More than 60 per cent of Loyola students participate in the study abroad programme. With 13 different programmes to choose from, students over the years have had many new opportunities and experiences that are hard to forget.
However, with these exciting experiences comes the inevitability of returning home.
The re-entry process is a challenge for students when they return home. While the familiarity of home is comforting to students, the transition from life abroad to life at Loyola comes with its own set of challenges.
Lyra Koncsol ’24, who spent a year abroad in Newcastle, England, spoke about her re-entry experience.
“The hardest thing about coming home was feeling so overwhelmed by everything. I felt like I was going through days without really experiencing them,” she said.
After returning home, many students struggle with the same feelings. Not only do students have to adjust to life back home, but readjusting to friendships and academic life is also a challenge.
“Coming back to Loyola after being away for a year was really hard because I felt like I hadn’t seen anyone for so long and all my friendships felt distant… I felt like I was kind of reconnecting with my friends because they had all lived this life together while I was away,” Koncsol said. “Their friendships with each other took a break together. Mine didn’t.”
As students reconnect with the friendships they left behind in the States, they also have to deal with saying goodbye to the deep friendships they made abroad.
“I built a life and made a home for myself abroad, especially when I was away for the year,” Koncsol said. “I miss my roommates and my friend group every day… I felt more at home there than I ever did at Loyola, and I miss feeling so welcomed and loved and seen.”
A handful of Loyola students feel the same way. In a survey of students returning from abroad, similar experiences were shared.
Returning students raised issues such as lack of or unreliable public transportation, lack of walkability, readjustment to US social norms, lack of multiculturalism, and adjustment to different academic styles.
A common trend in the survey was that students felt they had more free time abroad. Whether it was time to spend with friends or to explore, students expressed that free time was often part of the culture abroad in a way that it was not in American culture.
“I miss exploring the city with my friends. I feel like here at Loyola, or even at home, you never get the time to go out and explore even your local area,” said one survey respondent.
Students explained that although returning home was exciting and comforting, there was still something missing. Although they were happy to be back with their friends and family, it was challenging to let go of the deep connections they had made abroad.
Loyola’s study abroad programme requires students to write regular reflections throughout their time abroad. But after their final reflection, it is up to them to adjust to everything upon their return. While this requires individual work on the part of the students, some expressed that returning to campus was a difficult transition.
“There isn’t much, I would say, to help with re-entry. They make us write a reflection essay, but I don’t think it helps us much with the adjustment,” said one student in the survey.
Other students said that they felt it was not Loyola’s responsibility alone to prepare students for returning home. However, others said that they would have liked some form of preparation. Moving overseas is a big adjustment for students, but returning home can also be jarring without proper preparation.
Some students in the survey also offered advice they would give to future students studying abroad, saying that it’s important to understand that there will be changes, but that they can be positive. Koncsol also offered her own advice on how to cope with the transition.
“One tip I have would be to just be patient… I tried to rush the transition and get back into my normal routine. I needed time, and with time I was able to readjust and feel like I was back to a normal life,” she said.
Students returning to Loyola are both relieved and comforted to be back on campus. But the memories, friendships, and opportunities from their time abroad can make the re-entry process a struggle.
Students may find comfort in sharing their experiences with others who feel the same way. While many memories of studying abroad are passed back and forth, it is also important to share the reentry experience.
