Returning Home Resources
Reverse Culture Shock
Let us help you prepare for the realities of reverse culture shock.
Ways to Get Involved
From becoming a Global Buddy to joining us for a re-entry workshop, we have several ways to stay involved with UWYO Abroad!
Photo Contest
Every Fall Semester, the Education Abroad Office hosts a photo contest for students to show off their photos!
Complete a Cheney Giveback
Let us help you brainstorm ways to complete your Cheney Giveback!
Reverse Culture Shock
When returning to your home country, it is important 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. Approximately 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:
- Home has changed.
- You have changed.
- You have adapted to another culture and now you must readapt.
Returning home can be challenging 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.
Think about the statements below:
- I know that I have changed because of my experience because…
- My friends seem to understand_______ about 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…
There are many ways to combat reverse culture shock:
- Talk with others who have been abroad
- Find a community that wants to hear your stories!
- Keep your memories alive – try journaling!
- Explore domestically
- Make a travel goal; start saving for your next trip
- Reflect on what you learned abroad
- Write down what you thought was great about the US while you were abroad
- Find physical supports – get German chocolate if you miss Germany, learn to make one of your favorite foods, movies, books, etc.
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 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.
The workshop is a great way to meet other students who returned from studying abroad. Reverse culture-shock can be difficult and often students look for an outlet to talk about the life-changing experiences they experienced. 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?
The UWYO Abroad Ambassadors are a group of students passionate about education abroad
who want to share their experiences with the campus community. The Education Abroad
Office offers training and a retreat at the beginning of the semester and asks ambassadors
to 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, (re)created marketing materials, and written testimonials!
Why become an ambassador?
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.
- At the end of the year the Education Abroad Office hosts a celebration for ambassadors
with a certificate of completion and various awards for outstanding ambassadors.
- Personal Development and Exclusive Trainings
- Swag (T-Shirts, Tote-Bags, Sweatshirts etc)
- Recommendation Letters from Education Abroad Office
- Marketable experience for resume
- Advance Education Abroad at UW
- Credit through SOAR
- References through Education Abroad office
- Experience in project management
- Complete Cheney Giveback
- Food at meetings
- As a small group of students on campus, ambassadors not only studied abroad but they
chose to promote education abroad at the University of Wyoming!
Want to become an ambassador? Fill out the registration form for the upcoming semester. If you have any questions,
please email uwyoabd@uwyo.edu.
Meet the 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. Buddies 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!
Write a postcard from abroad:
We always welcome submissions for postcards to appear on social media at uwyoabd@uwyo.edu!
To create the postcard please answer any/all of following questions for us in a narrative
paragraph of 200 words or less (as if you were writing a postcard to Education Abroad:
- What are you studying at UW/What year at UW are you?
- What drew you to the city/country that you’re currently in?
- Are you staying with a host family or in the residence halls/apartments?
- What do you like most about the people you are living with?
- Do you feel that your time abroad is changing your perspective of the world?
- If yes/no, how?
- Is your study abroad experience living up to what you expected?
- If yes/no, in what ways?
- What is something you did not expect to encounter during your time abroad?
- Do you feel your knowledge in your major/your language acquisition are improving?
- If you could encapsulate your experiences so far in 1-2 words, what would it/they be?
- What do you miss about home (UW, family, friends, pets, etc.)?
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, the 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!
Complete a post-study abroad Instagram takeover:
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.
Write a testimonial, create a video, or tag us in #Throwback posts.
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 Fall semester, the Education Abroad Office hosts a photo contest for students
to show off their photos! There are three categories for students to submit up to
three photos in their respective category:
Faculty and Staff
- Photo showing a UW faculty or staff engaging in cross-cultural activity during a UW
sanctioned study abroad program
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be selected based on online voting and a committee within the Education Abroad Office who will judge on quality, content, and creativity.
Education Abroad
- Photo taken abroad during a UW sanctioned study abroad program taken by a UW student
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be selected based on online voting and a committee within the Education
Abroad Office who will judge on quality, content, and creativity.
International Students and Scholars
- Photo by a UW international student or scholar
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be selected based on online voting and a committee within the Education Abroad Office who will judge on quality, content, and creativity.
Stay tuned for more information on submitting your photo contest images!
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 (Cheney International Center, Room 103).
Presentation
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!
Tabling-UWYO Abroad Fair
Join us 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! If interested give us an email uwyoabd@uwyo.edu.
Tabling-Admissions Event
UW 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-up
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!
Promo Video
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.
Get Creative!
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!