Get involved with international groups on and off campus!
It's a great way to continue your international experience and integrate it into your life back in Colorado. There are many ways to do this — consider starting with these.
- Join “Humans of Global Education”: Humans of Global Education highlights the lived experience of CU Denver | Anschutz students studying abroad. Send our office a few photos from your time abroad and a written blurb at study.abroad@ucdenver.edu. You can send a one sentence response or several paragraphs, a poem or a short story; we encourage creativity! You can write about anything, but to give some examples consider the following:
- What was your happiest moment abroad?
- Describe your favorite day
- How has your worldview changed?
- Blogging: If you did not keep a blog while you were traveling, it’s not too late to make one! Your travel experiences can provide other students and travelers with insight into the places you’ve been to, even if you’re writing about them after you’ve returned.
- Submit a photo to our Study Abroad Photo Contest: Everybody who returns from studying abroad has lots of stories to share, but sometimes words can’t quite convey the amazing things you have seen. If you’ve taken a great picture abroad and would like to share it with the world, submit it to our photo contest! Your photo may be used in promotional materials to help students visualize what they might see if they too decide to study abroad.
- Add a different perspective to your classes: So many class discussions can benefit from the new perspective that comes from living abroad and seeing things through the eyes of another culture. Don’t be afraid to talk about your experiences if they are relevant to class discussions!
- Join or start a student group: CU Denver’s Office of Student Life and CU Anschutz’s Office of Student Affairs can provide you information on the many student groups and organizations on our campuses. If you can’t find any that matches your interest, consider starting one of your own!
- Learn a new language, or practice one you learned abroad: Living abroad can spark your passion for learning languages, and even though it can be difficult to maintain your language skills when you are not immersed in the culture of a country that speaks that language, there are certainly opportunities to keep your language skills up to snuff. Take upper-level language courses at CU Denver if they are offered in the language you are learning, sign up for a language-learning app, or find a cultural group in Denver whose members speak in the language you are learning.
- Attend our Unpacking Seminar: Every semester, the Office of Global Education offers an Unpacking Seminar to students returning from abroad. This seminar will give you tips on integrating your experiences abroad into your education and work. Keep a lookout when you return for an email about the Unpacking Seminar.
- Work, Teach, or Volunteer Abroad: Learn how to leverage your study abroad experience on your resume for professional development or take advantage of the countless international opportunities available.
- Go abroad again! Many students who have studied abroad found themselves “bit” by the travel bug. If you have the resources, time, room in your academic plan, and passion, consider studying abroad again. Whether you decide to study abroad for a semester after having your first taste of study abroad in a Global Study program, or you have already done a semester or year abroad and are interested in interning, there are so many options to go abroad again. If you are interested in going abroad again but unsure of what kind of program you’d like to take part in, you can make an appointment to speak with an advisor.
Connect With Us
We love to hear from students about their experiences studying abroad! If you would like to write us, drop us a line at study.abroad@ucdenver.edu or make an appointment to discuss opportunities to share about your experiences.
You can also connect with us on our Instagram and follow the Office of Global Education LinkedIn channel. On our LinkedIn, you'll find information about ways to stay connected to international education, information about elevating your study abroad experience in an interview, and much more. We encourage everyone who studies abroad to post about their experience on their personal LinkedIn and tag us.