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Leaving the nest
With change, many students experience homesickness.
The counseling center can help with these feelings. |
Kelly
Seaman
Staff Writer |
 Change
and the obstacles that go along with it are some is one of the constants
in life. For freshman Jamie Herring, the college transition is the
newest obstacle in his life.
“I do miss home, I miss my friends more than the town itself,”
Herring said. “It’s getting better everyday.”
Even though he admits that the first few days are different, Herring
is catching on fast and has some advice for freshmen who might be
a little timid.
“People need to get out more, meet new friends and do stuff—it
takes your mind off it,” Herring said.
But not every student adjusts as well as Herring. It might take
some more than a few weeks to get used to college life.
One way to deal with college is to visit the University Counseling
Center.
“People do get homesick, we advise them to give it a month,
or a couple of months,” Dr. Dan L. Jones, director of counseling
and psychological services, said. “Most of the time if you
wait a month or two you will find somebody of the same kind.”
Jones said that if a student does decide to seek counseling services,
it is nothing to be embarrassed about.
“We try to let people know we are a safe place. We would rather
have someone come in with little problems before it gets bigger,”
Jones said.
The National Mental Health Association reported a study done at
UCLA showed that more than 30 percent of college freshman report
feeling overwhelmed a great deal of the time during the beginning
of college.
Jones said Appalachian’s statistics are a bit lower with only
40 percent of the entire student body seeking counseling services.
The counseling center is not the only place freshmen can find advice
for dealing with homesickness. Most upperclassmen can offer sound
advice.
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| Peter Larkins | The
Appalachian |
| Resident assistants are trained
to assist new and returning students in the transition to
college. |
“Go see a counselor, get involved,”
Angela S. Karow, senior Health Promotions major, said. “I was
never in my room, don’t stay locked up in your room. There
are a lot of people in the same boat as you.”
Junior accounting major Manisha Katupearachi realized that you have
to do a lot of the work on your own.
“Go out and meet people, don’t wait for people to come
talk to you,” Katupearachi said.
And for those students that do not feel they are up to going out
and meeting people just yet, that will work out too.
“Once you get here, you have a week or so to figure things
out,” Will Bulk, a senior exercise science major, said.
When Bulk took freshman seminar, he met some new friends.
Appalachian offers many ways in which a student who may be homesick
can get help.
The primary service of the Wellness Center is individual and group
therapy. A student can speak to anyone in the residence life staff.
A resident assistant can sometimes consult a student and refer them
to the counseling center.
Some services the Wellness Center offers are: the counseling and
psychological services; the Peer Career Center; programs for athletes
such as stress management, relationship skills, team building, understanding
the opposite sex and B-GLAAD.
For more information on the Wellness Center and the services they
offer, call 262-3180.
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