Returning Home - Colorado College

Many students find that returning to CC after studying abroad can be a difficult adjustment. In fact, this adjustment period can often be more challenging than the one you underwent when you first entered your host culture. Why is it so hard to be back?

For one thing, it may be difficult to get re-accustomed to learning in a more traditional and less experiential way, especially if your program was heavily field-based. This may be compounded by the pressures of having to take upper-level courses for your major or complete a thesis now that you're back at CC. It's also possible that your goals and perspectives have changed dramatically while abroad. You may be realizing that what you thought you enjoyed doing or wanted to pursue in the future is no longer desirable. And since study abroad students are often meeting many new people, living in large cities, and getting to travel frequently to new places, it can be especially challenging to re-adjust to the social environment at CC.

In order to discuss these issues and assist in your transition back to Colorado College, our office will hold a number of programs for returning students. These programs are designed to give you an opportunity to reflect on your experiences with other students who studied in your region, learn about ways to incorporate your studies abroad into academic work at CC, find out about opportunities to go abroad again, and more.

In addition, we ask that all returned students complete a program evaluation. We hope you'll spend some time completing this evaluation as honestly and thoroughly as possible. We rely significantly on your feedback when advising students and deciding whether to approve programs. Unless you indicate otherwise, your evaluation will be kept on file at our office for any student to read.

Download a copy of the Returnee Handbook.

Readjusting to the Block Plan

It may be hard to get used to studying at CC after having adjusted to academic life in another country. Now that you're back, it is important to put in the time to prepare for class discussions and write well-organized papers - things that may have been less emphasized on your program. If you have spent the past few months primarily communicating in a language other than English, paper writing might present additional difficulties. If you are having trouble writing papers, we encourage you to visit the Writing Center.

You may have also completed independent academic work while abroad. In some cases, this work can be incorporated into additional projects at CC. Your work could become the basis for a thesis or a final paper for a class. Even if you do not directly tie your studies abroad to your current academic work, you can continue to use what you learned while abroad to inform the direction of the remainder of your CC education. Consider taking a class focusing on your host country or on some of the topics you studied overseas. In doing so, you will be able to add an important perspective from having been there and you may gain further insight through different approaches to material.

Getting Involved

You may find that studying abroad has generated new interests, new perspectives on the U.S., new political ideas, and new concepts of yourself. In some cases, these can easily be integrated into your life at CC. Below are some suggested activities that could provide an outlet for new interests and ideas:

• Take an adjunct language class to maintain your proficiency (and receive a quarter credit).
• Participate in a language table where people dine and converse in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Italian, or contact us for help in establishing one for another language.
• Help members of the community who speak English as a second language. Visit the Center for Service and Learning for more information.
• Find out about being a tutor for CC students who need help in elementary or intermediate language courses.
• Connect with international students at CC. Join MOSAIC, the international student organization.
• Check community listings for international groups around Colorado Springs.
• Submit original writing you did while abroad to be published in one of the campus papers. Other magazines publishing student work include Glimpse Magazine and Abroad View.

Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships

Visit the Scholarships and Fellowships page for more information about opportunities to receive funding for international study and travel.