What it can feel like
Everyone seems to have found their group already, your hometown friends feel far away, and your dorm can feel empty even when it is loud. Homesickness and loneliness can hit hard, especially first year.
Why it happens
You are building a new social world from zero, often far from home, while social media makes everyone else look settled. Loneliness in the first year or two is extremely common — not a personal failure.
What can help
Clubs, orgs, intramurals, and campus events are where real friendships start — it takes showing up more than once. Counseling centers help with loneliness and homesickness too. Your people are out there.