Many international students enrolled at NYU have lived and traveled abroad extensively. Some have already studied in the United States. Many have visited New York City before. Yet studying and living in New York City for several months or years is different from visiting, and everyone will experience some amount of stress as part of the cultural adjustment. The particular type of stress connected with this adjustment is called culture shock, and it happens whether it's your first time to live abroad or you have lived in several countries.

There are different stages of cultural adjustment, some say four, some say five, depending on the theory one subscribes to. It is a process, and because students arrive at different times you will encounter people in all stages of adjustment. The most well known stage is culture shock, which most people experience within several weeks of arrival to a new country.

Culture shock is a term used to describe almost any physical or emotional discomfort experienced by those adjusting to a new environment. It can be a feeling of sadness at missing your family, favorite food from home, or native language. It can be frustration at how long the lines are in New York, how hard it is to speak English all day or the competitiveness in finding an apartment. It can be constant stomachaches, a daily headache, a skin rash, or a lack of appetite.

What causes culture shock? It begins with the loss of the familiar-your environment has changed, the way people communicate is different, and most importantly, no one knows who you are in terms of your family, your likes, your dislikes, your status at home, your achievements. Culture shock is normal and virtually unavoidable. Yet it may catch you by surprise. The first several days or even weeks of a sojourn are generally very enjoyable, even exhilarating. In this "honeymoon" period, culture shock may seem like something that cannot possibly happen to you. But it will, at some point. If you expect it, you will be able to deal with it more easily.

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