Returning Home: The Experience of Reentry after Studying Abroad

Studying abroad is a common experience in the life of students at College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University. Research shows that student sojourners find the transition home to be harder than the initial adjustment to the foreign culture. Upon returning home, difficulties in communication, alienation from friends and other psychological, emotional or social hardships often greet them. This qualitative study seeks to identify the primary issues experienced during reentry for CSB/SJU returning sojourners. Twenty-one students participated in focus groups designed to assess academic, social and emotional experiences during reentry