To support student journalism and the content you love, become a member of The Daily Orange today.

Studying abroad has a general reputation for being the best part of students’ college careers. The opportunity to go to a new country, meet new people, travel and live leisurely sets students up for an incredible semester. While this is all true, study abroad also comes with unfamiliarity, homesickness and loneliness. Being away from your friends, family and routine can be a challenging part of abroad that many people don’t talk about.

Before I went abroad to London, I was overwhelmed with anxiety and nerves. I was terrified that I wouldn’t make friends, wouldn’t like my classes, and would miss Syracuse and constantly feel like I was missing out. Change is incredibly scary and I was convinced I would hate the shift to a new environment with new people. I tried to reassure myself that I was already comfortable with London as a city but continued to mentally prepare myself to be independent and alone for most of the semester.

Once in the city, I felt as though my experiences reflected that of my freshman year of college. I found myself caught up in shallow conversations about my major, year and interests, jealous of people who already had friend groups. I had to relearn my academic routine and time management while attempting to factor in social and traveling experiences with my studies. During this time, I watched my friends back in Syracuse University ease into the new academic year, rave about their new housing and tell me how much they loved their classes. It was difficult to hear how happy they were while I felt like I had been thrown in the deep end.

These feelings certainly decreased as the semester went on, as I settled into a routine, made friends and became acclimated to London. However, I still experience bursts of loneliness every once in a while. It’s something as simple as SU winning a football game that can remind me how much I miss my friends and the easy familiarity of home. When my parents visited and left after a week, I wished I was able to go home and spend more time with them. As the weather gets colder, it’s easy to be affected by the cloudy and gloomy skies and long to be home.

Despite this, I have learned different ways to distract myself from the loneliness I might face and have overall been extremely happy and fulfilled during my time abroad. I have grown to realize that loneliness is normal to feel while away from home. That being said, there are lots of ways to combat homesickness and sadness that someone might experience abroad. Most students are placed in similar campus dorms with other SU students. This provides a perfect opportunity to get to know other students around you and make friends. In my accommodation, I was placed with four other girls, who I quickly became close with and began spending most of my time with.

Students can also find friends in their courses, as class size is much smaller than on campus. My classes range from 10 to 20 students, which means you and your peers become friendly faster. Lastly, SU offers lots of international and day trips that students can participate in for free. On these trips, students can distract their mind by taking in and learning about new places.

Even with the options students have to create a social circle, abroad also allows for more comfortability in being alone. Gaining independence is an important part of studying abroad, as conflicting class schedules and internships mean that you can’t always be with someone. Exploring your city abroad by yourself or even doing groceries all contribute to becoming comfortable with being alone. While loneliness might exist during your time abroad, it doesn’t have to define it and there are so many ways for students to make the most of their time away from Syracuse.

Hannah Starorypinski is a junior political science major with a minor in public communication. Her column appears bi-weekly, and she can be reached at hkstaror@syr.edu.

Published on November 1, 2022 at 12:57 am