Costabex
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Coming back from your semester abroad, you might find yourself in a real emotional carousel!
Naturally, you might encounter one of these situations:
This phase is called a “Re-entry shock”. Sooner or later, the Erasmus+ experience ends and there is no other way to deal with it than to simply acknowledge it. Think of what you‘ll do next: whom you‘ll meet, when and how you‘ll relax, what places you‘ll visit. Keep a journal. Reflect on yourself and what you‘ve learned so far. Focus your energy towards the new chapter of your life.
Quite often, students find creative ways to avoid the re-entry shock phase by prolonging their experience and staying abroad for another semester. It is not an option for everyone and postponing the re-entry shock is also not the best solution (it will come eventually, anyway). Instead, take a look at these suggestions on how and where to use your energy.
Remember – you are not the only one feeling the way you do. Connect with other students who have just returned home. You all have been through, possibly, a very similar experience and sharing it with someone who understands you can make you feel better.
You‘ve just returned home and your memory is still fresh – use it to help the new students coming to your University. They‘ll be extremely grateful and you will find another meaningful aspect of your experience.
There are lots of foreigners living abroad and they are always eager to connect with the locals. You may join a local group of foreginers or find a student organisation (such as ESN) and contribute to their activities, or even organise one!
We are not going to lie – you will likely want to go abroad again. Start planning it! Check your options – perhaps you can participate in the Erasmus+ programme one more time, maybe it will be a different exchange programme, or maybe even an internship abroad. Consult with the international office at your home university.
You enjoyed your experience? Talk about it loudly! There are lots of students who are still not sure whether living abroad is their cup of tea, and your feedback might help them make a decision.
https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-individuals/students
Your exchange experience is completed. You are now more mature and smarter. You’ve grown personally and professionally. Here’s how you can evaluate your self-improvement and share your gained skills with the world.
Take some time to reflect on your exchange experience and think about what you learned and how you grew during your time abroad. Consider how you tackled challenges, worked with others and adapted to new situations.
Make a list of the skills you developed or improved upon during your exchange experience. These might include communication skills, language skills, problem-solving skills, adaptability, and intercultural competency. If you find it difficult, ask your friends – they are often the first to notice a change in you. Or, you can use tools designed specifically for enhancing and acknowledging the soft skills and competencies, e.g., project “Erasmus Skills”.
When applying for jobs or internships, be sure to highlight the skills you gained during your exchange program. Include specific examples of how you used these skills and the impact they had on your personal and professional development. Update your CV, create a LinkedIn account – be visible.
Use your exchange experience as an opportunity to build your professional network. Connect with people you met during your studies abroad and reach out to alumni or professionals in your field of interest.
Is there anything you would change or start after your experience abroad? Perhaps you would like to start a business? Join further training? Brainstorm different ideas.
By evaluating your improvement and identifying the skills you gained during your exchange program, you can position yourself for professional opportunities and build a strong foundation for your career.
Erasmus Skills project: https://www.erasmusskills.eu/eskills/
Article on writing a CV: Global Award Alumni Network (intaward.org)
List of 62 competencies, competency overview with most common competencies: 123test
Template for creating a CV: flowcv.io
