I was waiting until I had finally settled in, waiting until the last possible second until I could see my parents again, for the moment in which I could finally start explaining the efforts, ways, and milestones it takes to make a home away from home. Over the past seven weeks I have blogged only about my family, my friends, connections we all have here at Penn State. The most important thing to include with all of those topics is how they tie together. In other words, what purpose do they serve towards the idea of being away from home?

The very first thing I learned in my effort to adjust to out-of-state life is this: get involved. I’m serious. I know everyone says it, it’s practically shoved down our throats the second we move in, but it really is the most important concept to grasp not just for kids who are in unfamiliar territory, but for any kid at all. Penn State is huge, and the only possible way to make the school feel smaller and less intimidating is by getting involved. My suggestion is to join something you normally wouldn’t. I, for example, came here with the clear intention that I was, under no circumstances, going to rush for a sorority. Two days in and I was hustling downtown to find a pair of heels and a nice dress. Word of advice: don’t do this. Come prepared, even if you think you won’t need those nice shoes or that pretty dress. You need it. Believe me.

The second piece of advice I have to offer is to call your parents. This may seem counteractive as if you’re homesick, calling your mom may induce more homesickness. However, I can honestly say that those daily phone calls have made all the difference. Even if it’s only for two minutes, calling your mom or dad can really improve your mood. Eventually those calls will be few and far between. Take advantage of them.

While it’s important to try something new, it’s also important to surround yourself with things that seem familiar. In all seriousness, one of the things that has impacted my mood and my level of homesickness is how much I decorated my room. By that I mean with pictures. It may be too late to do it now, but I recommend plastering every square inch you have with pictures of your family, friends, dogs, whatever. It’s very vital that if you’re anything like me, and you highly value your private space and area, that you make it personal. I’ve been inside dorm rooms that are blank, and it honestly makes me depressed. It’s always nice to have at least one picture of your golden retriever or of your family on Christmas vacation. It can brighten up any bad day instantly, I swear by it.

My final piece of advice is to really throw yourself into your studies. I think sometimes college kids get wrapped up inside the party life of college that they forget we are actually here to learn. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t go out, in fact I encourage it, but think of this slogan: Work hard, play hard. Weekdays (minus Thursday nights in some cases) are for school and homework. You have practically all weekend to do whatever you want. Consequently, getting used to blowing off classes and exams can really drag down your mood as well as your GPA. I’ve seen it firsthand. The moment you recognize that you’re falling behind and there may not be a way to catch up, you’re already too late. It’s practically impossible to try to come back from that. In the cases I’ve seen of this, the stressed out kids will more than likely say: “I just want to go home.” In moments of stress, our first response is to revert to comfort, which for a lot of kids is our home. It’s a vicious cycle. Seriously, study as much as you can. It makes all the difference.

Though these tips are simple, they’ve helped me a ton through these few weeks, and I hope they help everyone else as well.