Just as your student may have experienced a period of cultural adjustment at the start of their Education Abroad experience, upon return it is extremely likely that they will experience challenges in re-adapting to life in the United States (or their home country). Many students find that exposure to new cultures and different worldviews causes them to reexamine their priorities and values, as well as those of their home culture. This shift in perspective can lead to a feeling of psychological discomfort known as “reverse culture shock,” which occurs when a student returns to their home country.

Upon returning home, many students may expect to be able to pick up exactly where they left off, and are unsure how to react when returning home feels foreign. This inconsistency between expectations and reality can cause students to experience feelings of frustration, anger, alienation, loneliness, disorientation or helplessness. The degree of difficulty of readjustment will vary from individual to individual, but – in general – the better integrated a student became to their host country’s culture and lifestyle, the harder it is to readjust during re-entry.

It is important to understand that it is completely normal for your student to experience some degree of difficulty adjusting to life back home. Eventually, your student will adjust and things will start to seem normal again. The key to helping your student overcoming reverse culture shock is to understand that it is a phase that many students experience and that they will re-adjust to life back home! One way to ease the transition from living abroad to life back home is by encouraging your student to incorporate the positive aspects of their international experience with the positive aspects of their lives in the United States or home country to build o their international experience.