Coming back to university after an exciting year living in an exotic country can be hard, especially if you’re swapping sunny beaches for rainy weather. The thought of coming back to exams, lectures and reading lists can be rather daunting. But it doesn’t have to be, there are plenty of ways for you to beat your year abroad blues.
Stay in touch with friends via social media
You’ve probably made loads of friends while you’ve been studying or working abroad, keeping in contact with them will mean that you will have people to visit if you ever return and will help to ease you back into your old life.
Join cultural societies
If you spent a fun year in St. Petersburg Russia, join the Russian society, connecting with people from the country you lived in on campus or in your community will help if you’re feeling nostalgic. They’ll understand things your friends may not and you can keep up with cultural customs by spending time with them.
Don’t spend all day thinking about it
If you’re one of those people that have hundreds of pictures on their wall of their time abroad, it will probably be harder for you to adjust back to student life in the UK. It’s fine to look back at all the fun you had, but if you spend all your time lamenting, you’ll get distracted and it could affect your grades.
Book a holiday to go back to the host country after you graduate
Book a holiday back to the host country. It will be something to look forward to after you graduate and you can even make it an annual thing.
Talk to other students to share your experience
Once you return to university, connect with other students in the year below who are thinking about doing a year abroad. Speak to your careers service to organise a session where you can talk about your experiences, they would enjoy hearing about what to expect from somebody who has been there.
Keep busy
It’s your final year in university so there will be loads to do. Keep yourself occupied so you don’t spend too much time thinking about the summer you spent working and travelling. Get a part-time job, join revision groups and get going in preparation for your finals.
Look to the future
There is so much to look forward to; you’re about to graduate and join the big world. Whether you’ve applied for a job or a placement, this is your next big step and you should be thinking about the future and not the past. If you’re thinking of doing a placement where promotions could take you around the UK and possibly the world then check out our graduate management trainee programme and find out how far we can take you.
Photo credit: Richard Leonard