Study abroad changed you. Now what?
Something deeply transformative and emotionally impactful happens to you when you study abroad. It’s truly unexplainable, but anyone who has taken the adventure overseas understands this experience to some degree. At times it’s incredible and you want to stay in that exact moment forever. At other times, it’s so difficult that you question why you decided to do this in the first place. However, in the end, almost everyone uses the same word: life-changing.
Many students go through a series of very strong emotions — called reverse culture shock — when returning home after studying abroad. They might feel happy, sad, or anything in between. While there are hundreds of emotions associated with coming home from abroad, here are three simple feelings students may experience when returning home.
#1. You may feel lost
After spending a summer, semester, or year abroad, chances are that you feel comfortable in your new culture and way of life. You probably acquired new friends, discovered things about yourself that you didn’t know before, and picked up some new daily habits. When you step off the plane and back to “reality,” it’s common to feel lost. While your world has changed immensely, chances are that back home, not much has changed.
#2. You may feel misunderstood
The experience of studying abroad is so powerful that most people want to share it with everyone that they know. While friends and family are usually interested in hearing about your travels, they might not be able to relate to living in another country for an extended period of time unless they’ve done it themselves. Eventually, friends may get tired of hearing about a time in your life that they weren’t a part of or not be as interested in your time abroad as you hoped they would be.
#3. You may feel unfulfilled
Studying abroad is a whirlwind of growth and change, and while there is some obvious excitement in returning home, sometimes getting back into old routines can be unfulfilling. You might have spent the last several months of your life doing something new every single day, whether it was trying new food, traveling to a new location, or something as simple as walking down a new street.
Next steps: Finding the “new you” back home in the U.S.
It will take some time to learn how to integrate your new lifestyle into your old lifestyle. Here are a few ways to help ease your adjustment/transition back home:
- Stay in contact with friends and staff you met abroad.
- Seek out other people who have studied abroad. Check with your study abroad office or the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) alumni resources section of the website to get involved in alumni-organized events or become a peer advisor for other students wanting to study abroad. Spending time surrounded by people who understand and can celebrate your time abroad will help you not feel quite so alone.
- Write a blog about your experience or chat about it on our podcast, THE Study Abroad Pod. USAC is always looking for students to share about their study abroad. Email us at marketing@usac.edu to get started.
- Continue to grow and challenge yourself at home. If you studied a language abroad, continue studying it at home. Volunteer at a school. Join a language group. Continue to explore the world and engage with other cultures and make it a goal to not let routine lead to feeling unfulfilled.
Finally, don’t get lost in depression or sadness because you’re not abroad any longer — focus on all the incredible memories you made! You studied abroad, and that’s amazing. If you’re really missing being abroad, consider channeling that energy into another study abroad (did you know that USAC offers a great Returning Student Discount?). You may also find that there are bigger global opportunities you want to pursue — like the Peace Corps, teaching abroad, or seeking career or academic opportunities in other countries.
No matter what, you pushed beyond your comfort zone and made incredible connections, and that experience will live with you forever.
