Understanding cultural
differences and preparing for culture shock are critical for your academic
success when studying abroad.
The Pattern of Cultural Adjustment
When going to study abroad, people will go through a natural process of adjustment that will include the stages of: Honeymoon, crisis, recovery, and adjustment.
In the beginning, you will be excited about the new country and everything it has to offer. You will likely think the locals are friendly and welcoming, and maybe over-estimate how easy it will be for you to integrate into the new society.
The Crisis Phase / Culture shock:
Jacob Bacon, a Change-Management expert and GradTrain co-founder, explains that the attitude towards change depends to a large extent on people's personality traits. “It is common to point to seven factors that would determine a person’s ability to cope with change: Positive perception of yourself, positive perception of the world, focus, organization skills, proactiveness, flexible-thought, and a flexible-social attitude. People who have these traits will likely have an easier time going through change.”
The cumulative expertise of the GradTrain team produced some practical tips for people who go through culture shock. “We are five people who came from five different countries and studied five different fields,” says Lital Helman, GradTrain VP. “We have a quite broad experience in dealing with cultural shock, and know that the hardship is worth it.” Here are some tips that can help other people who go study abroad and are going to have a cultural shock:
1. There are quite a few amusing yet real and useful examples of differences in the way people speak in different countries here and here. The scholar Geert Hofestede also summarized some key differences between countries. This is really helpful.
One case that we heard of at GradTrain is of someone who moved to study in the US from a country that has a significantly more direct and explicit culture. People would tell her ‘let’s have lunch sometime’ and she kept inviting them to lunch. It ended up being OK and she actually made many friends this way. But she would have had a much easier time had she read some of these guides and known that in American culture, when people say ‘let’s have lunch sometime’ they actually mean ‘it was nice to meet you – and maybe we’ll meet again at some point’.
2. Stay positive and remember that these feelings are temporary. Look for the positive things in the new culture and look to connect with other people who are currently going through this process.
3. Remind yourself of the long term goals of why you are here.
4. Be proactive. Don’t wait for things to happen to you! Reach out to other international students from your own country that already have experience from the country you are going to study in. Connect with a GradTrain coach (starting August). They can help you cope. It is easier to go through it when you see that others are - or were - in the same boat as you.
5. Be organized! Plan what you can do to better adjust, and follow this path.
Do not forget, that while culture shock is hard, it is also a blessing. Being exposed to other cultures opens your mind and allows you to gain a greater understanding of the world, expand your social capabilities and cope in more complex situations in your life. Understanding cultural differences is just one of the many important skills that international education will provide you. Make sure you embrace these differences!
We know that many of our readers have
experience with studying abroad. Why don’t you tell us about your “cultural
difference experiences,” whether they be funny, interesting, profound, sad,
irritating, or all of the above.
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