How to make Orange feel like home

Photo by Easton Clark, Photography Editor

The Orientation Week festivities are over, classes are officially in session and the first wave of homesickness is bound to start kicking in. For many of the students in the class of 2029, this is the first time they have been away from the comfort of home for this long, and with the stress of classes, a new setting and the pressure to make new friends, sometimes extra advice is necessary.

Although they experienced it a few years ago, many upperclassmen went through the same feelings of longing for home that the current freshmen might be facing, and have plenty of advice on how to overcome it.

Keep Yourself Busy 

There are enough clubs and activities on campus to keep you busy for the entire year, and making an effort to join them will keep you occupied and open up doors to potential friendships. Junior business administration major Gavin Steel said this was one of the tactics he used to put himself out there. 

“Freshman year, I kind of joined every club that seemed a little bit interesting to me,” Steel said. “I did Snow Club. I went to some of the Outdoors Club stuff. I mean, (my friends) even had me (join) CSBN (Chapman Student Broadcasting Network), I was kind of all over the place, testing out all the waters.”

The college experience is about doing things you’ve never done before, and there are so many possibilities that lie ahead. Junior strategic and corporate communications major Tamara Fakhoury said making sure to get out of the dorms and enjoy what this school has to offer is one of the most important parts. 

“What I did is I made sure not to stay in the dorm,” said Fakhoury. “That's when you start thinking of home. But when you're always on the go, go on a walk, meet new people, try out new clubs, even if it's just for fun. Just try everything out.”

Go Meet People 

Putting yourself out there and making new friends in a new place is a difficult part of freshman year; the good news is that everyone else is in the same boat. Talk to everyone you come across in the next couple of months because chances are, they’re probably looking to make friends too.

“My biggest piece of advice, always to freshmen, has been (to) talk to everybody that you come across within your first two months of being on campus, because after the initial first two months of being here, people get really closed off,” said Steel.

Connecting with people who can relate to your experience is a great way to build a community here at Chapman. Molly Niswender, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major, said that finding friends from your hometown can make the transition a little easier.

“If you're from the US, maybe try meeting someone from that state, someone who can go on the airplane (back and forth) with you,” Niswender said. “That's another thing. I have friends from Tennessee who go to Chapman, who I see on the airplane. We get to sit next to each other.”

Make Orange feel like home, but also explore elsewhere

Chapman is conveniently placed in the heart of Old Towne Orange, where there are more thrift and coffee shops than you might know what to do with. Don’t neglect to take advantage of this and make the city feel like home.

“There's this one coffee shop I go to here, Bluestone (Lane). I got so used to it because it just feels like home, because every time I go there now, they know me. So now I just know I have that coffee shop and I'm just comfortable there,” said Fakhoury. 

Outside of Orange, there are many neighboring beaches, malls and restaurants that can help change the scenery if you run out of things to do in The Circle.

“(Go to the) Top of the World in Laguna, and bring a friend. That's the best,” Niswender said. “And then you can go see the ocean too, and you have to get gelato from Gelato Paradiso. That's the trifecta of how to cure sadness.

Acknowledge your homesickness 

Lastly, don’t suppress your feelings — it’s okay to feel homesick or sad, and it’s a perfectly natural part of the adaptation process. Charlotte Mok, a junior writing for film and television major, said don’t hesitate to reach out for help if you need it. 

“You're gonna feel sad sometimes about it, and that's completely fine,” Mok said. “It's important to not suppress it. If you have emotions about it, let them out. And vent to someone if needed. There are resources here that could help you with that.”

What you want to be careful of is letting the feelings of homesickness overcome the opportunities to make this place feel like home. Being an undergraduate student is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so try to make the most of it.

“Nothing's going to change when you go home and come back, except for yourself if you like. Take this experience and make it the best,” said Fakhoury. “Every time you feel homesick, just be like, ‘I'm going to be home soon, but this, I might never have it again, so I might as well enjoy it.’”