Photo by Julia McSharry for The Lafayette
Students can access free counseling services in the second floor of Bailey Health Center.
As the first month passes, feelings of homesickness, especially for first-year students, can linger even after students have settled into classes.
“Homesickness can be a variation of nostalgia,” said Jennifer Talarico, the acting head of the psychology department. “It’s a longing, it’s a desire to be somewhere else with someone else.”
“It’s a new place, new people, new circumstances, new routines,” Talarico added. “That degree of novelty can be overwhelming.”
Students’ reactions to being away from home vary based on individual backgrounds and personalities, according to Talarico.
“We all have different lived experiences,” she said. “There’s lots of reasons that some people may be more vulnerable to homesickness, and other people might be less vulnerable or less susceptible to those emotions.”
While connection to family and friends from home has the ability to be beneficial, it can also increase homesickness at the same time.
“If you’re still only in touch with old friends, you’re denying yourself the opportunity to make new friends,” Talarico said. “It may help assuage the homesickness in the moment, but it probably leads you to experience the homesickness for longer because you’re continuing to engage in that and not making new connections.”
Paulina Royzman ‘27, the president of Stress Less, an organization that provides yoga, meditation and other self-care resources, noted that her involvement in Pre-Orientation Service Program as a freshman helped her and others find their community.
“I would offer the advice that making yourself intentionally uncomfortable, especially your first year, is only to your benefit,” Royzman said.
An organization under the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Stress Less, provides a low-stakes environment for students dealing with homesickness and other mental health challenges, according to Rozyman.
“We have a very open membership situation where there’s no pressure for students to come to each session, and I think that allows people to come to Stress Less when they need it most,” Royzman said.
As students spend more time at Lafayette College, they create new memories and routines. Places that initially feel unfamiliar can gradually become associated with friends, experiences and a new sense of comfort.
“I still remember the first conversation that I had on this campus that made me really feel like I have a friend,” Royzman said, referring to her friend Grace Comfort ‘25.
A feeling of home may not happen when the last moving box is unpacked or when students finally memorize their schedules, but it can come with continued exposure to new situations, according to JJ Togans, an assistant professor of psychology.
“You’re never going to know who’s out there if you don’t put yourself out there along with those individuals to begin with,” he said.
Lafayette’s Counseling Center, located on the second floor of Bailey Health Center, also offers free and confidential services for students seeking support. Students can make appointments and access drop-in consultations, groups, workshops and anonymous peer-to-peer support.