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International Office

Staying Engaged

When you return to IWU, stay engaged!  Doing so is a way to share your experiences and enthusiasm and can help you as you readjust upon your return. There are numerous ways to remain connected:

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At the IWU Study Abroad Fair, fall 2012
  • Attend the welcome-back events the International Office plans - check out our Study Abroad FB page and Instagram.
  • Submit photos to the study abroad photo contest
  • Participate in our spring and fall study abroad fairs: they are a great chance to talk about your experiences and help encourage others to study abroad.
  • Apply for the Study Abroad Peer Ambassador Program and become one of the Ambassadors representing Study Abroad Office. 
  • Attend study abroad information sessions and the pre-departure orientation to talk with prospective study abroad students.
  • Write a short piece on your study abroad experience.  We love posting those on our website, but you might also publish it in The Argus, submit it to another student publication, or share it with University Communications.
  • Continue with your language instruction and look for volunteer experiences that allow you to use your language skills.
  • Talk with faculty about your experiences: not only do they enjoy hearing about them, but you're a valuable source of information that they can use in class.
  • Attend the monthly International Studies colloquia discussions.
  • Join clubs and attend co-curricular events with an international focus.
  • Go to the Hart Career Center: they can help you think about ways to build on your international experiences.
  • Stop by the International Office!

Coming home doesn't mean that you are no longer engaged in education abroad, and graduating from IWU doesn't mean that your only option for international engagement is the occasional overseas vacation.

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Photo: K. Stiefel, India 2012

You've returned home from studying abroad, and you feel stronger and wiser.  You probably have many insights in the world that others who have not spent an extended period abroad do not have.  You might also be conscious of a wider set of ideas about your discipline, about the work place, and even about humanity.  Your study abroad experience provides you with strengths and a vision that are almost unattainable under circumstances other than living abroad.

Build on those experiences and strengths!  Learn more about how to market your study abroad experiences; research post-graduate scholarship programs that can help you return abroad; and think about working or volunteering abroad.