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After You Arrive

After the first few weeks abroad, you may be feeling great, but you may also be experiencing initial culture stress and beginning to struggle with the different environment, or from university protocol that’s very different from how we do things at Purdue.

But that’s OK! Yes, you will feel homesick. Yes, there will be many frustrating experiences. Understand that this is normal, and growth often doesn't come without some discomfort. Take a step back and look at how far you’ve come! Think of all the enriching, unique, exciting challenging moments that you have already gone through and you’re still standing. From here on out, things could only get easier. 

So take things one day at a time. You do not need to get everything done in a day. Be mindful of the here and now.  Before you know it, the chips will fall into place as you become more familiar with how tasks and activities are done at your host country and university. Sometimes, doing nothing— for the time being— may solve the problem. One thing for sure— be open to doing things in a different way.

 

Maximizing Your Study Abroad

As you begin to establish new routines, relish your new experiences. Welcome change. Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Be open to other perspectives. Appreciate your host culture. Be humble. Hang on to your sense of humor. 

Make it your goal to return to the US with more knowledge about the world and some of the fascinating people that inhabit it. Take advantage of opportunities to learn more about the culture, add professional experience, volunteer, visit a company, job shadow, intern, or research. Come back as a person who can live and work comfortably in a society that has become very multicultural. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Connecting with Home

This may strike you as a strange suggestion, but try not to contact home too often, because that can really slow down the adjustment process. 

Of course, let family, friends and loved ones know you've arrived safely, but try not to stay in constant contact.

Set up a communication schedule before you leave: a great way to maintain purposeful communication is to plan regular phone or video calls in advance with your family and friends. Set expectations with yourself and with your loved ones about how accessible you will be abroad - stay connected with them, but don't let it distract you from your abroad experience.

We also discourage constant texting, emailing, calling, and excessive social media use or doomscrolling. If you're constantly connecting with people from home, it can be more difficult to integrate with your community abroad; instead of exploring your host country or making friends with the locals, you're spending time online. Set a time limit for using social media if you must. Occasionally send texts or post online, but don’t feel compelled to chat with family and friends all day, everyday, or to share every experience you're having in real time.

 

Connecting with Your Host Culture

Make a genuine effort to learn as much as possible about your host country and culture, even before you leave for your study abroad destination. This way, your host culture will already feel a bit familiar when you arrive.

Your expectations for your study abroad experience should be realistic - remember that you are only going to be in this new culture for a pre-determined amount of time. Set SMART and realistic goals for what you can accomplish.

It may be helpful to reflect on how you deal with everyday and occasional stress even before you depart for your program. Being aware of how you handle anxiety and pressure, and knowing that you can use those same methods overseas, will further help you deal with the physiological and psychological effects of transitional stress.

A study abroad experience is mostly going to be what you make of it, so do what you can to become engaged and immersed in your new environment.

 

Tips for a Successful Experience

Managing On Your Own

One thing that you will quickly realize when you get to your overseas site — especially if you are on an exchange program— is that the structure at Purdue is set up to support students. Purdue has a variety of offices, staff, and services designed to support you and your academic success. And while sometimes even here you may feel like it's hard to navigate all this - you may find that you're missing some of these resources while abroad.

So be prepared -- it could be different at your study abroad program where the university staff’s responsibilities focus on administrative responsibilities and may not consider it their job to assist students. You'll likely find response times to emails, access to academic advising, navigating grade disputes, housing issues, or directions for where and whom to go for what to be a bit lacking or confusing.

The good news - University staff overseas will treat you as an adult.

The bad news - University staff overseas will treat you as an adult and a mature person does not usually wring his or her hands in despair if help is not immediate or in the way they expected.

Learning to fend for yourself and working on being more independent are important skills you can gain through study abroad. Make an effort to figure out possible solutions to your concern or issue, and then brainstorm how you might get the help you need or solve the issue on your own.

If you ask university staff for instructions, be prepared to receive instructions and then do the task yourself. Don't expect others to do things for you. Talk to the local students and ask what they do. Use this chance as an opportunity to cultivate resilience and self-advocacy. While you are not entirely on your own, getting used to figuring things out for yourself will be a big part of your study abroad experience.

That said - if you really are struggling you do not have to trudge on without assistance - you can also alert your Study Abroad Advisor at Purdue or our office staff as to what is going on. They can help point you in the right direction, and if needed, reach out to overseas contacts to help get you the answers you need. We cannot help you if we don't know what is going on, and if a deadline has passed it will be much harder, if not impossible, to provide assistance. 

Asking For Help

At the same time, while we encourage you to be as self-sufficient as possible and to avoid running to the staff at the host university at the drop of a hat, we also urge you to seek help if you are unable to solve a problem by yourself.  You must recognize when you can't go at it alone and seek the assistance of people who can help. 

