separation anxiety.  The Journal of College Orientation and Transition, 19(2).https://doi.org/10.24926/jcotr.v19i2.2795

Fisher, S., Murray, K., & Frazer, N. (1985). Homesickness, health and efficiency in first year students. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 5(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0272-4944(85)80016-5

Gender and sexual identity in schools. (n.d.). Www.fraserhealth.ca. Retrieved December 11, 2023, fromhttps://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/school-health/sex-education-and-sexual-identity/gender-and-sexual-identity-in-schools#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20acknowledge

Hager, A. (2014). Supporting Gender Identity: A Beginner’s Guide for Friends, Family, and University Staff | myUSF. Myusf.usfca.edu. https://myusf.usfca.edu/caps/supporting-gender-identity#:~:text=Be%20respectful%20of%20an%20individual

Saravanan, C., Mohamad, M., & Alias, A. (2019). Coping strategies used by international students who recovered from homesickness and depression in Malaysia. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 68, 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2018.11.003