Welcome Home!
We hope that your time abroad proved to be fun, rewarding, and educational! Now what? We encourage you to take some time to explore the resources on this page for information on what to do now that you're back in the US.
Readjusting to life in the U.S. after living abroad is a transition that takes time and effort to do successfully. Do you find yourself bored now that you're home? Do you find that some of your friends and family aren't as eager to hear about your adventures as you had anticipated?
These are common concerns we hear from students once they've returned home. Our office is available to discuss this process with you anytime. You may also find the following resources on the re-entry process to be helpful.
- Online Cultural Training Resource for Study Abroad (Module 2 - Welcome Back! Now What?)
- Preparing to Return Home (pdf) by Bruce LaBrack
- Top 10 Immediate Reentry Challenges (pdf) by Bruce LaBrack
Be on the look out for an email with instructions on completing an evaluation of your program abroad. Please take a few minutes to complete this online evaluation. Your responses are extremely helpful because we get to learn about your experiences, better advise future students, and improve the programs.
Many students return from their study abroad experiences with a desire to connect to the international community in Norfolk or at ODU. Here are a few opportunities to connect with the international community on campus.
GLODU is a student organization for international education run through the Office of Study Abroad. Students who participate are involved with promoting education abroad to the campus community, introducing students interested in study abroad with each other and study abroad alumni mentors, and expanding campus internationalization by connecting prospective study abroad students and study abroad alumni with international students. This is a great organization for students who are hoping to study abroad in the future, study abroad alumni who would like to keep their experiences of study abroad alive, and international students who would like to share their cultural background with others. This organization actively participates in events organized by the Office of Study Abroad.
Once you return to ODU, you may consider joining the Global Monarch Club, a program run through the Office of Intercultural Relations. The Global Monarch Club promotes an intercultural experience for domestic and international students, through a mentorship program. It helps them navigate through a global society by learning about various cultures. The GMC provides a welcoming atmosphere for new students to the ODU community. This is done by a one-to-one interaction basis, and also through events coordinated by the Office of Intercultural Relations (OIR).
There are many internationally-focused student clubs and organizations on campus. You may consider joining one of these organizations to connect to students from your host country or culture here at ODU. Of particular interest to study abroad alumni may be the F.O.R.E.I.G.N.E.R.S. club, which was established for the purpose of developing international and American relations through purely social and entertaining means.
The Conversation Partner Program is run by ODU's English Language Center and provides students an opportunity to practice a second language, assist international students with their English, and hopefully learn more about one another's cultures.
Our office is always looking for volunteers to assist us with classroom presentations, information sessions, promotional materials/events, Study Abroad Fairs, orientations, incoming exchange students, etc. Please contact our office if you are interested in becoming a volunteer.