“It was at that point that some of the positive gains from taking time off started to retract a little bit,” he said. “I started to be very fed up, I was very bored, and I didn’t have a lot of stimulation in my life. I just didn’t have a lot of connection, because there weren’t many people I knew who I could see, and I felt lonely. ”

Despite having a good relationship with his parents, George struggled to adjust to the new social atmosphere. “I was happy to a degree, and I was satisfied, but it wasn’t easy.”

In the midst of working full-time, seeking therapy, and spending time at home in an effort to get better, students said that they cannot help but feel lonely during their leave. For most students, human connections are limited to close family and friends at home, while the individual’s peers remain together in classes, dining halls, and activities back in Cambridge.

Partovi said these relationships nevertheless made a “big difference” during her leave of absence. Beyond her hours working at a local elementary school, Partovi spent most of her time with her family, often attending her sister’s high school dance team performances.

Many students on leave strive to maintain an emotional connection to the school through their friends and Harvard affiliates despite being physically separated from the University.

Smith, who is still on leave from campus, says that while he keeps in touch with his friends back at school, the distance has changed their relationship.

“It’s not like I talk with people every night or even every week, but I stay in touch in the way that a friend from back home would stay in touch,” he said.

These connections with friends from school, however, are not enough for most to combat feelings of loneliness while spending time away.

“If there’s a single hardest thing about taking time off and spending that time off at home, [it] is certainly the solitude,” said David, who nevertheless was able to stay in touch with professors and peers as a teaching fellow for HarvardX.

This loneliness, while perhaps harmful to students while on leave, can help motivate them to return to campus.

George, who returned to campus this fall, says he felt ready to return soon after the loneliness struck.

“I was so ready for August to begin so that I could feel like the student I was supposed to be,” he said.

—Staff writer Steven S. Lee can be reached at stevenlee@college.harvard.edu. Follow him on Twitter @StevenSJLee.

—Staff writer Dev A. Patel can be reached at dev.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @dev_a_patel.