Stonehill Students Find Adjustment Difficult after Life Abroad

Studying abroad for Stonehill College students proves to be a valuable experience but adjusting back to American life can be tough.
“I lived a very carefree life in Australia, but when I came home I had to worry about rules at school, rules at home, says Alexa Kuzmich, a senior.
Many students find that they gain a sense of freedom living in another country but are more restricted when coming back to the United States.
Some of these restrictions include the drinking age, school requirements, and state regulations.
It is normal for a student to feel less restricted when they return home, according to The Global Center for Education.
Many study abroad programs are offered in cities, where students are freer to choose at the wide variety of activities that a city can offer.
“I miss the nightlife and being able to go out to the bars and clubs during the week,” says Paul Viscuse, a junior at Stonehill College.
Stonehill College is located in a suburban area where there is less to do at night for students.
Many shops and restaurants close early and there are few bars in the area to entertain the student population over 21 at Stonehill.

“I loved the sense of freedom and independence that I gained while I was abroad,” says Kuzmich.
Besides readjusting to Stonehill’s night life, students find it difficult to adjust to the school’s curriculum again.
“Getting used to Stonehill again was a little difficult” says Viscuse, “because of all the time I took off from science classes.”
While abroad, students experience more academic freedom and personal independence according to Middlebury College website for study abroad.
Students when going abroad choose electives instead of courses that coincide with their major. Many opt for electives because of the credit transfer and the type of courses required within a particular major in order to graduate.
Students also find it hard adjusting to the social life.
“When I got back to Stonehill the friendships that I had before I left were different,” says Kuzmich. “People change a lot when they go abroad, they grow up, they find themselves and it impacts their relationships.”
Readjusting back to the social life can cause anxiety and frustration according to The Global Center for Education.
Many students when they go abroad end up missing their friends from abroad because they feel that they can relate better to them, more than other students who did not study abroad.
“I miss the people I met while I was there” says Viscuse.
The transition from life abroad back to the United States is commonly known as “culture shock.”
Culture shock is the experience of a clash between one's personal way of viewing and interacting with the world (which is determined by one's home culture) and the new cultural environment, according to psychologist Wendy Settle from Notre Dame University.
Students enter four phases before fully adapting back to the life they once lived, euphoria, anxiety, rejection of the new culture, and finally readjustment.
While it was difficult to re-adjust, many students say that it took a month or less to get used to things again.
Most students say studying abroad was a great lesson in growing up and learning to be independent.
Those who go abroad generally develop new attitudes, beliefs, habits, as well as personal and professional goals, and see things differently, according to the Global Center for Education.
“I grew up more in those four months than I possibly could have in the entire four years I was in college,” says Kuzmich.