Students who studied abroad in the fall 2011 semester have returned to Baker’s campus with memories that will last a lifetime, but they’ll have to readjust to everyday life in the United States.

“I think the hardest thing about coming home from studying abroad is getting back to real life and reality,” Study Abroad Coordinator Kathy Wilson said. “It’s like an extended vacation with classes.”

Studying abroad is different for each student, depending on the location and length of stay. Each student has a different experience, including the end of the process or going home.

Students must get used to life in the U.S.

“I had a great time studying abroad and I’m going to miss it, but when I got home I was excited to sleep in my own bed,” junior Courtney Chambers said.

Chambers studied abroad in England at Harlaxton College and said the experience taught her a lot and was fun.

“When you study abroad, you’re in a fantasy world,” Chambers said.

While overseas Chambers not only learned about culture but also met her boyfriend, Matt.

“Since my boyfriend lives across the world it’s going to be harder to adjust to being back at Baker,” Chambers said. “I definitely get a lot of use out of Skype. Since classes are just starting, I haven’t really ran into this yet, but it could become tough to balance school, work and still have time with Matt.”

After returning from their experiences, some students take fewer credit hours to give themselves adjusting time while other students jump right back in the semester with a heavy course load.

“It depends on each individual student and the student’s major whether or not he or she takes ease into readjusting to academic life at Baker or not,” Wilson said.

It takes about a week or two for study abroad students to fully readjust and get back into the swing of things.

“Everything is perfect. You get to travel, experience new things, and you don’t have to work when you are overseas,” Chambers said. “Then you come home and it’s back to work, back to responsibilities and waking up early.”

Junior Mike Wilson returned from studying abroad at Harlaxton and is ready to be back at Baker.

“The culture differences aren’t that big, so it’s not going to be that difficult to rejoin the Baker community,” he said.

While away, Wilson and Chambers enjoyed their experiences and said they would recommend studying abroad to all students interested.

Chambers hopes to return to the United Kingdom during the summer for an internship in London.

“I love my Harlaxton family and will miss them a lot, but at the same time there is no place like home,” he said.

The deadline for applying to study abroad for the Fall 2012 semester will be in March. If a student is interested, he or she should contact Kathy Wilson or Martha Harris for further details.