How To Deal With Moving Out Of Your Parents House To Go To Uni

If you’re heading to uni for the first time, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed about moving out of your parents’ house.

Moving out for the first time is a big deal! Chances are you’ve never had the freedom and independence of looking after yourself and all of the challenges that come with the responsibility.

So, if you’re feeling a bit apprehensive about the big move, here’s how to deal with the rush of emotions you might be feeling about moving away from your parents.

Make a to-do list

There are lots of things that you’re going to want to do before you even get to your uni accommodation. First of all, you’re probably going to want to go shopping for the essentials you’ll need for your new uni room, such as bedding and kitchen equipment. Write down a checklist of everything you’ll need to get, so you won’t arrive and realise you’ve forgotten something important like a duvet!

You’ll also want to set a rough budget for each month, based on how much of your student loan you’ll be getting each month. Another thing you might want to do is join your uni Facebook or WhatsApp groups to try and find your potential flatmates and get chatting to people before you even move, this way you’ll at least know a few people before you arrive which can make the whole process less daunting.

Have a clearout

Ok, let’s be real, moving can be stressful. Unfortunately, moving is something that most people will have to do several times during life and for most people, the actual move isn’t very fun. Whilst the idea of moving somewhere new may be exciting, transporting all of your belongings tends to be far less enjoyable.

Look at moving to uni as a new start and a new chapter in your life, this is your opportunity to have a big clear out and reinvent yourself in a way. Chances are, your childhood bedroom is probably full of things you don’t need or you’ve outgrown and you probably don’t need to transport everything you own to uni.

Use the opportunity to have a clear our and get rid of things you no longer need. You can even make some cash before going to uni by selling your old clothes on Depop, this could be a great way to help fund your first few weeks and all the busy plans you’re probably going to make.

Don’t feel guilty if you miss home

It’s not unusual to feel homesick when you move to uni for the first time. It’s a big life change, and let’s face it we’ve probably all relied on our parents and family members to get us this far in life. The reality is, as great as uni can be you’re not going to be alone if you miss home and secretly wish you were back at your parents’ house.

Feeling homesick can result in feeling lonely, but remember, your family are just a phone call or text message away and they probably miss you just as much as you miss them.

While uni is a super exciting time, there’s nothing wrong with missing home too, you just have to get the balance right which might take a while at first but will definitely feel more natural after a few months.

Get talking to new people

So, you’re at uni and you’re feeling a bit homesick already- the best thing to do is to get chatting and make some new friends to help you feel less alone. Everyone is in the same boat when they first arrive at uni and won’t know anyone, which means making friends during the first few weeks is key.

Whether it’s your flatmates or your course friends, getting stuck in to everything that your freshers’ week has to offer is a great way to distract you from your homesickness or wanting to rush home to visit your parents at the first opportunity you get.

While it can be tough to adapt to a new location and lifestyle, freshers’ week is designed as a welcome period to help you settle into uni and feel at home, so make the most of it while you can!

Don’t rely on your family too much

Whether you go to uni or not, everyone has to move out of their parents’ house at some point and become fully independent and this is your first chance at that. Your family will be keen for you to do well and enjoy yourself at uni, which means it’s time to face up to some of that independence alone.

While you may feel like you need to call home every day to check in, this can also make it harder to adapt in the long run. Of course, staying in touch with your family is important but sometimes too much contact can be more harmful than good. If you’re finding long phone calls with your mum emotional and making you miss home, you’re not going to settle into uni properly and will be looking for any excuse to leave and go home to your parents at the first opportunity you have.

Try and set healthy amounts of time for contact, as this will benefit both you and your parents. Your parents need to get used to the idea of you being away and doing your own thing, and you need to get used to not having your parents around all of the time. In fact, having longer but less regular calls or FaceTimes can give you something to look forward to and can cheer you up if you’re having a bad day, rather than daily calls and updates.

Of course, you may be feeling the opposite; you’re enjoying your independence but your family constantly call you for updates. It’s hard not to be annoyed if you feel like your family are calling too much, but they just miss you and want to know you’re ok! That’s why setting boundaries for communication can be beneficial to everyone, as it makes you appreciate your time together more.

Make plans

Eventually, after a month or so when you’re settled, you’ve made friends and you’ve got stuck into your course it’s probably time to start planning a trip home! A weekend home every now and then is definitely something to look forward to, especially if your parents are going to cook for you compared to the cooking you’ve been learning to do yourself.

Your parents will probably be keen for you to come home regularly, but will also understand if you’re enjoying yourself too much to want to come home monthly. Making plans with your home friends and family will give you something to look forward to and can help you cope with the homesickness.

If you’re worried you’ll go home and won’t want to go back to uni, your parents visiting you in uni might be a nice idea instead. This way you can show them your new home and introduce them to your new city or town. Of course, saying goodbye is always going to be hard, but this way it might be easier if you’re feeling apprehensive about missing them, rather than going back to your parents’ house and finding it hard to go back to uni.

Seek support

If after a month or so you’re still not settled into uni and you still feel really homesick and wish you were back at home, it might be a good idea to seek support from your uni. Whether this is via a friend, your uni counselling services or mental health services via your GP, support will be out there if you need it.

Your parents will also want to support you too, so if you are really struggling there are lots of things that they can do to help you feel better, whether this is regular visits and calls or sending care packages.

Remember that uni isn’t forever, and with the regular term breaks and holidays, you’ll be able to spend plenty of time with your family. Uni prepares you for the rest of your life, and getting used to being away from your parents is something you’ll have to adapt to, of course, in later life you may not be so far away from your parents but uni does help you to get ready for the future.

Going to uni is a super fun and exciting time, so with all of that said hopefully moving out of your parents’ house will be as stress-free as possible and your new life and new home will be somewhere you love and enjoy living!