The first time you move out of your parents’ home, you feel a new and unprecedented freedom. Suddenly, there isn’t a care in the world and you can do whatever you want — until the rent bill comes or you realize how much you just spent on groceries. 

Then, rather suddenly, you start missing just how much your parents did for you. That’s a shared feeling around college campuses everywhere.

For those of us who live off campus, the transition can be even harder. Not only is there rent, but there’s electric, gas, cable and Internet as well as many more hidden fees when you start counting groceries, gas for your car and phone bills.

Even with some financial support from parents, you still can’t help feeling like you don’t have any money. It can undoubtedly be a stressful time for students. We keep trying to “get by” each month, hoping we have the money for all of our payments.

There’s more than the monetary change though. There’s the familial bond that has been building for the last 18 years. Not to mention the friends we’re leaving behind as well. We’ve all heard college is a time of new beginnings, but no one told us how much we’d be giving up in the process.

Those things aside, transitioning to being on your own doesn’t have to be so scary. There are a lot of other people in the same position. When we go to college, it’s an opportunity to make new friends and get outside of our normal comfort zone. Sure, money is going to be tight. You may not get to go out to eat every night, but you’ll be OK.

It’s new and challenging, but it should be something we welcome. Our families and friends will be there when we need to go back and visit. We’ll see them again.

“This is a life transition, and like any other transition, it can be very difficult.” said Tiffany Iskander, psychologist in the Student Counseling Service. She later went on to recommend going to clubs or finding other student activities to attend “in order to establish a new network and more social support.”

For 20 years, I had a safety net for when I started to feel stressed about college — my parents. Whenever I doubted myself or began to question why I was going to college, my parents were always there to help me get through it. That’s been the toughest thing for me since I’ve been on my own.

“It was going from a family to living with a person I didn’t know,” said Jenny Lafrenz, sophomore in design, about her biggest obstacle.

She also had some advice for incoming freshmen.

“Don’t be afraid to go out and do stuff on your own. Go out and make a ton of new friends.”

Like many people, I’ve had to rely on phone calls from my family to fill that position. My roommate also plays a great role in helping me through the transition.

It’s his first time going through this as well. In the short time I’ve experienced this, I’ve found it’s important to have friends surrounding you. I’m lucky enough to have one that’s going through the same stuff.

When you feel alone or you find yourself missing home, remember that you’re not the only one going through it. Odds are, there are a lot of other people in the same boat. It’s our social responsibility to go out there and find new “safety nets” and new friends to help.

That being said, living on you own is no longer a valid excuse for us to use when we’re feeling uncomfortable or lonely. If worse comes to worst, give your parents, or whomever you miss, a call.

Let them know what you’re going through. Odds are, even hearing their voice will help you get through the week. People are there to help. To quote Jamie Tworkowski of “To Write Love On Her Arms”: “You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else.”