Here at Manchester we are proud to welcome people from all over the world to study in our beautiful city every year. We hope that you all come to view Manchester as your home, but we know that doesn’t necessarily come easily or quickly. Whether you’ve moved 3000 miles away from home or 30, the majority of people will encounter homesickness in one form or another during their time at University.
If you’ve recently moved to Manchester, you might be struggling to settle into your new home and city. It’s more important than ever to keep up contact with others if you’re feeling homesick or lonely. Here are a few ways that you can help to alleviate homesickness, or prevent it from arising in the first place.
Staying in touch
The best thing to do is to keep in contact with your friends from home and family. Often your home friends will have moved to new cities to start university too and so it is likely they’ll be feeling similar to you! Why not designate some time every week to catch up with your loved ones, whether that’s messaging the group chat to arrange a meet-up or Face Timing your best friend who you’ve not spoken to in a while.
Making new connections
Another great way to help you feel a little less homesick is to make new connections with those around you. Whether that’s your flatmates, people on your course, or by joining a new society, you’ll meet lots of like-minded people who more than likely are in a similar position to you. Check out what’s on at the Student’s Union and have a look at the societies you might want to take part in.
Explore
While you might miss visiting your favourite coffee shop back home or going for strolls around the same park every week, you can find similar things to do here. Now is the time to make new memories and visit new places! There is a vast array of artisan coffee shops in the city centre, or if you fancy going for a stroll there are lots of parks and green spaces on the outskirts of the city including Fletcher Moss park. If you’re out of ideas, check out our 100 things to do in Manchester.
Something to consider
Social media may make you think that you are the only one going through these challenging aspects of the university journey. Your friends from home may be posting pictures from their new university life, seemingly having the best time. If you’re not feeling completely settled yet, seeing these posts may make you feel like you are alone in your circumstances. We’re here to tell you that the majority of people go through many ups and downs during this transition period, and what you’re experiencing is entirely normal, regardless of what you see online.