It eventually became even harder to leave this home than your first one, Harris said.
"I was more sad leaving the halls.
"Going from being with people that you see daily, 24/7, to just messaging them is real sad. You grow to miss people so much faster.
"The longest I haven't seen them is six weeks, so four months is gonna be really hard."
Moving back home could feel like a step backwards and the strange adjustments of shifting back into an old environment, she said.
"We eat at certain times in Rotorua, dinner time is dinner time, instead of having two, three hours to go and eat in the dining hall."
Harris said when you leave home, you have more responsibility to care for yourself, but less responsibility to please your family.
"It's completely up to me what I do with my life when I'm down in Wellington, but here I've got almost more responsibilities to keep up with and make sure I do."
Massey University clinical psychology senior lecturer Dr Kirsty Ross completely understands where students like Harris are coming from.
"The problem isn't the people, the problem is an adjustment," Ross said.
Ross said during the first year of university, students leave not only their home but their "connections and roots". Students then "establish new connections and new roots" wherever they study.
When you return home those old roots aren't the same, "you're not the same person, everyone else has had a year where you weren't around so they've moved on".
"You've had this experience of setting your own rules", and now students have to return to their parents' rules.
Ross said the best way to deal with this new kind of coexistence was through "communication and acknowledgement".
"Acknowledge that actually you're used to doing things your way, and some negotiation around honouring that but at the same time having that young person fit back in with a family situation again."
Ross said some students "need reminding that it's not a family routine to be going to bed at 2am and getting up at 11am".
Students often come home and expect to be taken care of, but parents expect their child, who is now a young adult, to take on responsibilities for them.
To avoid miscommunication, "have a discussion over what are the expectations 'cause that's where a lot of tension can come".
Parents should try to "find out what they have learnt and how that will work with your expectations".
Ross recommended students to ask their parents "could we talk about some ways I could have some independence but not disrupt the household too much". This ensures students can keep their young adult lifestyle.
Harris' parents have done what they can to help her settle back home by following similar advice.
Harris appreciates her parents, "still letting me have my freedom and treating me like an adult is definitely something that has helped. If I didn't have that and they still treated me like I was in high school I wouldn't be okay".
"Parents accept that we know we need to look after ourselves. You just need to trust that we have grown up and lived by ourselves so treat us like an adult and we know what we are doing."
Harris and Ross agreed that going home is also positive. There is a lot students returning home can look forward to.
"I do still love being home and being able to see people more easily, everyone is more reachable, it's more difficult in Wellington," Harris said.
"Looking forward to summer, summer parties and socialising with people that you love socialising with but haven't been able to for ages helped me feel better about moving home."
Ross said: "You go home and you know you are accepted and loved."
To cope with being away from university friendships, Ross said social media is key. It's important to stay connected so when you return there is no awkwardness, especially if they are people you will be flatting with.
In the meantime "give your brain a break, enjoy the change of pace".
• Samantha Carter is a journalism student with Massey University.
