Re-entry for Students who studied abroad

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It is often more challenging for students to readjust to their home culture upon return from an international or cross-cultural experience than it is for them to adjust to their new culture upon arrival in a foreign community. Many professionals argue that the readjustment process is actually the most important stage of the international experience. How can we as educational administrators help our students in the process of turning reverse culture shock into a positive learning experience?

Reentry: Supporting Students in the Final Stage of Study Abroad Gretchen E. Young It is widely accepted in the field of international education that it may be more difficult for students to readjust to their home culture upon return than it is to adjust to their new culture upon arrival in a foreign community. Reverse culture shock, as it has come to be known, is often more severe than initial culture shock. Many professionals argue that this is actually the most important stage of the international experience (La Brack & Bathurst, 2012). If reentry just means adjusting back to life as it was before we went abroad, what is the point of going in the first place (Slimbach, 2010)?

(Reverse) Culture Shock Culture shock is most commonly defined as the emotions and subsequent behaviors brought on by immersion in a new or different cultural situation than that to which one is accustomed. Reverse culture shock is, logically, the shock experienced upon return to one’s own culture after an international or other similar cross-cultural experience. Culture shock manifests itself in a myriad of ways and to varying degrees unique to each person and situation. In short, most students experiencing culture shock will feel uncomfortable; they may experience feelings of loneliness, disorientation, anxiety, alienation, resentment, and even a sense of helplessness or depression (Kohls, 1984). They may be prone to judgmental comments and irritability, or exhibit signs of stress such as restlessness, fatigue, a desire to be alone, loss of appetite, or difficulty communicating. Of course NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES, no. 146, Summer 2014 © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/ss.20091

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this may also be because they are recovering from jet lag, making new friends and learning to appreciate new foods and communicate in a foreign language. Sverre Lysgaard (1955) and John Taylor Gullahorn and Jeanne E. Gullahorn (1963) formulated the theory of the U-curve to graph the ups and downs experienced by most learners as they adjust to a new culture. “They start out in a state of excitement and interest (often called euphoria), begin to experience difficulties in functioning in the culture, reach a nadir of dissatisfaction and discontent, and then begin to pull out of it, until they finally reestablish a stable emotional state of being” (Hess, 1994, p. 5). In fact, students may go through a series of U-curves as they adapt—the final U being their return home—hence the renaming of this as the “W-curve” (Hess, 1994, p. 5). Stages of the adjustment process are much the same upon return as they are when students first arrive overseas. Yet they are not as easily explained. Fortunately, most students express mostly mixed feelings related to reentry rather than purely negative ones. However, mood swings are frequent. At first students are excited to do all the things they’ve missed while abroad, to eat foods they’ve craved for months, see movies in their own language, and catch up with friends. But once the novelty has worn off, some express disdain for the life they’ve returned to, or a lack of motivation to do the things previously enjoyed. Students sometimes become uncertain about previously made plans, questioning the big picture: “Why am I at this college, why am I majoring in this subject, why am I friends with this group?”

The Occurrence of Reverse Culture Shock Reverse culture shock is often more severe because students assume they will adjust easily back home. The jolt takes them by surprise and they are not prepared for it. It is possible that students are actually excited to experience the original culture shock. They expect it and think of it as part of the experience of living in a new and different culture. They also know it has a finite duration. Many students are challenged to return home to a place where they expect to feel comfortable, and instead experience feelings of frustration and misunderstanding. Students often have an idealized view of home and are shocked when reality doesn’t meet their expectations. In a similar way, students tend to imagine that they will simply pick up where they left off, forgetting that the world has gone on and others have experienced changes as well. During a reentry workshop prior to the end of a semester abroad, one facilitator mentioned to students that when they return, things may have changed back home. One student spoke up to say that her parents had just announced to her that they were getting a NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES • DOI: 10.1002/ss

