It is now August, and that means it's the time when everyone goes back to school. So, naturally, I've been thinking a lot about the new school year beginning and also experiencing a range of emotions about the weeks and months that lie ahead.

For most college students, they are extremely excited for the school year to begin because that means having the freedom to do whatever they so please, not to mention reuniting with their friends who they haven't seen since school let out for summer. As for me and I'm sure for many others, the start of a new school year is accompanied by excitement for new classes, new professors, and being reunited with my fraternity brothers. But despite all of that it also comes with major anxiety about a multitude of things but especially about, once again, feeling overwhelmingly homesick and sad to leave my family, even if I do only live two and a half hours away.

For a while I felt as though I should feel ashamed for being homesick much of the time, I soon realized that it happens to literally everyone, regardless of how far or close they are from home. In addition, after a while, I realized it was okay to feel homesick, because let's face it, even though college offers students the opportunity to experience freedom from adult supervision among many other things, for many students this is their first time away from home and from their families for an extended period of time. In fact, that's what it was like for me. It was my first time being away from home for an extended period of time, apart from going to a sleep-away camp for a week as a kid. But by no means is this the only "acceptable" reason for someone to feel homesick. In fact, you shouldn't worry whether or not your reason for feeling homesick is "acceptable" or not, because it doesn't matter.

In fact, no one should ever feel ashamed or embarrassed about feeling homesick. It doesn't matter how old you are - everyone experiences it. You don't owe anyone an explanation. Feeling homesick doesn't make you weak or any less cool, and if people say it does, then they are not worth associating with.

Simply put, homesickness is natural, it's normal, and it is especially natural when someone goes off to or back to college. Lets put it this way, if you are leaving your home, a place that is so familiar and comfortable to you and then move to a place that you are relatively unfamiliar with, away from your family and friends, you are bound to be homesick.

My dad tells me this all the time when I am away at school and am feeling homesick: "Just like college, your dorm is temporary, your home, where you came from, is permanent." Remember this quote the next time you feel homesick at school.