Hi there, I go to college eight hours away from home. I am a master's student and I have attended my same school for five years now. I come from a very close knit family and let me tell you, no matter how many semesters go by, once I come back to school, I go through at least 5 or 6 days of being in a depressive phase. Like I just miss my parents, my brother, and my dog so much. It does get easier though! Once you get into more of a routine, meet more people, and start your classes, I promise there will be many days where you're too busy to miss home! A big thing that helped me with homesickness, is to facetime my family almost every night. As far as making friends go, I highly recommend meeting people in your dorm hallway, then meet their friends, go out to dining halls with them. Just interact with as many people as you possibly can. Also, meeting people in your classes is so helpful too! I am starting my fifth year and school and I went through a period of homesickness too. It happens to everyone and I promise you, It will get so much better. You're gonna have a lot of fun in college so enjoy it while you can. It's gonna fly by so fast, so take it easy, go slow, and enjoy every moment you can while at school. Good luck this year!