Information for Study Abroad Alumni

Even though you are back at WVU, we still think of you as "study abroad students," and are happy to talk with you about your experiences, both the good and the bad. So feel free to stop by the Office, G-13 White Hall, if you would like to share. We are always interested in hearing a story and seeing your photos… we may ask to use them in our publications or on our web pages.

Again, welcome home, and welcome back to WVU! We hope you will use what you learned on your study abroad program both to enrich your own life, the campus community, and even the world.
Office of International Programs

Procedures for Re-Entry

Your Host Institution’s Transcript
Be sure to make arrangements for your transcript from your host institution to be sent to WVU. Be aware that it may take several months for your transcript to arrive through the mail service unless you make arrangements to have your transcript sent by a global express mail service. This might mean a delay in your graduation date, if you are a senior. You may even want to consider acquiring an official copy of your transcript from your host institution before you leave and bringing it with you on the plane home.

If you need to have any of your classes approved, click to download the WVU Study Abroad Transient Form. Please return this form to G-13 White Hall.

Dealing with Re-Entry Culture Shock

Returning to the United States can be just as challenging as the initial move overseas. Feelings of anxiety may develop prior to your return home. It is another adjustment you have to make because you must re-settle with your friends and family. This is known as reverse culture shock. There are two aspects of reverse or re-entry culture shock: returning to an experience that is no longer new and returning with a different perspective on life and your community.

Often feelings of disappointment emerge when family and friends seem uninterested in your overseas experience and the changes you may have gone through. They are unable to relate to and understand your experiences abroad. Life in the United States has gone on without you and people there have changed too.

One Student’s Experience

Dana, who was a student of forensic science, was lonely when she returned home from Japan. She missed her new friends abroad, whom she wished were back home with her. She felt uncomfortable about being home in the USA. She had been away from her spouse David for four months and needed to re-adjust to being together. Dana was worried that it would not be the same. Dana’s family and friends assumed she wanted to be left alone and did not take her requests for company seriously. This nearly cost her many close friendships.

Although each individual has a different experience re-adjusting to his or her home country, reversal of culture shock is a natural process of study abroad. Your friends and family may perceive you as a "different person." After all, you went abroad to expand your horizons. That is the purpose of education. However, the changes you encountered may create a period of confusion within your circle of family and friends. Give the "new" you time to adjust to your old environment. Here are some suggestions to alleviate feelings of disorientation, unhappiness, not-belonging, and "host country homesickness."

• Contact your WVU Study Abroad Advisor, who is sympathetic to your feelings.
• Speak to other students who have studied abroad or intend on going overseas about your experiences and personal challenges.
• Talk to your family and friends about your feelings and concerns, and say why you feel that way. This will not only help them relate to your feelings, but help them realize just how real of a concern those feelings are.
• Get involved with international student organizations and/or clubs.
• Find ways of communicating your experiences with people who are interested (e.g., seminars, letters to the editor, e-mail chat lines, and personal diaries).

Many returning study abroad students feel "bored" or "unstimulated" when they return home, They are used to having the expectation of something "new and exciting" on the horizon. There was always a new face, a new restaurant to try, a stretch of street nearby that could be explored, etc. Your hometown and college campus can seem very stagnant in comparison. It may not be realistic to expect the activities that interested you before your study abroad experience to be the same activities that interest you now. After all, you may be a very different person. One tactic to help you "get back in the groove" is simply to get out there and try some different things and try to find your new "niche". You might want to take a course that studies the people, culture, political system, religion, geography, etc of you host country. Introduce yourself to your classmates, ask them if they would like to form a study group. You could also explore right here in the US — take a trip to Pittsburgh to the symphony, to Washington D.C. to the capitol or Smithsonian Museum, or to the state and national parks in the area.

Finally, you should remember that there is no one solution for re-adjusting to your home environment. Find a technique(s) that suits your personality and needs. A defining chapter in your life has just closed. Nevertheless, the impact of this chapter will influence many other future chapters of your life that have yet to be written.

Online Resources for Study Abroad Alumni
There are many materials dealing with the issue of re-entry available to students. Below you will find some books and online resources.

• The Art of Coming Home, by Craig Storti.  Available through Intercultural Press.   <http://www.interculturalpress.com/shop/comingtext.html>
• Back in the USA, by Dawn Kepets.  Available through NAFSA Publications.   <http://nafsa.org/catalog99/new.html>
• Students Abroad/Strangers at Home: Education for a Global Society, by Norman L. Kauffmann and Judith N. Martin.

Remaining a Citizen of the World

There are a number of things that you can do to make the transition between abroad and home a pleasant one. You can make use of your experience is a number of ways:

• Join a Student Organization that deals with international issues, like the International Student Organization or Women Across Cultures.
• Become an Peer Advisor in the Office of International Programs: Peer Advisors help advise students on study abroad opportunities and complete special projects such as writing newsletters, helping with promotional events, and giving classroom presentations.
• Expand your academic interests to encompass your experiences, i.e., a minor in Art History, a double major in International Studies, or just take a couple of classes in your area of interest.
• Communicate with others sharing similar experiences in order to verbalize thoughts, feelings, reactions and difficulties encountered at home.
• Start a web page.
• Read your journal.
• Rework your resume to highlight your study abroad. Be specific and explain some of your highlights, i.e., guest lectures, historical events witnessed, etc.
• Start researching you next adventure abroad — study, work, intern, or volunteer overseas again!
• Remember, you are a role model to students who have not been out of the country. Share your experiences and inspire them to follow your example.
• Take advantage of the Career Services Center. Lots of good information is available to you!