So, you just spent the past semester abroad and you’re finally back in the U.S of A…now what? One day you’re studying on a moving ship on Semester at Sea, in the shade of a cathedral in Spain, or on a beach in Australia and the next you’re back at school stuck in a daily routine.
Sure, everyone was really interested to hear about your exciting and scandalous stories, but after about the fifth photo album and tenth page of your blog, people’s eyes start to glaze. You realize that when asked “Oh my gosh, how was studying abroad?” you have about thirty seconds to sum up four months worth of memories and life-changing experiences.
After a while, people stop asking and you fade back onto your campus, surrounded by people who have no idea and can’t relate to what you’ve been through. While this is definitely sad to realize and you’ll probably spend your fair share of nights crying and plotting ways to invent a time machine to relive it all, just remember that this is karma’s way of balancing out all the amazing people you met, places you saw and experiences you had.
So now, it’s your duty to go out there and make the most of your abroad experience. There are tons of ways to bounce back into college life after a semester abroad and many study abroad offices offer services that help students do just that. Yes, it’s easy to pout and get absurdly jealous whenever you hear other students planning their trips abroad, but a way more efficient use of your time would be showing how your experience impacted you. Blog, write a book, make a video, work at your study abroad office, or do some tabling to spread the word about studying abroad. At CU Boulder there are more than 300 programs for every student’s interests, education goals and budget. You could have a hand in someone’s future by informing others about studying abroad. So what are you waiting for? Give the time machine a rest and inspire someone to plan the best semester of his or her life.