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divorce, that they were no longer living together, and that she would not be returning to her family home. Also, people around the students may not expect them to have trouble readjusting and their reactions may exacerbate the situation. “The support system that students encountered when they first arrived overseas—people who were willing and ready to help them settle into their new community— is not accessible back home” (Kohls, 1984, p. 78). Students may be afraid to tell others about their feelings since that might be seen as a sign of weakness or lack of appreciation. Talking with friends about how strange things seem in a foreign culture is acceptable; criticizing one’s own culture is not as acceptable. Most students assume that their study abroad peers are also experiencing culture shock upon arrival in a new country but they don’t assume this about their return home. Upon their return, most students recognize that they have changed and some feel that no one now understands them. Sometimes they discover that people seem very provincial. Very often students are disappointed that no one has the time to listen to their stories; others may feel they don’t have the capacity to express exactly what they experienced while abroad. Intellectually, students are coming face to face with cultural dissonance. They may experience “split loyalty, manifesting itself in attempts to validate and integrate both cultural worlds while having ambivalent feelings about aspects of both” (La Brack, 1996, p. 7). New research by Yuliya Kartoshkina, a doctoral student at the University of North Dakota, suggests that going overseas might rewire the brain. While abroad, new neural networks have been formed and transitioning back to old patterns of thinking can therefore be difficult. For students who have experienced a different style of learning such as the more independent culture of European universities may find their home institution to be stifling and their schedules over-structured. Depending on how long a student has been away, their experience of reverse culture shock can be more or less impactful, strong, or severe. Some students go through months of feeling alienated from their home environment, while others readjust more quickly. Still others appear to adjust with little to no difficulty. However, some of these students experience a delayed return culture shock that comes by surprise months later. Due to changed cultural identities through study abroad experiences, students experience various feelings of discomfort as well as communication problems with family and friends. However, by learning new and specific communication strategies, they can decrease these challenges; significant personal growth can occur if students learn how to effectively reflect on their experiences. As American judge and philosopher Oliver Wendell Holmes (1857/1957) said, “A man’s mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions” (p. 205). NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES • DOI: 10.1002/ss

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Assisting Students in Processing Their Culture Shock The most important starting point for college resource persons is to help students understand and expect that returning home will involve an adjustment process similar to the one they experienced when first arriving abroad. When advising students prior to their study abroad experience, staff might encourage students to participate in “reentry” programs once they return. As La Brack (1993) argues, it is of the utmost importance for predeparture and reentry programs to be linked in structure as well as content. Reverse culture shock should not be seen as a problem to face but rather a positive challenge and an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. Students should be encouraged not to put their experience behind them but rather to engage with it further on many planes: academically, philosophically, creatively, socially, and practically. Students have learned new skills in adjusting to their host culture abroad. They may need to be reminded of this so they can view reentry as an opportunity to put their new skills to use. The challenge is for them to take both their new knowledge and skills and integrate them permanently into their lives ahead (Citron & Mendelson, 2005). If they are unaware of the rewiring that has occurred in their brains, they are probably not prepared to face the challenge of incorporating old ways of thinking and being with new ones. According to Edwards (2009), we cannot assume that students will know how to apply capabilities and perspectives they have acquired abroad or to continue the development of these things on their own. Thebodo and Marx (2005) suggest that “welldesigned predeparture and reentry programs assist students in the development of adjustment skills and intercultural competencies and therefore may make the difference between the success and failure of a sojourner’s education abroad experience” (p. 293). Parents also sometimes appreciate advice on what to expect. Some programs and institutions write letters to the families of study abroad students to provide suggestions on how to help their students adjust. Parents can often benefit from advice such as: (a) being prepared for long conversations about goals and priorities, (b) knowing that some students will desperately seek ways to return overseas, and (c) recognizing other manifestations of reverse culture shock such as approach to time and schedules. Those who interact with students can assist them by the mere recognition that students have been changed by their experience abroad and that the process of readjusting to life back home may provide significant positive benefits such as personal growth and growth in self-confidence. Techniques for Handling Reverse Culture Shock. The techniques for handling reverse culture shock are much the same as those suggested for culture shock in the first instance. Students should try to look at their home culture as if it was a completely unknown culture to them, bridging the experience abroad and back home.

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Sharing Information With Others. For example, staff may ask students to actually identify the things in their own culture that they now find bothersome (Hess, 1994, p. 244). The author further recommends to students: 1. Don’t pack your study abroad experience up into a shoebox and tuck it away. 2. Give yourself time to relax and process your experience. Expect that it will take a little while to feel completely comfortable again. 3. Keep in contact with fellow study abroad students/other people at your school who have studied abroad/international students at your school. 4. Journal about your experience but also about your feelings about returning. 5. Share your learning: write articles, speak about new insights in class. 6. Read the international press. 7. Get involved. Research local groups that may interest you: international and intercultural groups, volunteer organizations, and public advocacy. One student related his experience after a return from South Africa: The experience I had in South Africa opened my eyes to the stark lines that we draw in society—whether they be social, class, racial, or otherwise. I returned to Syracuse with a desire to stop living within the social construct I had existed in previously. Before studying abroad, I spent almost all of my time on or around Syracuse University’s campus. All of the organizations I was involved with were focused on campus life and almost every service event I did in some way directly benefited the University. I started by looking for organizations outside of the University that supported the local community. I found a few, but ultimately decided to start volunteering with Meals on Wheels. Throughout the rest of my collegiate career (undergraduate and graduate) I volunteered as a delivery person for them. It was incredible! As time went on and I slowly became familiar with all of the delivery routes, I became familiar not just with the city of Syracuse, but also the people that lived there. It was incredibly rewarding and I loved it. (S. Wilson, personal interview, May 22, 2013)

