The Clause

The start of spring semester brings change for students returning from study abroad programs.

Transitioning back to the main campus is challenging for many students. Junior communications major Rachel Hamlin spent the 2010 fall semester and 2011 spring semester at High Sierra.

Heidi Warstler COURTESY

“The most difficult part for me has been trying to find a place to be in solitude,” Hamlin said.

Taking a walk and sitting by the lake were options for alone time at High Sierra, but getting in a car and driving away from campus feels like the only option to get away for Hamlin.

Junior international business major Justin Tyrell spent fall 2011 at Xiamen University with APU’s China Studies Program. Since his return he has also experienced some difficulty readjusting to life on the main campus.

“It is difficult for me to transition back to trying to balance school with friends and all the other things that go with being a college student in class in Azusa,” Tyrell said.

The Center for Global Learning and Engagement at APU realizes that it is not rare for students to have a difficult time readjusting back to life in Azusa. With more than 40 national and international study opportunities offered during the fall and spring semesters, the office assists students in bridging the gap between the different cultures.

In order to bridge the gap, employees at the center provide their own knowledge to students returning from a semester abroad in order to make the transition easier for them. It also offers a listening ear to those who need to talk through the adjustments of being back on-campus.

Sophomore Christian ministries major Daniel Russell is one of many students who miss both the people and the location where he studied abroad. Daniel spent both semesters in 2011 studying at High Sierra.

“The community, academics and spiritual growth that occurs up there is in many ways beyond words,” Russell said.

Since students often feel weary about leaving their study abroad location, the Center for Global Learning and Engagement plans events for those returning so that they may have time to reconnect and keep in touch with those they studied with during their time away, Russell said.

Sophomore communications major Tori Stark was invited to the same event, a “reconnecting” scavenger hunt around campus, as were all students returning from study abroad programs. Stark studied abroad during Fall 2011 with APU’s Study Abroad South Africa program.

“I got an invite from them welcoming me to share my experiences from this semester at a reentry thing,” Stark said.

Students such as Hamlin, who return to APU after studying abroad during the spring, often find the transition back to the main campus in fall much less challenging due to the longevity of summer break.

“I think that having the summer to process the High Sierra experience helped me readjust back to main campus,” Hamlin said. “I worked with many people at summer camp and had opportunities to share my experiences and process through what was most important.”

One of the most noticeable differences between most of the study abroad programs and APU’s main campus is the difference in the size of the campus as well as the size of the population. The number of students at APU’s main campus is sometimes much greater than the number of students at the study abroad locations, and the student-to-teacher ratio is often greater as well.

“Going from 42 or 40 people to around 4,000 people can be a bit crazy,” Russell said.