Welcome Home!
Coming home requires an adjustment that can be as difficult as or even more difficult than the adjustment you need to make when going abroad. This is known as reverse culture shock or re-entry culture shock. When you leave your study abroad site, you will be leaving places, people, and a way of life which have become very important and familiar to you. You are likely to have changed as a person and may have new interests and values. You may be concerned about how you will adjust to being back at home and on your home campus and how your family and friends will adjust to the "new you." We in the Office of International Programs are always ready to listen to your stories of your study abroad experiences and offer words of advice and encouragement during your re-entry. Feel free to stop into our office in Turner Hall or contact us at abroad@hollins.edu to talk about any specific issues.
The Office of International Programs hosts a Welcome Home reception each fall for students who have studied abroad the previous year. Each session focuses on you and your experience and how best to translate that experience into marketable language for your resume. All returnees are also offered the opportunity to apply to the Global Ambassador Program. To find out more information about this opportunity please email Danielle Davis at DavisDL@hollins.edu.
Graduating seniors, you can represent your study abroad experience with a stole at graduation! We recommend using this site to order your country flag stole: https://www.visionwear.com/sashes.html?limit=all
Other Opportunities for Study Abroad Returnees:
-If you are returning from the Hollins Abroad Paris program, you may be interested to explore the Campus France Alumni website, which is a new platform where individuals who studied abroad in France can connect with one another and stay up to date on French business and culture, as well as explore professional opportunities.
-Returning study abroad students, particularly seniors, may be interested in the Marshall Scholarships program, a British-Government funded national scholarship program that fully funds up to 40 highly-talented American students to travel to the UK to pursue graduate degrees in any academic subject at one of many world-class universities and research institutions. It is a highly prestigious scholarship and in the decades since the program was first created in 1953, over 1,900 Americans have taken part. Many have gone on to become acclaimed leaders and influencers in their fields, including two Supreme Court Justices, five Pulitzer Prize Winners, NASA Astronauts, journalists, diplomats and many other industry leaders. More information on the scholarship can be found here: www.marshallscholarship.org.
-The North American Language and Culture Assistants Program is an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Spain to provide North American students who are native speakers of English or French with the opportunity to assist teachers in the English or French programs in elementary, secondary or language schools in Spain (12 to 16 class periods a week). The program is addressed to US and Canadian university students –majoring in any subject- and graduates, with some proficiency in Spanish. Students will spend a full academic year in Spain, typically from the beginning of October through May 31 (specific dates are given in the appointment letter the selected candidate is sent). Preferred placement in different Spanish regions can be requested. Participants in the program will receive a €700 monthly stipend and medical coverage. More information here: http://www.intercultural-school.org/cultural-ambassadors-in-spain
-If you are interested in going abroad again to work, volunteer, obtain an advanced degree, etc., please don't hesitate to reach out to our International Programs team. All of us have experience in this arenas and are happy discuss your goals. Many students find that once they've studied abroad, they want to continue being "global citizens" for life!
