Settling in

Research has shown that 50%-70% of all university students suffer from a degree of homesickness. If international students alone are considered, this percentage surely rises due to the culture shock of living in an entirely new country. Thankfully there are many tried and tested steps that will help you overcome any anxiety that you may experience.

Make new friends
Staying in regular contact with friends and family at home is an important emotional support for any international student, but it should not be relied upon as your main source of human contact. An over reliance on familial contact can lead to intensified feelings of loneliness and homesickness.

Therefore, the sooner you make friends, the easier your transition to living in Ireland will be. Anxieties regarding living in a new environment can grow if they are not shared with others. Talking and spending time with friends will allow you to express your concerns and, more importantly, enjoy yourself.

Try and avoid confining your social life to people from your home country. Firstly, because people from the same country can tend to spend all their time talking about home rather than exploring their new surroundings, and secondly because your English will not improve if you do not use it as frequently as possible.

You will find that Ireland’s reputation for friendliness is not a myth. Young Irish people in particular have grown up in a very multicultural society, and are completely comfortable socialising with non-Irish peers. So provided an effort is made, you are sure to make a host of new friends.

Make plans
The daunting prospect of a long period away from home stretching out before you, can lead to homesickness in the initial days and weeks of your time in Ireland. It makes good sense therefore, to develop in the early stages a habit of making plans for your spare time. Having something to look forward to each week will make the time pass much faster, and will generally make your stay in Ireland more memorable.

Ireland is famous for its pubs, and years ago they were the only social outlet available to many people. Nowadays thankfully, you will find an abundance of alternative venues for socialising at the weekends: cafes, restaurants of every type and price range, sporting occasions, concert venues, cinemas, etc. But if you do wish to sample the famous Guinness, there are still plenty of traditional Irish pubs with a warm and pleasant atmosphere to be found. Many colleges feature student bars that provide the setting for comedy shows, concerts and more. Non-smokers (and smokers in all likelihood) will be relieved to hear that smoking is banned in all business and public premises in Ireland.

Travel for students around Ireland is also quite cheap and due its small size, journeys tend to be short. So there are no excuses for not organising day or weekend trips to some of the country’s many tourist attractions. You will find many great ideas for destinations in the Course Listings section and by visiting the links in Tourist Resources.

Get active

Occupying your mind and body are two key strategies when it comes to overcoming homesickness or anxieties of any kind. Irish colleges generally provide excellent sports and exercise facilities, from gyms to sports clubs of a wide variety: soccer, rugby, Gaelic football and hurling (traditional Irish field sports – not for the faint hearted!), athletics, racquet sports, and many more. If you’re sport of choice is not catered for by the college, you will not have trouble locating a local club or finding facilities such as swimming pools available at a student discount. The great outdoors are easily accessible no matter where you are located in Ireland. Every town and city is only a short distance from cycling routes, hiking trails, and water sports facilities.

Keeping the mind active is just as important when living in a foreign country. Irish colleges are home to a huge choice of student societies dedicated to everything from poetry to science fiction. These societies organise lots of activities and are also an excellent opportunity to make new friends with similar interests. For bookworms Irish public libraries offer an excellent service free-of-charge. Visit http://www.library.ie/ for more information.

Studies permitting, it might also be a good idea to find part time work – whether you need the money or not. Working can be a good way to make friends, improve your English, and prepare for your future career.

Get help
No matter what your problem, be it personal, academic or financial, there will be someone in your college who can listen and offer advice. As is borne out by the numerous student case studies in the following pages, teaching staff in Irish colleges are very accommodating toward international students and more than happy to help with any issues that arise.

Besides lecturers and tutors however, other staff that can help include the student welfare officer, staff in the college international office, and medical staff such as the college nurse and counsellor. No student, be they Irish or foreign, is required to face their problems alone, so do not hesitate to access any or all of these services during your stay in Ireland.