College Sojourners' Reentry Experiences after Studying Abroad

When people think of studying abroad, they often think the experience ends when a study abroad participant returns home, but the reentry experience back home can be just as significant as the experience in the host country. In this study, I explored the following questions: (1) What emotional, social, and academic transitions do students experience when returning home from studying abroad? and (2) In what ways do the experiences students have abroad change their perspective of their life in the home culture? We interviewed 10 and surveyed 3 recent study abroad returnees from a large state university in New England. We organized our participants’ responses and stories through six principal themes: criticism of American culture, expectations for own culture, independence, transition to academics, displacement in the US and grief, and interpersonal relationships. This research corresponded with the minimal existing research in this space but also showed that reentry is dependent on the individual and can also be a very positive experience despite the inevitable challenges.