Re-Entry Strategies

You can re-adjust to life in the U.S. though a combination of active and reflective re-entry strategies.

Active Re-Entry

One of the best ways to re-adjust to U.S. and campus life is to keep the experience alive by getting involved in international activities at Northwestern or in the Evanston and Chicago areas. There are lots of opportunities, and through these activities, you will interact with others who have international backgrounds or are interested in being global citizens, like you. Some activities allow you to work with international students to help them adjust to the U.S., just as people from your study abroad country helped you feel at home there.

Learn about ways to get involved in international activities.

Reflective Re-Entry

It is also important that you give yourself sufficient time to reflect on and process your study abroad experience internally. If you kept a journal while you are abroad, it's a good idea to continue keeping it once you return home. But whether you process your experience in writing or just in thought, these questions should help you reflect and learn.

Questions to ask yourself just before or just after returning home:

  • In what ways have I changed? Other returnees have noticed these changes, among others:
    • I have a new sense of autonomy; I can be comfortable and confident almost anywhere.
    • I feel more responsible about my lifestyle choices.
    • I feel more (or less) focused about my career interests.
    • I have more interest in international politics.
    • I am more interested in social issues.
    • I know that I can hit emotional rock bottom and come back up.
  • In what ways might my friends and family have changed?
  • How would I like my family and friends to treat me when I return home?
  • What am I looking forward to the most? The least?
  • What are the lessons I have learned that I never want to forget?
  • What are some skills I have learned?
  • What are some things I might do to make the transition easier?
  • What have been the important things about this study abroad experience that I want to share with family and friends?
  • What do I want to do with the experiences I've had (e.g., continue studying the language, write a senior thesis based on some of what I learned abroad, etc.)?

Things to think about after you've been home a few weeks:

  • I know that I have changed as a result of my experience because . . .
  • My friends seem to understand me, but they don''t understand . . .
  • My re-entry experience would be better if . . .
  • Now that I am home, I worry most about . . .
  • The one thing I know I have learned about myself is . . .
  • I wish I could explain to my family and friends that . . .

You may also want to ask yourself these questions:

  • What stands out most about my time overseas?
  • What do I miss most from abroad?
  • What do I miss least from abroad?
  • What's been best about coming home?
  • What's been most difficult about coming home?

Consider the new perspectives you developed on the U.S. and the world.

  • What new experiences did I have while abroad that shocked or surprised me about the world?
  • How do I feel now about those experiences after returning to the U.S.?
  • Are there certain stereotypes that I have let go of? Kept? Modified?
  • How did my experience abroad make me think differently about the U.S.? How do I feel now about the U.S.?
  • What made me feel most "American" abroad?
  • What makes me feel most "foreign" back in the U.S.?

Write about your experiences abroad
If you enjoy writing about your experiences abroad, you may want to try turning some of your reflections into stories, articles, or poetry and submitting your work to a magazine that publishes student work.

Learn about publications that publish student writing about study abroad.