Psychological aspects of life as an exchange student
Going to a new country (which for you means coming to Sweden) in order to study will place special demands on you. This will clearly be a transitional period in your life, and you may expect to find certain patterns: as an exchange student, you are more than a tourist but yet not an inhabitant. It is good to prepare yourself for the possibility of ups and downs during your stay here.
Exchange students often find their first period here to be a thrilling and fantastic experience. After a while, though, things can start to appear upsetting and confusing. You may begin to experience feelings of insecurity because of language difficulties, and find that people misinterpret you. It´s like playing a really important football match without knowing the rules. During this period, the best approach is to get involved with people, to socialize, and to make new friends.
Gradually, the exhilarating life of an exchange student becomes an everyday experience. In addition, student motives for travelling abroad can vary: Was it to travel out to something or was it to travel away from something?
After this everyday period you will probably again experience an upswing and just before returning home you will be dealing with feelings of a double nature: you´ll feel sadness or even grief about everything you are going to leave, while at the same time remembering everything that has been fun during your stay here. If there has been something you wanted to get away from (like a bad relationship for instance), coming home can bring disappointment when you realize that nothing has really changed. Your ability to adapt is being continually put to a rather hard test.
The time aspect is also of vital importance. Are you staying two months in this new country or for a whole year? Don't forget that at times the only right thing to do is to travel back home earlier than you had planned. If you find yourself in a situation beyond your limits, don't make demands upon yourself that exceed your ability to cope: it may even be the case that the best solution is to travel back home.
Cultural values may differ a great deal between the country you come from and the country you will be studying in. At the Student Health Unit in Stockholm we will be glad to help you with any needs that may arise. So please don´t hesitate to make an appointment with either our Health Counselling or our Psychological counselling, and let us see if we can work together to help make your stay here in Sweden as fruitful and enjoyable as possible!
Redaktör: Karin Axelsson
Källa: Stockholm Student Health Unit
Uppdaterad: 2007-10-30