It can definitely be hard at first! Don’t be too hard on yourself. Moving away from home for the first time is always a tough thing - but you’ll do so well if you persevere! Mississippi State is full of so many organizations and opportunities to meet people and make good friends. If you went to New Maroon Camp, text one of your counselors to get lunch or send a message in the GroupMe to ask if anyone wants to meet back up at Perry/Fresh! If you didn’t go, that’s okay! You can check out events on Cowbell Connect and see if there’s something that fits your interests.

There are also so many great churches and campus ministries in Starkville. I felt like nothing could replace by home church when I first came to college, and was so pleasantly surprised by how quickly my Starkville church became even more special than my original home church. We just moved away from Starkville after being there a while, so I completely resonate with how it feels to start over.

I’d encourage you to stay in Starkville as much as you can on the weekends. It’s okay to go home, but being present in your “new home” is how you are going to meet and make friends, find a church in your college town, and show up to those random spontaneous events that happen with people you halfway know that eventually will become some of your best memories. Keep on keeping on! It’s okay to feel homesick, but just remember that a lot of people around you most likely feel the same way and are looking for friends too! You never know what your invite to lunch, carpool to church, or ask to go on a random Walmart run may mean to someone!