Adjusting to a new environment is something that every college student experiences, but many wonder what this process looks like for students who traveled across the world to The University of Alabama. Once the initial excitement and novelty of a new country wears off, these students are left to navigate a new education system, cultures and, essentially, a new life.
Over 1,000 international students are enrolled at The University of Alabama for the 2026-27 school year, and each one has a different experience. While students do everything they can to prepare to depart for the United States, the true challenge begins once their plane lands.
“You can do a lot of research, and read about people who’ve done this before, but it still is entirely different to read about it on a computer screen and actually experience it,” said Ayush Pathak, a junior biology major from India.
Pathak described using the experience as an opportunity to grow beyond what was previously known or believed. He said there is an importance in stepping outside your comfort zone and taking advantage of a new environment and the opportunities it presents.
“You kind of have to go and figure it out,” Pathak said. “Allow yourself to grow, and understand that it’s a new environment, and allow yourself to make room for a new period of growth.”
With a new environment such as The University of Alabama comes the opportunity to meet new people and engage in a different culture. This often brings about an adjustment to social norms, which are known to be very different in the South compared to other regions of the country.
“I find that you’re constantly talking to someone or saying ‘hi,’ and everyone’s warm and more vocal,” said Jaret Goulah, a freshman mechanical engineering student and Canada native. “There’s a lot more personal interaction with everyday people and strangers than where I’m from.”
Once faced with the different social landscape, it can be difficult to find your place and community, thus intensifying the feeling of homesickness. Goulah said his experience in finding community was joining the University’s water ski team, describing the team as a “big family.”
“It’s made me feel a lot more at home, and I have a community with them here, so I’ve had a pretty easy time with them,” Goulah said.
Along with balancing a new culture, many international students are introduced to a new academic environment in which they must adjust to utilizing academic resources, actively engage in and advocate for their own education.
“There was a transition period where I had to change the way I approached academics,” Pathak said. “Here it’s very much a holistic, collaborative endeavor; you are encouraged to reach out to professors, go to office hours, and I see it as an intellectual journey.”
Other international students find adjusting to the academic landscape easier. Alicia Kirsch, a sophomore aerospace engineering student from Germany, found this as a way to broaden her perspective on the routine of school in other places.
“I think it’s interesting finding out new things about how [schedules and routines] happen, and are in different countries,” Kirsch said. “So it’s been pretty easy to get adjusted to college life and college schedules.”
Though the process and experience varies, international students at the University share a similar transformative journey. From navigating social and cultural norms, to adjusting to a new academic environment, international students are able to learn and grow in their new environments by forging community and pursuing the purposes and goals which drove them to enrolling at the Capstone.
“[Adjusting socially] took a lot of getting used to, but now that I think about it, it’s one of the best things ever,” Pathak said.
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