University marketing tends to show move-in day and graduation - not the weeks in between. Talking to international students across different countries and programs, a few patterns show up again and again in the first semester.
The first two weeks usually feel great
Orientation, new friends, a new city - the novelty carries most students through the first couple of weeks with high energy.
Weeks three to six are often the hardest
This is when coursework picks up, the novelty wears off, and homesickness tends to peak. It's extremely common, not a sign that something has gone wrong. Students who reach out to friends, family, or their assigned counselor during this stretch - rather than waiting it out alone - generally adjust faster.
A routine helps more than a big life change does
Small, repeatable things - a regular study spot, a weekly call home, a recurring meetup with the same few people - tend to matter more for settling in than any single big event or trip.
By the end of the semester, most students report the same thing
Almost universally, students who stuck with it say the difficulty was temporary and worth it. That doesn't make the hard weeks less real while you're in them - but it's worth knowing they're normal, and usually pass.