Main Content

  • Safety

    Please be so kind and check the following website on a regular basis to be up to date regarding travel warnings etc.:

     U.S. citizens could also register for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program which is a free service provided by the U.S. Government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country. 

  • Medical Conditions 

    Before going abroad, it is essential that students speak with their doctors about personal health, prescription drugs, and medical conditions that could be worsened by conditions abroad.

    Students with a medical condition that is not visible, such as diabetes, epilepsy, drug allergies, etc., are strongly advised to inform study abroad program staff and travel companions and are advised to wear a medic alert bracelet while abroad.

    Early disclosure of any medical conditions that could impact a student’s program abroad will allow for careful planning by the IUSP team, ensuring proper support while abroad.

  • Mental Health 

    Students with existing mental health issues should carefully consider whether studying in a different and unfamiliar environment is right for them. This should include fully acknowledging that studying abroad can be emotionally challenging for a number of reasons, such as the disruption of existing support systems, missing family and friends, loss of a familiar and comfortable environment, the sharing of small spaces with new people, a sense of missing out on what is going on back home, and the ongoing need to navigate differences in customs, norms, values, perspectives, and ways of communicating in the host country.

    While IUSP staff are trained to respond to a variety of health and safety situations, it is important to note that they are not qualified psychologists, psychiatrists, or counselors. However, staff are trained to provide students with appropriate referrals and guidance for gaining professional help while abroad.

    We recommend that students currently being treated remain in contact with their mental health professionals back home throughout their program, continuing counseling via phone/Skype or requesting a referral in-country, and if applicable, take sufficient prescription medication to cover the entirety of their change to their program. 

  • Medical Treatment Abroad

    Upon program arrival, students are provided with information on local doctors during orientation.

    IUSP staff can advise students on the most appropriate options for treatment, including information on the nearest pharmacists, doctors, and hospitals.

  • Culture Shock

     (The following text by courtesy of FU-BEST, the Berlin European Studies Program of the Freie Universität)

    The medical community still has not developed a vaccination for that most difficult of all maladies experienced by the traveler: CULTURE SHOCK.

    The symptoms usually appear when a person is uprooted from the safe and secure surroundings of home and transplanted -- voluntarily or otherwise -- to a totally different cultural setting. The majority of people residing in a foreign country for an extended amount of time encounter physical and psychological reactions to an unfamiliar culture.

    Culture shock is a rite of passage for many people -- a time when the initial newness of foreign surroundings wears off and the realization sets in that you are going to be in this situation for a long time. Frustration, loneliness, homesickness, depression, irritability, and loss of appetite are the major signs of this "traveler’s disease".

    It’s always the little things which begin to threaten your sense of stability and well-being that cause culture shock:

    • the way purchases are made
    • people’s mannerisms and how to respond to them
    • distinguishing between serious and amusing statements
    • using different kinds of transportation
    • attitudes towards life values
    • doing laundry
    • food shopping

    Some symptoms of severe culture shock are:

    • homesickness (longing to be where things are familiar)
    • compulsive eating and drinking to excess
    • irritability and excessive need for sleep
    • boredom (no discovery of new aspects of the culture)
    • hostility and stereotyping of native people
    • avoiding contact with natives
    • inability to perform work or study efficiently
    • tension and conflict with those around you
    • unexplained crying and physical problems

    Fortunately, not everyone experiences all the above symptoms. The majority of people adjust to the local culture reasonably well. They experience some of the symptoms, but are able to recognize and work their way through the problems successfully. For those who don’t, it is important they know that some degree of culture shock is inevitable and can occur to anyone.

    Almost everyone who has lived abroad goes through four stages of personal adjustment, regardless of what country they previously lived in:

    1. At first, you experience the initial excitement of being in a new culture. You hold very high
      expectations and an extremely positive attitude toward the host country and people. You
      focus mainly on similarities between the cultures.
    2. Next, irritability and hostility to people and customs causes you to focus on differences in
      every aspect of your life. Minor incidents are often blown out of proportion and you react in
      a very negative way.
    3. Gradually, you orient yourself and begin to notice some of the cultural clues missed before.
      The crisis stage has disappeared. Your outlook brightens and things become comfortable and
    4. Finally, your attitude changes and you are able to confidently function in both cultures. You
      begin to enjoy different ways of doing things.

    YOU HAVE BECOME BI-CULTURAL.

    We encourage you to discuss any discomfort or difficulty resulting from culture shock with those around you...: your fellow students, the Academic Director, your teachers, ...

    Also, expect to experience some form of re-entry culture shock after the program, when you return to your home country! There is nothing wrong with you when you find yourself having some trouble readjusting!

    Useful: http://www.worldwide.edu/travel_planner/culture_shock.html 

  • Returning back home: Re-Entry Shock

    As someone who has lived and studied abroad, your attitudes, perceptions and values will change considerably. Though you may not realize it, getting on a plane and flying home does not end your international experience.

    "Re-Entry Shock" is the reverse of Culture Shock. Re-entry is the process of readjusting to your home culture, which has remained the same while you have changed. Your family and friends can be supportive listeners.  However, don’t expect them to fully understand your experiences.

    It is very important that you search for the positive aspects in your home surroundings. On your home campus or in your city, find ways to take advantage of your new "cross-cultural" interests. A few of the ways you can incorporate your new interests and cross-cultural insights into your life are:

    • Search out international student groups and become involved with them by participating in
      their activities, tutoring and helping new arrivals adjust to your own society.
    • Keep in contact with fellow students who may have studied abroad with you.
    • Talk about your own experiences in a different culture and the problems you had in adjusting
      to it.
    • Share stories and photographs with others.
    • Follow the news of the country in which you studied.