Returning Students
Ways to get involved:
Become a Peer Advisor or Ambassador!
The Office of International Services seeks student workers who will provide a student perspective to future study abroad participants. Returned study abroad participants can share their experiences and stories with other GSU students thinking about studying abroad, act as a representative of OIS and assist with pre-departure meetings. Meet with an OIS advisor to see if the office is currently hiring.
Coming Home
"One of the biggest challenges for students who participate in study abroad can be the difficulty in re-adapting to the realities in the United States (otherwise known as "re-entry"). Many students who studied abroad went through many changes, re-examining their priorities, their values, and what they think of themselves and the United States. The "reverse culture shock" may be more difficult than the "culture shock" you felt while abroad, " (www.studentsabroad.com/reentrycultureshock).
Read about Reverse Culture Shock:
Study Abroad Handbook: Reverse Culture Shock
Abroad View: You're Back. Now What?
Campus Re-entry
- Interact/Work with international students at GSU - Join a Student Organization! OIS is currently looking to form a student organization for both international students and domestic students that have either studied abroad or are interested in international activities. Email ois@govst.edu for more details.
- Continue studying languages: Take additional language courses or join/form a language club.
- Learn more about your host country: Register for courses on campus to learn more about the geography, history, politcal and social systems of the region you spent time living in. Read newspapers and books, view films, and basing research projects on your host culture.
- Keep in touch with your experience. Write/email your friends in your host country and send photos of your time together. Write a letter to your host institution explaining what the experience meant to you.
