Welcome back to Santa Cruz!
First and foremost, welcome back to UCSC! Returning home can be just as culturally challenging as studying abroad. As you transition back to UCSC, take some time to reflect on the new perspectives you may have developed while abroad. We hope that you will make the most of this life-altering experience by continuing to interact with UCSC's international community.
Tools for Re-entry
Reverse Culture Shock
Many students return to UCSC and experience what is known as "reverse culture shock." Reverse culture shock is totally normal, and takes time to overcome. As strange as it was to adjust to another culture, returning home can be just as challenging. Within a couple of months, you should feel more balanced again. However, if you are still struggling after you've been home for some time, you might want to seek counseling. You can contact UCSC's Counseling and Psychological Services by calling the Health Center at 459-2628.
Find ways to demonstrate your new skills and follow your new interests:
- Explore international career options.
- Seek out a professor with whom to discuss your international experience.
- Become active in international clubs/organizations on campus.
- Conduct research projects that incorporate learning from the study abroad experience.
- Work as Peer Advisor or volunteer for orientations and other events in the Office of International Education.
- Live in the International Living Center, or use the California Housing Bulletin to find housing with other internationally aware students.
- Volunteer to give a presentation at a local elementary/high school or library
- Share your knowledge/experiences with students interested in studying abroad; best ways to travel, places to go,
what to bring, and everything you wished you had known before you went
- Submit photographs, videos or articles about your experience to UOEAP or the UCSC Office of International Education
- Stay up to date on international news and events
- Continue to explore through international travel or even re-discovering your own
city or nearby countryside
Continue to use and develop your language skills:
- Tutor students studying your host country language or tutor (in English) international students from your host country.
- Seek out native speakers of the language and find a conversation partner.
- Join a language club.
- Become a mentor to an international student.
- Continue to formally study the language through the UCSC Language Program.
- Volunteer as an interpreter at a local hospital or court house.
Maintain your interest in and contact with the host country and culture:
- Organize an email or address list and keep in frequent contact with the friends you made while abroad.
- Invite international friends to visit you in the U.S.
- Take a course in international history, anthropology, religion, literature, or art.
- Explore international art/music/literature at museums or the library.
- Write a journal about your significant experiences and re-read it on occasion.
Find ways to meet int’l people or others with international experience:
- Become a host to an exchange student.
- Join an international club or intercultural group.
- Participate in another international program in a different part of the world.
Stay involved after graduation: