Academic Re-integration

“I am involved with political activism in the U.S. and did a senior independent study on activist art.  So the whole question of how to make art purposeful is also, for me, a question of how to fuse my artistic work with my political work.”
        - SIT Czech Republic Alum

“My experiences studying Arabic in Oman have awakened a passion in me to learn the language.”
        - SIT Oman Alum

Coming back home usually involves new passions for knowledge that puts your study abroad learning into a larger framework or follows up on paths opened up during study abroad.

The key to academic reintegration is finding ways to actively integrate your new knowledge, interests and skills into your college and university experience. You may be asking yourself, “How can I talk about my experiences in class?”  “Where can I talk about or present my ISP?”  You may also be anxious to find graduate schools that integrate experiential and social justice-based learning. SIT Graduate Institute is just one example of the graduate schools that combine critical thinking and experiential learning with a similar topical focus as SIT Study Abroad.  This section will get you going on integrating your new experiences into your academic life.

Strategies for Academic Re-integration

• Identify professors you can work or communicate with regarding their areas of interest (such as becoming a Spanish professor's assistant).
• Determine how your independent study can be incorporated into the university curriculum through campus presentations and other campus work.  Think about ways you can expand on your ISP through other coursework.
• Obtain copies of other student projects produced during the semester to present to the university community. Check out SIT’s on-line  directory of ISPs or  directory of Graduate Institute research.
• Complete university assignments or research connected to the host country and program-related topics of interest (where possible).
• Become a member and participate in university clubs related to issues relevant to your academic interests (human rights, ecology, public health, etc).
• Publish stories or articles about your study abroad experience in campus media sources.
• Participate in or present at conferences, seminars, or presentations that are related to what you learned or would like to learn about the host country. Click here to see a list of conferences. 
• Get involved in freshman orientation if you can.  (Many campuses hire students to help with new student orientation.)  Encourage incoming freshmen to study abroad; share your knowledge and experience at orientation sessions with students and their parents.
• Look into undergraduate research conferences on your campus or in your area. These are great ways to present your ISP projects and gain experience presenting at conferences.  The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), established in 1987, is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students.  Find out more about the NCUR. 

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