The dip almost everybody has

Somewhere around week three to five, most students hit a flat patch. The novelty has gone, the friendships are still shallow, the work has arrived properly, and the version of it they were sold does not match the Tuesday they are actually having. It is close to universal, and it is not a sign that the decision was wrong.

Knowing that in advance changes how a parent hears the phone call. A miserable call in week four is usually a snapshot of one evening rather than a verdict on the year — and students frequently ring at the low point, then feel fine again long before you have finished worrying about it.