ABOUT
-re-en·try /rēˈentrē/ the process that occurs when the individual attempts to return to the social system of which he was once a part-
While reverse culture shock as well as re-entry issues and programming are hot topics among study abroad offices across the country, there has not been a lot of research and even less of a focus on these topics by international student and scholar services offices. This is perhaps due to the fact that when international students experience re-entry problems, they are no longer students of the host institution. However, exploring the topic of reverse culture shock and easing re-entry is a valuable service that an international office could provide as this could lead to certain benefits, such as ease of employability, increased international student enrollments, better alumni relations, and contributing to the general well-being of international alumni.
Nancy Arthur outlines the re-entry transition for international students in her 2003 article: "For some students [...] this experience prompts dissonance about cultural values and feelings of stress about returning home. Students have reported concerns such as the transferability of educational and technical expertise, loss of language proficiency, career mobility, local political conditions, and "fitting back" into prior family, educational, or employment roles." (p. 174)
We hope to start addressing these issues with this online resource and provide a discussion forum to be utilized by international student offices and international students alike. This website covers a variety of topics related to re-entry and allows for sharing ideas among educators and students regarding these challenges.
The topics include the signs and symptoms of reverse culture shock, the psychological process of the re-entry transition, re-entry coping strategies, and how students can talk about and market their international experience. This website also includes a database of existing print and web-based materials that speak to these issues, some explicitly for international students and others for domestic students that still have relevant information for international students.
Reference
Arthur, N. (2003). Preparing International Students for Re-entry Transition. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 37:3. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ672649.pdf
While reverse culture shock as well as re-entry issues and programming are hot topics among study abroad offices across the country, there has not been a lot of research and even less of a focus on these topics by international student and scholar services offices. This is perhaps due to the fact that when international students experience re-entry problems, they are no longer students of the host institution. However, exploring the topic of reverse culture shock and easing re-entry is a valuable service that an international office could provide as this could lead to certain benefits, such as ease of employability, increased international student enrollments, better alumni relations, and contributing to the general well-being of international alumni.
Nancy Arthur outlines the re-entry transition for international students in her 2003 article: "For some students [...] this experience prompts dissonance about cultural values and feelings of stress about returning home. Students have reported concerns such as the transferability of educational and technical expertise, loss of language proficiency, career mobility, local political conditions, and "fitting back" into prior family, educational, or employment roles." (p. 174)
We hope to start addressing these issues with this online resource and provide a discussion forum to be utilized by international student offices and international students alike. This website covers a variety of topics related to re-entry and allows for sharing ideas among educators and students regarding these challenges.
The topics include the signs and symptoms of reverse culture shock, the psychological process of the re-entry transition, re-entry coping strategies, and how students can talk about and market their international experience. This website also includes a database of existing print and web-based materials that speak to these issues, some explicitly for international students and others for domestic students that still have relevant information for international students.
Reference
Arthur, N. (2003). Preparing International Students for Re-entry Transition. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 37:3. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ672649.pdf