Your Student's Return

Give your student time to adjust to life at home. Coming back to America and Western culture can be quite a shock for students. Be willing to listen and allow them to become accustomed to the culture again. Parents also may find their students changed by the experience. The CIP has created an SJU Study Abroad: Parent Re-Entry Handbook to aid families throughout this adjustment period. 

Upon returning to campus, credit transfer and re-entry programming help make our students' transition as smooth as possible. We realize the transformative nature of the study abroad experience and hope that Saint Joseph's students returning to campus take advantage of a broad range of opportunities offered to them. Students often return from their time away from Saint Joseph's and say that their experience was the most rewarding aspect of their undergraduate career thus far. We look forward to supporting your child through this experience. 

Semester, year and SJU Study Tour or Summer Program students can also apply to be a Peer Ambassador for the CIP. In this role, they will discuss their experience with potential students and mentor SJU study abroad students throughout the entire process. The CIP also collects photos, news features, and student profiles to feature on our website and social media pages; opportunities to participate will be communicated by email. Information about all of the ways students are encouraged to remain active in their study abroad experience can be found on the Students page.

Saint Joseph's University is here to support your student through their re-entry adjustment time, whether it be through attendance at CIP-organized events for alumni, meeting with a staff member in the Career Center to discuss ways to find work or internships abroad, or working through the difficulties of the re-entry process with a counselor in the CAPS office (Counseling and Psychological Services). Please do not hesitate to encourage your student to contact us with any questions or concerns upon return!