Some students struggle to make Kent a home away from home, but going home every weekend might be the reason students don’t feel connected to campus life.

Once Thursday or Friday hits, some students—especially freshmen—have a tendency to pack their bags and head home for the weekend. Students return home for at-home jobs, to visit significant others or just to ease the pains of homesickness.

Sure, going home every now and again is comforting and can clear a stressed-out mind, but heading home every weekend can damage the relationship between student and school, making students feel more homesick and lonely than they would have had they stayed.

Weekdays are busy and hectic. Students are running around finishing homework and cramming for exams. Weekends at Kent have a different vibe, one that students can miss if they’re always gone.

“One of the best things about college is being able to make life-long friends and live in close proximity to them,” said Miriam Frankel, a graduate student in the College of Education, Health and Human Services. “Spending time with [friends] on a weekday is much different than spending time on a weekend.”

Weekends in Kent mean sporting events, parties and downtime. Staying in Kent introduces students to the campus and the city in a different way than just being students. Students begin to make roots when they establish all the great things Kent has to offer.

“When I was a freshman, I was still dating someone back home and went back every weekend to visit him,” Frankel said. “Eventually, we broke up, and I realized that everyone on my floor was friends with each other, except me.”

Frankel said as she stayed in Kent more, she eventually made friends but wishes she could go back to freshman year and not make that mistake.

“I would have stayed on campus almost every weekend or gone home once a month,” Frankel said. “It’s very tempting to go home because it’s like your safety net, but the more time you spend at home, the less time you are making Kent your home.”

Sophomore exploratory major Kendra Eustache said staying on the weekends is what made her love Kent so much.

“You get to go out with your whole floor and roommates,” Eustache said. “That’s the time to make life-long friends and to have experiences you never forget. Yeah, you’re here to study and learn, but you can have fun while you do it.”

Eustache said it’s important for students to establish friendships and signature places to eat and hang out, so college begins to feel more like home. After four years at Kent State, students don’t want to look back and only remember spending quiet weekdays studying.

“Students need to stay in Kent to make friends and to feel like this is where they live,” said Darian Thomas, senior public relations major. “You’re not going to make friends driving back and forth to home. I don’t ever remember having the time of my life partying with my parents.”

Contact Cassandra Beck at [email protected].