• Reflect on your time abroad before you depart your host country. Keeping a journal of your observations, feelings, and concerns can be helpful as you get ready to return home.
  • Making a photo album or scrapbook can also help as you reflect on your experience.
• Make plans to stay connected to your host country and friends you made while abroad. Watching movies or reading books from your host country, keeping in contact with friends or host families, or joining a language club when you return are all great ways to stay connected and help your re-entry.
• Connect with other returned Study Abroad students at Welcome Back Pack events or through our PackAbroad Ambassadors.
• Develop a plan for re-entry. Think about activities you can participate in or resources that can help with your personal, academic, and professional development.
• Reflect on your experience and educate others about the experience by submitting a Study Spotlight.

Reflecting about your time abroad either through journaling or discussion can help you process your  experiences and recognize how you might have changed or grown as an individual. Below are some questions to get started:

• What did you enjoy about your host city and country? Did anything surprise you?
• What challenges did you face during your time abroad? How did you overcome these?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• What were some of the most memorable moments during your study abroad experience?
• Did your outlook on your host or home country change?
• What is something unique from another culture that you’ve adapted to your life? Are there any activities, foods, or habits that you would like to continue?
• Do you feel that your study abroad experience met your expectations? How did it meet, exceed, or fall short of your expectations? 

NC State’s Counseling Center offers a variety of resources and services to students, including: individual appointments, group counseling, and outreach workshops and programs.

Building community with other recently returned study abroad students is one tool to manage cultural re-adjustment. The PackAbroad Ambassadors meet regularly throughout the academic year and welcome new members!

Through NC State’s Global Training Initiative, the Developing Cultural Competence certificate facilitates virtual exchanges and provides a framework for students to engage with cultural dimensions. Some colleges at NC State sponsor this program for their students – check with your academic advisor to see if this applies to your program!

Staff in the Study Abroad Office are eager to hear more about students’ experiences abroad and may be great resources for navigating the re-entry experience.

Check out some of the published articles and resources available online for returned study abroad students experiencing reverse culture shock: WorldStrides Reflection workbook, GoOverseas, and IES Abroad Re-Entry Resources.