Transcript: It's normal to feel nostalgic for home occasionally - but for nearly 20-percent of first-year college students, homesickness can be a more constant, debilitating condition. Many students who experience homesickness feel too embarrassed to discuss their feelings.  But homesickness is nothing new--it's a defining characteristic of the human condition as exhibited in Homer's epic, “The Odyssey,” and the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament. There are two basic types of adult homesickness commonly experienced by college freshmen. The more familiar type involves missing the people, area, and lifestyle of one's previous existence. The less common form of homesickness occurs among students who may not particularly miss home, but who are so overwhelmed by college that they want to return to someplace more familiar. Whichever type is affecting you, it can be hard to make new social connections or to generally feel “happy” when you're homesick.  One way to help alleviate feelings of homesickness is to set up a regular schedule for talking with your family and friends from home. Or, even better, you can make arrangements for a friend or family member to come visit you at school. It can also help to immerse and integrate yourself into your new environment. You might try joining an intra-mural sports team or a club that you are interested in.  Maybe attend a meet-and-greet on campus.  However, if homesickness is still plaguing you at the end of your first semester, it might be helpful to seek out some group or individual counseling at the student health center.