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Madelynn Lockwood

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, we go

By: Madelynn Lockwood, Features Editor


The university experience as a residential student inherently involves becoming a skilled mover through the many trips up to school and back home throughout your four years as a student. While you may not need your mom to pack up your room for winter break anymore, you may still struggle with the emotional transition back and forth from home and school. 


This is not something exclusive to those who are dealing with home lives that are less than ideal or those that live in a vastly different world than their bubble at Canisius. Moving back and forth between these spaces can be more difficult than you realize, especially for those who struggle with transitioning in general. 


Honestly, this is something that I have first-hand experience with and for many, leaving the physical space of college also leaves behind a sense of normalcy that is developed when you spend nine or ten months in your dorm or apartment. This setup comes with a lot of freedom: no one checking up on you and where you are, and losing (if that’s how it goes for you) that freedom is an adjustment for everyone involved. It also means leaving friends, professors and the support system that you have at school. 


Initially, I think it's important to give yourself grace along with the people you are going home to. I always feel super out of place when I get home and I think this is a universal experience in some regard. That bedroom isn’t really your room anymore even though it is. Taking some time before jumping right into seeing your home friends and doing all of your hobbies from high school (driving to the Target thirty minutes from your house) might be a good idea to get resettled. Acknowledging the difference between home and school is really important all around. My differences are not the same as yours, so I don’t want to continue to guess what those things are. 


Ironically, everytime I head to school, I cry because I miss the familiar feeling and my friends and family, and the same thing happens when I have to head back home and leave school. It isn’t an indication that you love one place more than the other, but more so an indication that you feel comfortable and safe in the one you are leaving. Make sure that through this time, if you are struggling, to reach out to the people who love you, wherever they may be, choose yourself first and make sure that you are doing your best to embrace the good of where you are in the moment.

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