Return
Returning home from your time abroad can sometimes feel like as much of an adjustment as going abroad.
As pictured in our roadmap, your return from abroad makes up an integral part of your academic year, semester, or summer abroad experience. There are many ways in which you can “unpack” your experiences from abroad and continue your global mindset development after you return to campus.
Become an Education Abroad Peer Advisor
Apply to be an Education Abroad Peer Advisor (EAPA) and get trained as a peer leader to promote education abroad at Babson! Share your experiences with students who reach out to you to learn more about what it’s like to study abroad, represent your program/institution at education abroad fairs and events, and serve as a buddy to incoming exchange students who are adjusting to life at Babson and in the US.
Submit your contact information to the Education Abroad Alumni Database
Regardless of whether you are an Education Abroad Peer Advisor or not, any student who has studied abroad is invited to submit their contact information to the Education Abroad Alumni Database. This spreadsheet is available to any student who is thinking about studying abroad and may want to reach out to a student who has participated in the program(s) they are interested in.
Contact CCD about how to leverage your experience with employers
Only 10 percent of U.S. undergraduates study abroad before graduating, so this experience distinguishes you from other applicants and gives you a competitive edge. You need to be able to articulate and connect what you learned to the position you are seeking.
Top 10 Tips for Leveraging Your International Experience
- Build upon your international experience, on campus and off
- Utilize your global network including Babson alumni and connections you made abroad
- Identify lessons learned and skills developed
- Define your personal growth in terms of your next step
- Incorporate your experience into your job-search materials and interviews. Meet with a Babson career counselor
- Seek out opportunities to work on global, virtual teams
- Refocus your professional development to incorporate your newly acquired international and multicultural skillset
- Leverage language skills
- Go abroad again
- Apply your entrepreneurial passions to your international pursuits
— Adapted from “A Student Guide to Study Abroad,” published by IIE and AIFS
Contact The Hoffman Family Undergraduate Center for Career Development to schedule an appointment and talk to a career advisor about how to most effectively leverage your experiences abroad to your professional goals.
Enter the Education Abroad Photo Contest
In celebration of International Education Week, the Glavin Office of International Education sponsors a campus-wide Education Abroad Photo Contest every fall semester.
If you have recently returned from an educational experience overseas or are studying at Babson as an exchange/international student, the Education Abroad Photo Contest is a great way to share your experience and contribute to the global understanding of the greater Babson community. All undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to enter up to two photos to be considered for judging. Share your story with a photo!
For more information please see the International Education Week page.
Engage internationally in other ways
Keep your academic year, semester, and summer abroad experience alive! Here are a few suggestions to stay involved, give back to the community, and continue developing your global mindset:
- Become a Glavin Global Fellow
- Get involved with an internationally focused or multicultural organization on campus
- Attend the Lessons from Abroad conference. LFA offers programming, resources, and research that establishes a community of learners who successfully integrate their international experience in all facets of their academic, personal, and professional lives. The annual New England conference takes place in February.