Studying abroad can often be a life-changing experience.
Whether you’ve been away for one week or one year, we have a variety of resources to help you transition back to Kent State campus life and make the most out of everything you gained personally, academically and professionally.
If you studied abroad at a host university, you will need to have an official transcript from the host institution sent directly to the Office of Global Education for processing.
While grades earned at a host institution do not transfer to Kent State, students must earn passing grades at the host institution to transfer the credits to Kent State. If you plan to apply for graduate school in the future, you may be asked to share copies of all transcripts, including those from your time spent abroad.
Before you departed on your education abroad program, you should have completed the Transfer Course Planning (TCP) Form with your Academic Advisor, with one form for each term you were abroad. If you participated in an academic year abroad, one TCP Form must be submitted for fall semester and a second TCP Form must be submitted for spring semester.
If your TCP Form was not filled out correctly, you may experience delays and issues with the credit transfer process.
If you enrolled in classes that were not listed on your approved TCP Form, you will need to fill out and submit an updated TCP Form with the correct courses. Please note that while it is possible to get courses approved upon return by filling out another TCP Form, there is no guarantee that those courses will be approved to transfer back to Kent State.
Once they have all the documents, the Office of Global Education will process your international transcript(s) in English and your TCP Form(s). These documents are sent to your academic department for final review. From there, they are sent to the Registrar to be posted to your Kent State record.
Ultimately, it is up to you, the student, to make sure the transfer process is fully completed, and all paperwork is filled out properly.
If you have any questions along the way, you can meet with your academic advisor to ensure your credits have transferred properly.
The credit transfer process can take 2-4 months, so please be patient during this time.
Returning to life at home can be an unexpectedly bumpy transition. A good way to cope with this is to keep your international experiences alive and make them an active part of your daily life back on campus.
There are many opportunities to have global experiences at home. You can attend international events at Kent State, give a presentation to a student club, find restaurants where you can try food from different countries, or volunteer with local community organizations that have an international focus.
Are you finding it a bit difficult or strange to be back at home? If so, those feelings are completely normal, so don’t let it get you down!
You may have experienced a bit of culture shock when you left the U.S. and had to adjust to a new lifestyle abroad, and much like that feeling, you may also notice some trouble adjusting to life back home.
This phenomenon is known as reverse culture shock, and it can catch you off guard if you didn’t expect to have difficulty adjusting to life back home. Plus, the longer you’ve been away, the harder it might be to adapt upon your return. You may experience boredom, restlessness, or “reverse homesickness” where you wish you were back overseas.
To help cope with reverse culture shock, we recommend you:
Did you have any tough times when abroad? All those challenges have made you a stronger person! Put those newfound resilience skills into action and remember that you can get through anything, even reverse culture shock.
Want to know how to distinguish yourself from other job seekers or graduate school applicants?
We've developed a robust Guide to Education Abroad & Career Development to help you learn how to promote your experience on your résumé and in interviews to maximize its potential for career development.
You can also watch this helpful video on Communicating Study Abroad Experiences on a Career-Ready Résumé.
We also suggest that you meet with Career Exploration and Development so you’re familiar with all the resources Kent State offers and you receive some individualized support on how to promote yourself after studying abroad.
There are so many ways that you can share your international experiences with the Kent State community. For example:
You can also email edabroad@kent.edu for more information on how you can get involved.
Now that you’ve gone abroad, this is a great chance to share your adventures with others! Enter our Education Abroad Photo and Video Contest when you return home and keep a lookout for the winning results, which are announced each year in February.
Want to submit a blog or be interviewed about your education abroad experience for a written article? Email edabroad@kent.edu to get started.
Now that you’re back, you might be wondering how you can go abroad again. There are several opportunities that you can take advantage of as a current student, as well as options after graduation.
It’s a big world and you’re just getting started! Use our program database to find your next big adventure abroad.
The prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers grants to study, do research abroad, or teach English abroad to current undergraduates, graduate students, and young professionals. You can contact Kent State University's Fulbright Program Advisor Frank Congin at fcongin@kent.edu with any questions.
Ready to gain work experience abroad? Use our program database to find an internship abroad for either a summer or full semester.
Why not take your academic adventure to the next level with graduate school abroad? By applying and enrolling directly to a graduate program overseas, you can delve deeper into your field of interest and gain a new perspective on your future aspirations and career path. You could return to a country overseas that you already visited as an undergraduate, or you can explore a whole new country and culture.
If you enroll in a graduate program at Kent State, some of them also include the opportunity to go abroad, so talk to your academic advisor or professors in your field of interest.
English teachers are in high demand all around the world; and you often don’t need a teaching degree to be eligible. Many governments are looking to hire native English speakers, so check the governmental website of any country you’re interested in. Below are some programs to check out:
And don’t forget that as our world becomes more globalized, more companies have offices around the world. If you have a company you’re interested in, be sure to check out their global offices or in your interviews, ask about the possibility of working abroad.
Read about the kinds of experiences other Kent State students had abroad and share your own!
What's Next
Be one step closer to joining our Golden Flashes family!