Welcome back! We hope you had a wonderful study abroad experience and are happy to be home. We know it can be difficult to adjust to life back in the U.S and you may have mixed feelings about the upcoming months.  Rollins might seem boring or strange after your adventures abroad, or you may feel pressure about returning to school or planning for your next steps after college.  You may find it difficult to get used to being home, and you may even need to adjust to things that should seem familiar.  You might feel nostalgic about aspects of your adopted culture abroad, and you may miss friends you made during your program.  If you are feeling any or all of these things, don’t worry—this experience is so common there’s a name for it: Reverse Culture Shock! 

When you return to campus, feel free to call on us to help you settle back in. We're eager to hear about your experiences and are happy to assist you during this period of adjustment.  We've listed some helpful campus resources below. 

Program Evaluation

Your evaluation of the program you attended is very important and helps us provide the highest quality experiences for students. We review the evaluations and use them to make program recommendation. We do our best to coordinate with our program partners so that you don't need to complete multiple evaluations.  If you are on a program with Rollins faculty, you will be asked to complete an evaluation during the last stage of your trip or course.  On other programs, you will most likely be asked to complete an evaluation towards the end of your program.  International Programs may also ask you to complete a brief survey about the services we provide in our office--we are always looking for ways to improve and serve students even more successfully!  

Transcripts, Grades and Credits

Transcripts from abroad will soon begin to arrive: make you you've done everything you NEED TO DO to insure the process goes smoothly.  Make sure your understand the policies regarding the transfer of grades and credits from abroad--the policies are different for different types of programs.  Make sure you have talked to the appropriate offices and advisors and have done the necessary legwork to make your grades count!  If you have reviewed the information online and still have questions about how grades or credits work: contact our office by phone or email.

• Be aware: It can take up to 3 months to get grades from aroad.

Counseling and Psychological Services

If you are finding it hard to adjust to life back at Rollins College, consider contacting Counseling and Psychological Services.  You can meet with one of their counselors or take advantage of their print and online resources and of the health programs they offer during the semester.

Photo Contest

Be sure to submit your photos from your study-abroad experience in the Annual Fall Photo Competition. You could win a cash prize and/or have your photo used on the International Programs website or on our marketing materials.  We will announce the contest and the deadline in conjunction with other International Education Week festivities in the middle of the fall semester.

Helping International Programs

Students who have experienced study abroad are the best ambassadors for our office so consider assisting at our study abroad fair or information sessions—it’s a great chance to talk about your experiences and share your knowledge with students just beginning the study abroad process.  Go to our homepage for the event schedule and contact International Programs if you want to get involved!

Career Services

Interested in finding out how you can represent your study abroad experiences on your resume?  Or are you beginning to consider next steps after graduation or looking for an internship abroad?  Take advantage of the services offered by Career Services such as workshops on resume writing and internships and a series of graduate school fairs.

Your international adventures don’t need to end because you have returned to Rollins College! 

• Office of Multicultural Affairs: Consider getting involved with the office of Multicultural Affairs or even just attending an event sponsored by one of the many campus cultural organizations.
• Office of Community Engagement: Take advantage of the incredible opportunities for Rollins students to become involved in the larger, diverse community in and around Rollins.
• Office of International Student and Scholar Services: Remember how you felt when you were the international student? Consider getting involved with our dynamic international student population. You can easily become engaged with the many international student groups on campus
• Office of Student Leadership and Involvement: Consider leading efforts towards internationalization on campus or build on the confidence and self-reliance you developed while abroad.
• Department of Modern Languages: Take a language course.  Maybe it will lead you into your next international experience!
• Area Studies: Take a course in one of the area studies departments at Rollins, or take any course that features international content whether it’s about business, literature or history.
• Study Abroad Again!