Another author suggests that students learn to share feelings instead of experiences because they sound less like bragging. He also recommends that students try to be learners in their own country, asking questions in order to explore one’s home culture as a new one to be explored, by playing a foreigner at home (Kohls, 1984, p. 80). Institutional Initiatives. Institutions have designed and implemented many initiatives to address student reentry after studying abroad. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES • DOI: 10.1002/ss

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A review of best practices provides ideas for practitioners to utilize on their own campuses in order to reach out to students. A Successful Reentry Program. According to NAFSA Foundations of International Education: Education Abroad Advising, a successful reentry program includes the following components: 1. Begin preparing students for reentry before they depart. 2. Remind students about reentry before they leave their host country. 3. Have at least one informal social gathering when students return to school. 4. Invite returned study abroad students to speak on resource panels. 5. Encourage students to participate in internationally related activities such as mentoring incoming international or exchange students. Welcome Back Letter. Sometimes a simple letter welcoming students home is enough to acknowledge their feelings and your willingness to support them. Duke University’s Office of Study Abroad provides a welcome back booklet, which assures students that things may feel different and that they may experience “reentry shock.” The letter celebrates the changes that have occurred, and suggest ways to incorporate their experience into current and future life (see Resources). Informal Conversations. Colleges develop unique ways to welcome students home, with discussions and events designed especially to help students process the emotions related to their readjustment. For example, Barnard College staff members from Study Abroad partner with counseling center staff to run informal sessions on reverse culture shock, hosted in comfortable setting. Another approach is for students to participate in lecture courses that are already being offered on campus, related to particular geographical regions. A discussion section designated especially for those studying or who have studied abroad in that geographical location could result in fruitful cross-cultural discussions. Faculty/Staff Dinners. Some colleges coordinate regular dinners in dining halls or in homes, focused on a theme. Returning and prospective study abroad students and faculty or staff members who have an expertise in the chosen field simply share a meal and conversation. Issues are carefully selected so that they can be approached from a variety of multidisciplinary and geographical perspectives (topics such as Race Relations, Environmental Concerns, Accessibility to the Arts). Students who have been or are going to a variety of destinations bring to the table their experiences from abroad, with faculty or staff members facilitating the discussion. Haverford College has a slightly different method: faculty with international experiences facilitate discussions on student study abroad experiences such as: (a) How does a study abroad experience complement your NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES • DOI: 10.1002/ss

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liberal arts education? (b) How did you gain new knowledge and understanding of your major and/or minor? (c) How are you applying the study abroad academic and personal learning to your final years on campus? (d) How has the international experience affected your political and/or social interests? (e) In what ways has your cross-cultural awareness expanded as an effect of the study abroad program? Reentry Courses. Some institutions have developed “reentry” courses for returning study abroad students (see Resources). Most of these courses are a combination of the practical, academic, and philosophical aspects of reentry, either credit-bearing or noncredit. Some are mandatory and some are optional. Some courses begin prior to the study abroad semester, continue long distance throughout the experience, and culminate on campus after the students return. For example, Wake Forest has designed a voluntary, three-part, creditbearing course. The first part begins predeparture during the second half of the semester prior to studying abroad. The second part takes place while the students are abroad and includes activities to encourage students to interact with local people with a focus on writing reflectively about those interactions. The third component takes place after the students have returned from studying abroad. The goals of this final step in the process are to: (a) facilitate reentry into the home culture, (b) examine personal change and growth, (c) identify cultural learning gained during the sojourn, and (d) extend and apply learning to new situations. The University of the Pacific, where all students are required to study abroad, offers an Online Cultural Training Resource with a reentry module (http://www2.pacific.edu/sis/culture). GlobalScholar.us, an online resource of the Center for Global Education at UCLA, offers a comprehensive course (Course 3) for returnees, which is available to anyone. It is designed to not only help students to “make better sense of their experiences abroad” but also to “further refine their skills in cross-cultural observation, adaptation and communication.” Students may enroll in the course independently or it can be used as a class syllabus (http://globalscholar.us/course description.asp#course3). Writing Workshops. The Barnard College Writing Center facilitates a Writing Workshop for returning study abroad students, where students are asked to write about a theme. Students are directed to several places where they can submit their study abroad essays for possible publication, including websites listed in Resources, as well as campus literary magazines and alumni magazines. Incorporating Experiences Into Their Future. In many institutions the Office of International Programs partners with the Career Services Office to conduct a seminar about “marketing” your study abroad experience. Students learn to identify transferable skills gained from study abroad NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES • DOI: 10.1002/ss

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and to articulate them clearly on a resume in interviews and eventually at work.

