CSU Pre-departure guide - Study Abroad - Colorado State University

Preparing to Depart Your Study Abroad Program
To assist in your transition back to the U.S., it is important you take the time to say
good-bye to your host country and the people you have met during your study
abroad experience, along with taking care of logistical details so your trip home will
be smooth. Here are a few things you will want to do before leaving your host country!
\ Make
a wish list of all the things
you want to do/accomplish before
you leave. Do them!
Request an official transcript
be sent to CSU Study Abroad
and register for your returning
semester to CSU.
Make a list of the people you
want to stay in contact with and
gather their contact information.
These are great people to reach
out to as you work through
re-entry adjustment along with
internationally connected people
at CSU.
Return anything borrowed.
Donate anything you are not
bringing back. Give gifts if you
were planning on it.
Take pictures of your favorite
people, places, foods, etc.
Pictures of everyday people and
places you will not see any more
may be the most precious and
best to explain to others how life
was abroad. In addition, we would
like to see your photos! CSU
Study Abroad has both photo and
digital storytelling contests you
can enter upon return.
Close your on-site bank
account and settle any financial
issues. This includes checking
in with CSU Financial Services
to make sure you have done all
you need to if you plan to receive
financial aid your semester of
return to CSU.
Communicate with friends and
family at home your feelings
about returning home and what to
expect as you go through cultural
adjustment again upon return. Be
conscious of making judgments
and being overly critical of home.
Confirm your move-out
date in your host country
accommodations. Confirm your
housing upon return to CSU.
Confirm your return flight. Check
with the airline regarding weight/
size regulations and the costs for
overweight or additional bags.
Set aside time to say good-bye
to your friends, your support
on-site, your school and your
city. These encounters may help
you put into words what your
experience has meant to you
personally, academically, and
professionally so you are ready
to answer questions when you
return to the U.S.
Preparing for Reentry
Re-entry may be the most challenging
culture shock you will face. Students
often report that returning home was
more difficult than leaving. Prior to
returning it is easy to assume that life
at home will be essentially the same
as it was before you left and that
getting back into the old lifestyle will
be complicated only by having lost
a little time with old friends. It is not
always as simple as that.
Re-entry culture shock is a state
of disequilibrium. You have had a
wonderful experience that has taught
you many things but the new things
Colorado State University Study Abroad www.studyabroad.colostate.edu 31