A suggestion about requesting help from others:  Do not behave as if you are entitled to assistance.  Even if you are, the right approach is crucial.  A student who spent a term in France said that a sure-fire way to get people to help her was to assume a very respectful tone and say something like:  "I beg your pardon, I was wondering if you could …" or "I am sorry for bothering you, but I …"  And once she received assistance, she was always profuse in her thanks.  Not a bad idea - if  you are requesting assistance from others, the more apologetic and grateful you sound for taking up people's valuable time, the more likely people are willing to come to your aid. 

There's also a saying that goes "Lack of planning on your part is not an emergency on my part". Take this to heart, and plan ahead. Have a form due on a specific date and aren't sure exactly how to fill it out? Need to drop a class and the deadline is tomorrow? Having technical issues with the course platform?Emailing someone at 5pm (or later) the day before a deadline is certainly not going to get you assistance in the time you need it. In many cases, staff overseas will not respond to emails outside of stated work hours and will simply say "too bad" if you've missed a deadline, so plan ahead and allow more time than you think you need. 

Of course, sometimes, there really are problems that will require onsite staff intervention. This is especially true if you are trying to deal with medical, emotional, psychological, or academic difficulties.  If you are not getting anywhere -- then please seek assistance from the people in charge of your program.  They have some responsibility to ensure your well-being and the knowledge for dealing with emergencies and other pressing matters. 

Making New Friends

Go out of your way to meet people. Don't wait for them to seek you out; make the first move yourself. Don't worry about not speaking the language perfectly - the fact that you are making a genuine effort to communicate with people in their own language is always appreciated, and you make friends quicker this way.  Value the people you will meet in the first two weeks — they could introduce you to others and before you know it, your circle of new friends has grown larger!

For some students, studying abroad means doing as much international travel in the time they have.  If you have the same idea, then we hope you will reconsider.  While traveling to see places you've always wanted to see is a commendable objective, getting to know your host country and forming friendships with locals and other international students will be priceless. We certainly hope your memory of Madrid/Florence/London/etc. will not just consist of knowing the train station or airport intimately. 

A great study abroad experience is not merely seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Sydney Opera House in person. The interaction you have with people while seeing the landmark is what will make the experience even more memorable.  Make people the focal point of your adventures.  Long after the memory of the places you visited has faded, what you will remember are the meaningful interactions you had with classmates, flat mates or host family, the grocer, bartender or pastor.  We guarantee, you will have fonder memories of your host city if you associate the place with people who have become dear to you!

Enjoy the Quiet Moments

We’ve known some students who seldom take time abroad for quiet moments. They’re always doing something with other people: traveling and sightseeing, partying, or hanging out with other Americans or new friends. While these are certainly worthy endeavors, quiet moments by yourself are useful too. As much as you may like being on the go all the time, also take some time to sit back and reflect on events you experienced or witnessed, comments made by people you met, or unusual actions you observed. 

So for you, we hope you will complement active learning with reflection. Regard these quiet moments as a time to recharge and rejuvenate. Assess how much you have learned thus far and what other things you can do to make your time abroad even more memorable and productive.

Look back on lessons learned, the small victories, the leaps of faith you took and rewards that often came with them. Think of the future and how you can enhance career prospects with enriching overseas activities. And hey, people watching is really a lot of fun! So take the time to sit at a café or in a park, go to a museum by yourself, explore a small town on your own, eat at a restaurant patronized by locals, ride your bike around the city.  Much can be gained from these solitary activities.

Taking some time to relax and recharge pays off in many ways, and can even help keep you healthy for your next adventure! Travel burnout is really a thing - too much travel and you stop appreciating the little things that make experiences into lasting memories. 

Keeping a Journal

Keeping a journal engages you in your personal overseas experience through thinking, interpreting, and analyzing cross-cultural situations. When you look back in ten years, you’ll appreciate these notes and thoughts much more than a simple caption or emoji you posted on Instagram.

Try to consistently jot down a sentence or two in a journal, on a blog, or alternatively, in the photos you take. Whether you make daily entries or write only when the urge hits will be up to you, but get into the journaling habit! It is one of the best things you can do to enrich your study abroad experience.

 

A journal can turn into one of your best souvenirs, and a prized possession for years to come.

Marketing Your Study Abroad Experience

Interviewers will often ask about the study abroad experience you listed on your resume. Don’t miss the opportunity to showcase yourself as a valuable, internationally-informed job candidate. Sure, you made an investment in your future by studying abroad– but stating this fact is not enough. Instead, you must plan how to best highlight relevant aspects of your study abroad experience on your resume and during the job interview. 

For more information on how to market your Study Abroad Experience, visit our On-Demand Advising Hub for a video on "Marketing Your Study Abroad Experience" or this page on our website.