Return

How long and how strongly a student experiences reverse culture shock will depend on multiple factors, such as length of time away, previous travel, and frequency of communication with people back home while away. Students and parents should be prepared to for a re-acclimation period and should be patient with one another. Reverse culture shock has three phases:

• Honeymoon: During this phase you are excited to be at home and those at home are happy to have you back. Your friends and family are interested to hear about your time away and see your photos.
• Alienation: In this stage, you'll feel that people would rather talk about what happened to them while you were away than listen to your stories. You may start to feel bored because your familiar environment does not seem nearly as exciting as your study abroad program was. You may even feel like a foreigner in your own home. Your perspectives and interests may be different than they used to be, and your lifestyle may have changed to accommodate those new perspectives.
• Readjustment: Gradually, you will readjust to being at home. The shock of returning does dissipate with time and patience.

The best way to approach re-entry is to expect that there will be differences. People at home will have changed with time, but not nearly as much as you. An exciting part of the re-entry process will include creating a new lifestyle that combines the best of your old lifestyle and your overseas lifestyle.

You're back from a awesome learning experience! What's next? Here are some exciting opportunities for you to continue your experience on Lander's campus.

• Be sure to enroll in either IDSA 202 Reflection on the Study Abroad Experience or HONS 489 Honors Reflection Seminar! These 1-credit hour seminars will guide you as you reflect upon and learn to market the knowledge and skills you gained overseas.
• Become a Presidential Ambassador and inspire current and prospective students to participate in study abroad.
• Be a contact for students who plan to study abroad where you did.
• Volunteer to speak about your experiences in HONS 210 and IDSA 201 classes.
• Participate in pre-departure meetings to help other students prepare.
• Attend (or present!) at a conference with fellow Lander students, for example
  • Lessons from Abroad Virtual Returnee Conference
  • Coker Humanities Undergraduate Conference (hosted by Coker College)

• If you did research during your time abroad, present your research at the Lander Student Academic Symposium.
• Submit photos to the annual photo contest sponsored by the Office of Study Abroad.

Students will receive grades for all approved courses taken while abroad. Grading systems vary around the world. If your program utilizes an American-style, A-F grade scale, Lander will post those grades. If your host institution utilizes a different grading system, your grades will be calculated according to an approved grade conversion scale before being posted to your Lander record.

• Semester and Summer Programs
  Students will receive grades for all approved courses taken while abroad, and credit for all courses passed with a C or better. Grades will be calculated into the student's Transfer GPA and Overall GPA. Transcripts may take several months to arrive. Once a transcript is received, the courses and grades will be entered into the student's Lander transcript. Some programs require students to request that a transcript be sent to Lander.
• Faculty-Led Study Tours
  Students will receive grades and credits for any courses required for participation on the Study Tour. Grades will be calculated into the student's Lander GPA.

Students should plan for their post-study abroad housing back at Lander before departing for their program.

• If you are studying abroad in the fall: On 01 October, the "Spring 20XX Only" application will open in the Housing Portal in MyLander. Complete this application once it opens and pay the $150 fee. Room assignments for spring semester will be made before Winter Break and emailed to students.
• If you are studying abroad in the spring: Fill out the "Academic Year 20XX-20XY" application for the upcoming year when it opens in January. You should become "accepted roommates" on the Housing Portal with whomever you wish to live. When room selection opens for students currently on campus, the student with whom you are "accepted roommates" will be able to assign you. If you do not know of anyone with whom you wish to live, please contact the Housing Office so that they can assign you a timeslot for room selection.