At the Education Abroad Office, we want to support our students from the moment they walk through our doors asking about study abroad to the moment they return home from an incredible learning experience.
Upon completion of your study abroad program, you will need to transfer your credits from your host institution to UW. For information about this process, please visit the Registration and Transfer Credit page.
Reverse Culture Shock:Often, we will discuss with those traveling abroad the difficulties of culture upon arrival in their host country; however, it is just as prudent to prepare yourself and understand the realities of reverse culture shock. This is a common occurrence experienced by students returning to the U.S. after a study abroad program. 80% of people returning from an experience abroad have some form of difficulty with re-entry and it may be more difficult for some than it is for others.
When considering your re-entry into the United States, consider these three pointes:
Returning home isn’t easy for a number of reasons, including how much you have changed, how you understand these changes, and how much your friends and family accept these changes. It’s important to take time to consider your particular difficulties.
Think about the statements below:
There are many ways to combat reverse culture shock:
In addition to the above, it’s helpful to get involved as a way to talk about your recent international experience. The Education Abroad Office has developed several ways for students to get involved with the Education Abroad Office; check them out here:
During this dinner, we will connect you with the international community here at UW! You will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with peers who studied abroad recently studied abroad as well as with our incoming international exchange students for the semester or academic year. This event has been popular in the past as it is a fun and relaxed way to make friends and talk about your experiences abroad. You will receive an invitation for this with a date, time, and RSVP link.
While this breakfast seems long, students have often asked for it to be longer! Why, you ask? Because it is a great way to meet other students who returned from studying abroad like you. We know that reverse culture-shock can be difficult and often students look for an outlet to talk about the life-changing experiences they just had. This workshop talks about those complex feelings, how to deal with returning home, and allows you to share your stories with peers. Additionally, you will get more information on how to stay involved with the international community, how to go abroad again if that interests you, how to bring your career abroad after graduation, and further information on working in the field of Education Abroad!
What are the ambassadors?Are you interested in sharing your experiences with the campus community? Think about getting involved with the Education Abroad Office throughout the semester! The UWYO Abroad Ambassadors are a group of students passionate about education abroad and who want to share their experiences with the campus community. We offer training and a retreat at the beginning of the semester and ask that you participate in various events throughout the semester (minimum of 4 events or 1 event per month). You can participate in already established events like tabling, pop-in advising, and classroom presentations or you can get creative and find other ways to give back! In the past, students have written news articles about Education Abroad, they have (re)created marketing materials for us, and they have written testimonials!
We want you to get the most out of this opportunity and want to give back to our ambassadors for all the hard work they do with us:
We provide students with opportunities for professional development throughout each semester including resume reviews, workshops on how to market your international education, and writing references for ambassadors.
Want to become an ambassador? Fill out the Registration Form for the upcoming semester. If you have any questions, please email uwyoabd@uwyo.edu. In the meantime, check out our current UWYO Abroad Ambassadors!
This is a great way to make new friends within the wider UW international community. Students from all over UW, domestic and international alike, are matched into buddy groups of about 4 or 5 students based on common interests. You are asked to spend time with your buddy group throughout the semester. Groups who document the most gatherings throughout the semester will win a prize! We also ask buddies to attend larger group events once a month like matching day, scavenger hunts, cookie decorating, and other intercultural activities.
Fill out the Registration Form to become a Buddy during the upcoming semester! If you have any questions, please email uwyoabd@uwyo.edu.
First and foremost, if you are not already following us on Facebook and Instagram, please do so! You can find us at either facebook.com/uwyoabroad or instagram.com/uwyoabroad
We always welcome submissions for postcards to appear on social media at uwyoabd@uwyo.edu!
In order to create the postcard please answer any/all of the following questions for us in a narrative paragraph of 200 words or less (as if you were sharing with us a postcard):
When you send the paragraph in an email to uwyoabd@uwyo.edu, please also include 3-4 photos from your time abroad, the city/country you studied
in, they type of program or the university you studied with, and the term you went
abroad.
We look forward to receiving the information for your postcard! We will format it and then share it with the #uwyoabroad community on Facebook and Instagram as well as send it back to you in an email. If you would like us to tag you, please include your Social Media information in the email to uwyoabd@uwyo.edu. We are very excited to learn from your experience!
Show us what a day in your life looked like while abroad! We will ask you to “take over” our instagram story for a day and show off the program where you studied. Take this opportunity to share pictures, post trivia, share facts, and show off a day in the life of you! Check out our Instagram profile highlights to get an idea of what a takeover looks like.
If you would like to complete an Instagram takeover, please email uwyoabd@uwyo.edu.
Finally, feel free to do something creative! If you would like to write a testimonial about your program explaining its influence on you, please send this to us or tag us in your post. We also welcome video submissions from students who would like to show off their creative side. Finally, if you post any throwback photos from abroad tag us in your photos and use the hashtag #uwyoabroad!
Every November during International Education Week, the Education Abroad Office hosts a photo contest for students to show off their photos! We offer four categories for students to submit up to two photos in each:
Many of the activities on this page can be completed as a Cheney giveback: Becoming a UWYO Abroad Ambassador, writing a postcard from abroad, writing us a testimonial, working on a creative project, or submitting your photos to the #UWYOAbroad Photo Contest! However, if none of these appeal to you, there are many other ways you can complete the giveback requirement of the Cheney International Scholarship. If any of the ways to give back on this page interest you, please email uwyoabd@uwyo.edu.
Once you have completed your Cheney Giveback, you will need to fill out this form, have it signed by someone in our office, and turn it into our main office (room 103).
Talk to a student group about your experience abroad. This is an opportunity to show photos and share how your program has enriched your education and future career to a group of students. This could be done in the following contexts: in one of your classes that has an international component, during one of our weekly Ed Abroad 101 sessions, at a student organization meeting, to a group of local kids, etc. One of our staff members or UWYO Ambassadors would be happy to join and support you. Your presentation can be as short as 10 minutes! Just be sure to mention how the Cheney Scholarship helped to fund your Education Abroad program!
Share your love of Education Abroad with others on a Wednesday from 11-1 PM in the Union Breezeway! This is a great opportunity to engage others in a Q&A about education abroad at UW. You can table by yourself, with a friend, with a UWYO Abroad staff member, or a UWYO Ambassador! We will provide you with materials-just show up, set up, and you are good to go!
Join us on 9/12/23 and/or 2/1/24 in the UW Union at our annual fair! You can talk to students about your experience abroad. Whether it be at a country table, a program provider table, a scholarship table, or faculty-led table, we can find a place for you to help us show the impact of our programs!
The university offers resource fairs during the spring, summer, and fall. These fairs provide a great opportunity to inspire others within a short amount of time-about one hour. Speak with prospective students & their parents about the Education Abroad opportunities UW has to offer. At least one member of our team will accompany you.
Write a blurb about your experience abroad and have it featured in the Branding Iron, on our website, in the local newspaper, or other UW correspondence with faculty, staff, and students. This is a great way to thank our donors publicly!
Join our program assistants to be featured in one of our UWYO Education Abroad promo videos, featured on Instagram and YouTube. You may be interviewed for the video, share some photos, or simply give a short description of your time abroad.
If none of these sound fun to you and you would like to do something else, let us know! We’ve had students propose creating apps for us, creating videos for our website, or writing blogs to promote study abroad. If you want to tap into your creative side, now is a great time to do so and we will support you as you brainstorm ways to complete your give back!
