Waverly Hart
Managing Editor
For many Wooster students, studying abroad is a wonderful and life-changing experience. They are immersed in a different culture, make lasting friendships and experience things they never could in the United States. However, for many students, one of the most challenging parts of an off-campus studies experience is returning home.
Assistant Director of Off-Campus Studies (OCS) Jamie Adler says that some students have a hard time socially readjusting with friends on campus. “They find that their friend groups have changed due to events that happened on campus or [due to] the mere fact that one or more friends in that group were abroad for a semester,” Adler said.
Adler went on to say that returning students have a desire to share their experiences with their friends, but their time abroad cannot be summed up in one conversation.
“Students can also experience reverse culture shock when returning to Wooster/the U.S. Many students study in large, metropolitan cities, so it can be a challenge to come back to a small campus and a small town. Others go to places in the less-developed world, so coming home to a place with so much in terms of material possessions can cause them to feel guilt or distaste for the American way of life,” Adler said.
Noelle Rotte ’20 had a difficult time acclimating to Wooster’s small campus after returning from her study abroad experience in Capetown, South Africa. “Coming back to campus was really hard because I went from having the world at my fingertips to living in a small town, not to mention a small campus,” Rotte stated. “[O]ne thing that I believe is mostly true is that most students tend to feel weird coming back to a small campus after traveling in a big world.”
Another student, Dan Zuchelkowski ’20, studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary, and said he struggled with returning to the U.S. after such a meaningful and exciting time. “It was difficult to come back. I went through a lot of personal growth while abroad, and it was such an exciting time in my life, and coming back meant realizing that I was back to ‘normal’ living,” he said.
“Through travel and learning about the world, you gain a sense of how small of a space you occupy in the world, and how little you have done and experienced in life. It makes you realize that there are so many more ways to be impactful and effective in life than just being an involved, successful student, which is the message we absorb at Wooster,” Zuchelkowski said.
Adler assured that OCS offers a variety of resources for returning students to reflect upon their experience and transition back to campus, including returning sessions where students are “provided a platform to talk about and reflect on their experiences while abroad.” She also said that students who studied abroad can be hired as Global Envoys, who then advise other students who are planning to study off-campus.
“All of these resources are meant to connect students with people who are genuinely interested in them and what they experienced while abroad, as well as helping students reconnect to life at Wooster, and feel more comfortable being back on campus,” Adler stated. Rotte spoke about a “Hungarian Tea Party” OCS offered this semester for returning students. “I am thankful that OCS offered a ‘Hungarian tea party,’ however, it was a surface level experience that didn’t make me feel any more or less immersed into the campus community.” she said. “Mixed feelings are created when arriving back to campus, but I am very happy that I came back to people who welcomed me back into social groups with open arms,” Rotte said.
However, Zuchelkowski stated that resources such as these made one of the biggest differences between Wooster and Budapest. “On campus, we have so many things that help students, like APEX, like residence assistants, like dining halls,” Zuchelkowski said. “Everything is so taken care of for you and you have spaces designed just for you, the student. When abroad, you have to take care of these things on your own, while navigating through a different language and set of cultural norms. So I had to face challenges that I would never have had the opportunity to face at Wooster.” Adler advised that returning is a process, and it’s imperative that students take time to reflect on their experience.
“My biggest piece of advice would be to find a community of people with whom you can talk openly about your study abroad experience … It’s also important to take time for yourself to relax and be patient with yourself. Some students don’t seem to experience reverse culture shock, but for some, it hits them hard,” Adler said. She added, “Find something you love to do and take the time to enjoy it. It could be cooking food from your host culture, or watching movies or listening to music from there. Maybe reach out to international students and befriend people of cultures different than your own.
“Most importantly, go easy on yourself. Sometimes Wooster/the U.S. will never truly feel like ‘home’ as it once did, and that’s O.K.,” Adler advised. “Take time for yourself to unpack what you learned and experienced while abroad, and really reflect on it. You may not yet realize how transformative this experience has been on your life.”