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After You Return

Welcome home!

Program Evaluation

Please complete your program evaluation within 30 days of the program end date. This information is essential and is one of the ways we assess the programs and students’ needs. We welcome your comments and ideas!

TRANSCRIPTS

While we are used to having our grades and updated transcripts here in the U.S. almost immediately after taking final exams, this is not the case for institutions abroad. Expect that it will take about 12 weeks after the program end for your grades to be fully processed. In many of our program locations, your grades will not arrive at the UAlbany Education Abroad office for up to 8 weeks after the program end date. It can take 7 to 14 business days for your record to be processed by the Education Abroad office and sent to the Registrar. Once we submit your grades to the Registrar’s Office, it can take 7 to 14 business days for the grades to be entered. You can request a copy of your updated UAlbany transcript through the Registrar’s web page.

Please be certain that you have completed any necessary authorizations to have your grades sent to UAlbany and that you have no account holds (possibly due to unpaid charges or missing library books, etc.) at the host university before you return home. Your host institution will mail ail your grades to UAlbany as soon as they become available. Note, if you are a non-UAlbany student, do not have the host university send your grades to your home campus! UAlbany must process your grades if UAlbany administered your program.

More information regarding transcripts is available under Academics.

REVERSE CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT

Upon returning home from a study abroad program, you can expect to go through some degree of “reverse cultural adjustment” as you get back into your old routines with a new, different outlook on your surroundings. You have had a wonderful experience that has taught you many things but the new things that you have learned may not fit into your everyday world.

One of the more challenging aspects of returning home is it may seem like everyone expects you to readjust instantly. Meanwhile, you may find yourself jet lagged and feeling out of place, missing parts of your overseas life very much, especially the people. You will have missed many happenings in the U.S., so people will want to bring you up-to-date. However, your friends and family may only show minimal interest in your experiences overseas, which can be frustrating. Even your parents, who may have listened to every adventure while you were away, might now turn their thoughts to other matters.

Things you may experience during this period

  • Sense that you can’t fully explain your experience or its importance
  • Realization that others do not want to hear very much about your travels
  • Feeling of being “out of place” or boredom with being home
  • Experiencing “reverse homesickness” for the place where you studied abroad
  • Seeing that relationships with family and friends have changed
  • Viewing your home in a way that is negative or overly critical

Ways to cope with these feelings

  • Try to use the same adaptation skills that you developed while you were getting used to being abroad to make the transition to being home
  • Just as you did while abroad, try to be patient in dealing with the temporarily unfamiliar culture of “home”
  • Take time to evaluate the two cultures and think about how you can incorporate parts of both into your lifestyle. Allow yourself time to adjust back to home
  • Seek the company of people who understand you, who may not be the same people who understood you before your life-changing travel experiences
  • Make a point of seeking out others who have been away or who want to hear you recount your travels, or even look at your pictures
  • Seek help from the UAlbany Counseling Center, or your home university’s counseling services, if you feel that your readjustment is not going well

Share your Experience

Share Your Stories

We love hearing from our alumni! We encourage you to submit stories and photos depicting your experiences abroad. Send us a testimonial and a photo telling your story and we will post it on our website and social media pages.

Photo Submissions

Did you take amazing pictures while abroad? Do you want to see them featured on the website or our social media pages? Remember to hashtag #GreatDanesAbroad and #UAlbanyAbroad!

Where Are You Now?

Did your education abroad experience make a significant impact on your current career choice? Did your time abroad open the door to new opportunities? Be featured on our Student Stories page. Tell us what you are up to now and how your education abroad experience helped get you there.

Get Involved

Become an Albany International Representative (AIR)

Your international experience doesn’t have to end just because you returned home or graduated. Use your experience to make a positive impact at UAlbany and keep your study abroad adventure alive!

Albany International Representatives (AIRs) are students who wish to inform and inspire prospective education abroad students and help make their education abroad plans a reality. AIRs help to spread the word about education abroad in a variety of ways, including campus outreach, class presentations, special events, on social media, and more! Becoming an AIR will provide you with a platform to spread your contagious enthusiasm for education abroad.

“AIRs was not only enriching but so much fun! We learned so much about how to convey our experiences in a way to help people decide to study abroad. I also learned even more about our other study abroad programs!” – AIR student, 2018

Apply to Be An AIR

Continue your international experience

Your international education does not have to end when you come back to the U.S. Participating in local international activities can help you to readjust and integrate your experiences into your academic, personal, and professional life.

  • Keep in touch with your new friends abroad.
  • Talk with prospective students and help with education abroad events on campus. Your experiences and perspectives are of great value to students thinking about pursuing a program abroad.
  • Make a scrapbook of your travels. Include your memories alongside the photos and souvenirs.
  • Look into internationally focused student clubs and organizations available at UAlbany, or become involved with programs offered through Intercultural Student Engagement.
  • Become a language buddy or social buddy to an international student studying abroad at UAlbany. Join the Cultural Connections and Friendship Program.
  • Sign up to participate in the Global Distinction Milestone or International Studies Minor.
  • Go abroad again! There are many additional opportunities to go abroad again – from graduate school abroad to teaching English, and more!

EVOLVE Returnee Conference

The annual Capital Region EVOLVE Conference brings together study abroad returnees from the Greater Capital District to help them unpack and reap the full benefits of their varied international experiences. Each year, the conference features a keynote speaker, a variety of consecutive sessions, lunchtime discussion groups, and ample opportunities for networking with peers, speakers, and sponsors.

Your study abroad experience will mark the beginning of a new chapter in your personal, academic, and/or professional development. Upon return from your study abroad program, consider attending the EVOLVE Conference to learn how your new skills and experiences can give you an edge in the global workforce.

“I enjoyed our discussions and the presentations! The EVOLVE conference was great!” – 2018 conference participant

For more details about the conference, including the date, location, and testimonies from previous participants, please visit the EVOLVE Conference website.

POST GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD

The Center for International Education and Global Strategy supports UAlbany undergraduate and graduate students in their application processes for distinguished international scholarship and fellowship awards and grants.

Preparation well in advance of deadlines is important and our office can assist you in:

  • Identifying scholarships and fellowships that match your academic interests and career goals.
  • Sharpening and focusing your application essays and other components.
  • Creating a global perspective in areas of the world that you may not have considered.
  • International Scholarships and Fellowships are highly competitive so the earlier you reach out, the more comprehensive the process will be!

We hold workshops, information sessions, and conduct one on one advising to help you achieve your post-graduate goals.

To learn more about these opportunities, please contact Jacqueline Ledermann, Assistant Director of Global Academic Programs and Fulbright Program Advisor at jledermann@albany.edu or visit the Distinguished International Scholarships and Fellowships web page.

An Abridged List of Distinguished International Scholarships and Fellowships

  • Fulbright U.S. Student Program
  • Critical Language Scholarship
  • DAAD Study Scholarships
  • NSEP Boren Fellowship
  • Rangel International Affairs Grant
  • Schwarzman Scholars
  • And more!

Visit the Distinguished International Scholarships and Fellowships web page to learn more about individual awards and the UAlbany application process.