Lily Huynh/The Cougar
Hi! Welcome to the first issue of April’s Angle for the 2025-26 academic year! I’m April, a political science and psychology double major sophomore.
I share my thoughts on everything from fashion and beauty to college life and beyond. If you have any questions or need advice on any topic, I’m here to help!
As an out of state student I know the nauseating feeling of homesickness all too well. While I was extremely excited for my first year away from home, I also knew I’d feel the absence of my home, the comfort of my family, and most importantly the food.
Now that I’ve survived my first year as an independent adult, I have a few tips to share.
Feeling comfortable is essential
One of the most important things to have in a new space are comfort items. Although, it is always advised to only bring the essentials to college and stray away from overpacking, but in my humble opinion, comfort is essential in a brand new environment.
As I was preparing to leave Georgia, I made sure to collect almost all my comfort items. For me, this meant shipping an entire box of my favorite stuffed animals, my beloved weighted blanket, Hello Kitty alarm clock and many more trinkets.
So make sure to carry all your comfort items, to make college actually feel home away from home.
Finding food, friends
Another thing I prioritized when moving to Houston was finding a piece of home in a new place. Being Nigerian, food is a huge part of the homely feeling.
I did extensive research in an attempt to find Nigerian restaurants near the campus and I surprisingly found many!
So when I need that little taste of home, I can always count on food to ease the homesickness feeling. Houston is an extremely diverse city so I’m sure this applies to other cuisines too!
Another way to find a piece of home is to find people you can talk to about your feelings, whether that means they are also away from home or that they just understand.
This relationship will help you feel less isolated. I found a lot of people who are also out of state students.
On shorter breaks like Thanksgiving and Spring break, we find solace in each other. While everyone else went home from the break, we spent our holidays together.
Be thankful
Ensuring that I’m using the opportunity to its highest extent, taking advantage of all the new experiences I get to have while being away, reminding myself about my goals and the reason I’m away from home always brings me comfort.
It makes it all worth it. When I go back home for longer breaks, I make sure to squeeze out all the home time I have and take the moment to fill my cup before returning to campus.
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