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university of edinburgh

i've been here for 2 and a bit weeks but i feel sad every day and so homesick. i dont really like any of my flatmates or anyone else ive met i dont know what to do. i miss my family and friends from home so much. what should i do. i'm staying in pollock idk if that's making things worse

Reply 1

LiteraryGeek

It sounds — like you say — that you are feeling homesick, and therefore it is affecting your ability to connect and bond with other people, because you've essentially got a lot going on in your head and with how you're feeling. That was a long sentence.

I don't know what to suggest other than this is a normal feeling, and it should pass within a few weeks. In the meantime, I would allow yourself to feel these feelings — and start to introduce yourself to thinking about the positives of having moved to university. This potentially might open yourself up to new experiences, and feeling better within yourself.

Start small, and go from there.

I hope this helps!

Reply 2

567tyu

As @LiteraryGeek has said, you are feeling homesick and you will definitely not be the only one - starting University is tough particularly if you don't click right away with the people you are living with. Not many people make friends for life immediately at uni, and it might be nearer the end of first year (or even second year) that people find their group. The good news is that this means that most first years (and even second/third years) will be open to making new friends throughout the whole year. A lot of the socialising that happens in first year is more like networking - you find out people's course, their hobbies and interests, add them on social media, then if you'd like to do something more it's up to you to initiate it (for example if dominos has a good deal on you suggest you go and buy pizza). Maybe they will become friends as the year goes on, maybe they won't (but someone will).

I don't know what your interests are, but have you had a look at societies or sports clubs? A lot of them will be open to new members at any point in the year (you can always DM them on social media or email if you are unsure) - they will likely advertise events and socials on social media, or will let you know when their next event is if you get in contact. It usually takes going to maybe 3-5+ different society events to find one that you'd like to go back to, and from there really you just need to show up consistently and talk to people, and people will start to remember you. If you have a look at societies/sports corresponding to your interests and make a plan to go to a few different events/training sessions over the next few weeks, it will give you something to look forward to and might help distract from the homesickness. If you are into fitness you could join the gym and go along to some classes there.

In the next week or so your uni workload will start to pick up as well, which should help you feel busier too (but please try and socialise at least a few times a week too - just doing work is unlikely to help on it's own).

You've got this, semester 1 will be over before you know it.

Reply 3

thepunmaster.e

Original post by sadfhjvl

Hey, hope you're feeling better now?
Pollock can be really isolating because there is so much going on socially with people that it can feel like you're the only one struggling but I can guarantee that's not the case. It's also harder to connect to people in your house because you don't really have a flat it's just a corridor. I'd recommend going to the common room because in the early days there will still be people looking to make friends.

Have you joined any societies or sports clubs? They are a really good way to meet different people, and some courses even have specific clubs for their course (like physics rugby) so that's a good way to meet people doing your course if yours has that.

If home isn't too far you could maybe try and hold out for a week more and then go home for the weekend? Sometimes that can make things worse though so you would need to judge.

Things will get better - for me my 2nd semester was much better than Semester 1. But it's also ok if you decide that Edinburgh/uni in general isn't for you - but I think it's likely that if you give it a chance you'll start to enjoy it