Every year Tufts sends about 40 percent of its junior class to countries around the world, from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
Since the very nature of study abroad disrupts the four-year college experience, those students later have a difficult transition back to life on campus upon their return to Tufts.
Shelia Bayne, Director of Tufts Programs Abroad, knows how hard the reentry process can be, with feedback solicited by the Office of Programs Abroad.
"You're a different person than you were before you left," she said. "The challenge is to integrate [that person] with the person you are over here."
Students may also have difficulties relating to their friends and family after returning from time abroad, according to Bayne.
"You have changed and your family and friends haven't necessarily changed in the same way. Sometimes they can't relate enough to form questions," she said.
Senior Mike Abare, who spent a year in Seville, Spain, found this to be true. "When you were abroad you had a different perspective," he said. "[Now], you're frustrated that people are different than you."
Abare felt that living off campus made it even harder to fit back in after gaining a new perspective abroad. "You feel like you don't belong at Tufts," he said. "You know you only have so many friends [and are] only going to be here for so much longer."
Bruce Reitman, Dean of Student Affairs, also recognizes that there are challenges that accompany the return to Tufts after time abroad.
He said the recently completed Sophia Gordon Hall was designed as a way to address the disconnect seniors may feel with the rest of the campus.
For some students, the biggest adjustments are academic.
Senior Noah Kaufman said the transition back into classes was surprisingly difficult.
"I had a hard time adjusting to the Tufts work ethic," said Kaufman, who spent a semester with the Sea Education Association.
Senior Natalie Kornbluth, who spent a semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina, found that going abroad made finishing her academic curriculum more difficult.
"[Going abroad] gets you in trouble in terms of graduating and completing requirements," Kornbluth said. "It puts a lot of pressure on my last year."
Many overseas academic programs take a "learning and exploring" approach, in contrast to the achievement-based atmosphere at Tufts, Abare said.
Many seniors also noticed they missed out on meeting an entire year of underclassmen.
"There's a really big disconnect between seniors and underclassmen," said senior Casey Beck, who spent a semester in Mongolia.
Kaufman also found this to be true. "You feel like half of the student body is new faces." He solved this problem by teaching an Explorations class for freshmen this semester. "If you make an effort to meet new students, it's easy," he said.
Reitman is aware of these problems: the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience, which he co-chaired in 2003, recognized the fact that the junior year abroad can disrupt the four-year college experience.
The Task Force is therefore working on "better communication with global e-mail," Reitman said. "We're working on having open forums and not leaving it to things like Facebook."
The Task Force set out to involve returning students within the campus.
According to the Task Force findings, "our campus culture really is a first and second year presence," Reitman said. "Junior year you go abroad. How many students really reengage in the campus?"
The Office of Programs Abroad also helps with students' reentry, holding debriefing meetings for all those who went on Tufts programs and a dinner at Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall for all returning students.
At this dinner, "they talk about their experiences and see what they have in common with each other," Bayne said.
She also suggests that students maintain their language skills and their interest in a country by reading newspapers or going to a cultural house on campus.
Despite these concerns, some seniors said that reengaging in campus life was not difficult.
Senior Tim Pineau, who studied in London for a semester, felt it was easy to reconnect with campus activities. His involvement on the crew team and in the Theta Chi Fraternity continued this year without an issue. "For the most part, it feels like I haven't left," he said.
Kornbluth, despite feeling some academic pressures, had a similar experience when returning to campus. "I got back on my e-mail lists. I felt like I could pretty much jump back in," she said. "It's so common to go abroad at Tufts that everyone's used to it."
Even with all the resources Tufts provides for study abroad, the option may not be right for everyone.
Beck admits that she found herself pressured to go abroad, and cautioned underclassmen to "really think about it" before making the decision to go away for a semester or a year. "Don't just do it because of your friends or your school," she said.
Since she plans on traveling in the future, Beck said she might have rather savored her time at "home" at Tufts.
Bayne understands this feeling, and said that ultimately people should make an informed decision about what is best for them.
"If 40 percent of students [travel abroad], than 60 percent don't. Those who don't feel it's right for them don't have to go," Bayne said.
Kaufman has no regrets. "I would not trade my abroad experience for a semester here," he said.
