So you just spent your last semester abroad, and now you find yourself thrust unceremoniously back into the daily grind of college. Your weekend getaways to faraway countries have been replaced with all-night study sessions. Your taste buds have to adjust from delicious foreign cuisine back to dining hall meals. People are no longer fawning over you for being the exotic American student. It’s not easy, I know. But here are some tips for making your transition as painless as possible.
Do: Come up with a go-to answer to the inevitable “How was your semester abroad?” question
This is the first thing that people will ask you after they haven’t seen you for months. It’s obviously completely impossible to answer that question in a way that is both succinct and socially acceptable. You’re going to want to talk everyone’s ears off about how amazing *insert country here* was and how you had the best time of your life, etc. Come up with something short and sweet. My go to has been: “It was absolutely amazing. I really got to do a lot of traveling!” And honestly, that’s as much as your acquaintances need and want to know.
Don’t: Constantly talk about how amazing your semester was
If you’re dealing with someone closer to you than an acquaintance, it’s expected that the topic of your semester abroad will come up more. Your friends will definitely want to hear about your experiences, but just make sure you don’t go overboard. There is a time and a place for everything, after all. If you’re constantly steering the conversation to yourself with things like, “Oh, well when I was in France…” it’s going to get really old, really quick. Everything in moderation!
Do: Keep in touch with any study abroad friends
You just traveled the world with these people, and now you’re all back to the real world. If some of your study abroad friends go to your school, that’s a huge plus! Make lunch dates so you can all catch up. If you’re anything like me, you have a bunch of inside jokes that you’re dying to share with them. If they don’t go to your school, don’t worry — that’s what texting, Facebook, and Skype are for. These are the people that you can talk to for hours about how amazing last semester was — they probably want to reminisce, too!
Don’t: Compare your school to your abroad school
It’s easy to fall into a post-study abroad depression if you’re constantly comparing your semester abroad to your current semester. But obviously, last semester and this semester are completely different. Imagine if you compared every single day to the best day of your life — every day would pale in comparison! Treat last semester as it was: a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As Mark Twain once said, “Comparison is the death of joy.”
Do: Get back into your old activities
If you’re like me, you probably have a bunch of on-campus organizations that you missed while you were abroad. Throw yourself back into those activities when you return to school — it’s a great way to see some of the people you missed last semester, and it also helps get you back into your routine. And if you’re returning to an on-campus job, that’s a great way to start saving up some money again! Because we all know that studying abroad is super expensive, especially when the conversion rate is not in your favor (I’m looking at you, United Kingdom!)
Don’t: Slack off on your schoolwork
This has definitely been one of the toughest parts about returning from abroad for me. This may not always have been the case, but some abroad schools are much less rigorous than your home university. I know at my school, I was doing so much less homework than I was used to doing — not to mention that I was only able to take classes as pass/fail. Now that I’m back at my home university, the amount of work I’m already getting seems a little overwhelming! You may have had room to slack off last semester, but don’t let your bad habits follow you home. Hit the books right from the beginning of the year, and do your best to get into your old homework habits.
Just because you’re back from abroad definitely doesn’t mean you can’t miss it — I know I do. But you shouldn’t let your nostalgia hold you back from having an awesome time back at your school. Hopefully these tips will make your transition back into regular college life as easy as can be!
Photo credits:
http://weheartit.com/entry/761…
Second picture thanks to the awesome Beatles “Fab Four Cab Tour” driver, Terry