Two BYU juniors, Tanner Meexs and Amanda Howell, reflected on their freshman years and shared what helped them with homesickness and adjusting to college.
That familiar ache of longing for one’s childhood home, the embrace of a parent or even an old bed is something that many college students experience. A survey by CollegeData.com found that at least 72% of college students experienced homesickness at least once in the 2023-2024 school year.
However, there are ways to combat this feeling. BYU juniors Tanner Meexs and Amanda Howell both spoke of their unique experiences adjusting to college life and what helped in overcoming homesickness.
After leaving the sun and warmth of Ecuador on his mission to return to the cold winter of Utah, Meexs found himself struggling with homesickness and seasonal depression. He soon found many little things that helped him.
Meexs spoke of how he made it through because of his kind roommates and small hopeful moments that happened each day, like when his roommate made pancakes for him. “I was like, 'Wow! Somebody loves me,” he said.
“Small things like someone saying hi to me … helped from moment to moment so that it would be like up and down rather than just … down,” Meexs stated.
When asked what ultimately helped him overcome his struggles, Meexs revealed that the solution was to get out and be vulnerable with people.
“People care about you, even when … it doesn’t necessarily seem like that,” he said.
He spoke of how it helped him to just open up to others and say, “I’m not doing fantastic right now or just … being willing to struggle and being okay with struggling.” According to Meexs, just knowing someone cares can be enough to provide grounding and make “all the difference.”
BYU junior Amanda Howell also spoke of her experiences with homesickness and adjusting to college life.
“I am from Utah so I have a little bit of an advantage … but it was definitely an adjustment living away from home,” she said.
Howell then spoke of how learning to be confident in herself and her own abilities to handle complex problems and situations that arose, ultimately helped her adjust to college life.
“When I finally had the courage and confidence to take it on myself I was able to handle a lot more than I thought I could,” Howell said.
Howell was then asked how she learned to practice that confidence.
“Honestly for me it was a fake it ‘til you make it kind of thing,” she said.
She elaborated that while she was just an 18-year-old surrounded by individuals that seemed much older than her, she eventually realized that everyone had once been in her shoes and situation.
“We all just kind of had to do our best with what we’re given and being confident that my best was gonna be good enough for now," she said.
BYU also has several useful resources for students struggling with homesickness or mental health in general.
BYU Women’s Services & Resources has a page available online, which describes several helpful tips on how to cope with homesickness in a way that is gentle and kind to oneself.
Some of these ideas include: allowing oneself to be homesick, getting to know the new surroundings and making plans to visit home.
For those who are experiencing a mental health crisis, BYU CAPS says that people can come into the CAPS office at 1500 WSC from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and request to speak with a crisis counselor. There is also a 24-hour on-call therapist outside of normal hours, who is available at the following number: 801-422-3035.