Cultural Adjustment

After returning home from an international program, students often undergo what many call “reverse culture shock,” a period of transition and readjustment as they attempt to reconcile their experiences abroad with their reality back home. Student’s adjustment period can range drastically, often influenced by the amount of time abroad, the degree of difference in the host country, and the student’s individual experience while abroad. 

In this time of adjustment, it is important to know it is normal to feel challenged. Realize that study abroad changes a person, reorienting one's reality in ways often unknown or unrecognized until returning home. It is, however, the return and the reflection, where students often undergo the greatest transformation, finding meaning and relevance in their experience. 

Here are some resources from the SU Re-entry Handbook that may be useful in coping with your readjustment:

SU Re-Entry Handbook