Summary: The Importance of Reflection Over the years the philosophy of mentoring students while they study abroad has varied. One school of thought argues that part of the experience and opportunity for growth is for students to figure things out on their own. Another is that students cannot (or do not) make sense of their experiences without some guidance. One thing educators generally agree on, however, is that students need to take time to reflect upon their experiences in order to make the most of them, both during and after their time abroad. Current thinking is that students often need help and encouragement from their home institutions after their return in order to more effectively process their reentry. Some college campuses have created credit-bearing courses to guide students in this practice while others host informal activities or provide resources for students to access on their own. These efforts involve a variety of departments across campus including student services, counseling, career development, scholarships and fellowships, and others. The nature of this support appropriately reflects the holistic nature of global learning. International Education professionals can provide a valuable resource to campus administrations in the development and evolution of such programming in order to maximize the rich effects of global learning for students. References Citron, J., & Mendelson, V. (2005). Coming home: Relationships, roots, and unpacking. Transitions Abroad Magazine, XXIX(1). Retrieved from http://www .transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0507/coming home from study abroad.shtml Edwards, J. (2009). Study at home after study abroad. In M. Hellst´en & A. Reid (Eds.), Researching international pedagogies: Sustainable practice for teaching and learning in higher education (pp. 115–128). New York, NY: Springer. Gullahorn, J. T., & Gullahorn, J. E. (1963). Extension of the U-curve hypothesis. Journal of Social Issues, 19(3), 33–47. Hess, J. (1994). The whole world guide to culture learning. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. Holmes, O. W. (1857/1957). Autocrat of the breakfast table. Charleston, SC: BiblioLife. Kohls, R. (1984). Survival kit for overseas living. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. La Brack, B. (1993). The missing linkage: The process of integrating orientation and reentry. In R. M. Paige (Ed.), Education for the intercultural experience (pp. 241–279). Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. La Brack, B. (1996, November 11). The dual ethnocentric: Why study abroad may not lead to internationalism. Paper presented at the 49th International Conference of the Council on International Educational Exchange, Monterey, CA. La Brack, B., & Bathurst, L. (2012). Anthropology, intercultural communication, and study abroad. In M. Vande Berg, R. M. Paige, & L. K. Hemming (Eds.), Student learning abroad: What our students are learning, what they’re not, and what we can do about it (pp. 188–214). Sterling, VA: Stylus. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES • DOI: 10.1002/ss

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Lysgaard, S. (1955). Adjustment in a foreign society: Norwegian Fulbright grantees visiting the United States. International Social Science Bulletin, 7, 45–51. Slimbach, R. (2010). Becoming world wise: A guide to global learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus. Thebodo, S. W., & Marx, L. E. (2005). Pre-departure orientation and reentry programming. In J. L. Brockington, W. W. Hoffa, & P. C. Martin (Eds.), NAFSA’s guide to education abroad for advisors and administrators (3rd ed., pp. 293–312). Washington, DC: NAFSA, Association of International Educators.

Additional Resources College and University Websites Center for International Programs at Kalamazoo College, http://www.kzoo .edu/cip/ Middlebury College, http://www.middlebury.edu/international/sa/returning Northern Illinois University, http://www.niu.edu/studyabroad/ Office of Global Education at Duke, http://globaled.duke.edu/ Office of International Programs at Colorado College, http://www.coloradocollege .edu/academics/outsidetheclassroom/international/ University of California, Los Angeles, GlobalScholar.edu, http://globalscholar.us /course description.asp#course3 University of Missouri-Columbia, http://cafnr.missouri.edu/study-abroad/ University of the Pacific, http://www2.pacific.edu/sis/culture University of Southern California Office of Overseas Studies, http://dornsife .usc.edu/overseas-studies/ University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, http://www4.uwm.edu/cie/studyabroad.cfm

Suggested Reading for Students Austin, C. (1983). Cross-cultural re-entry: A book of readings. Abilene, TX: Abilene Christian University Press. Bachelder, D. (1993). The green banana. In T. Gochenour (Ed.), Beyond experience: The experiential approach to cross-cultural education (pp. xiii–xv). Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/∼jashman /CDAE195 ESCI375/greenbanana-1.pdf Denney, M. (1987). Going home: A workbook for reentry and professional integration. Washington DC: NAFSA. Hess, J. (1994). The whole world guide to culture learning. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. Holm, B. (1990). Coming home crazy. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions. MelibeeGlobal. (2013). Beyond abroad: Innovative re-entry exercises. Retrieved from http://melibeeglobal.com/beyond-abroad-innovative-re-entry -exercises/ Middlebury College. (n.d.). Re-entry resources. Retrieved from http://www.middlebury. edu/international/sa/returning/reentry resources SIT Study Abroad: A toolkit for returning students. Retrieved from http://www.trincoll .edu/UrbanGlobal/StudyAway/Documents/SITStudyAbroadReentryToolkit.pdf Storti, C. (1997). The art of coming home. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

GRETCHEN E. YOUNG is the dean for Study Abroad at Barnard College, Columbia University. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT SERVICES • DOI: 10.1002/ss

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