Choosing a college is a monumental decision, but choosing a country in which to study abroad during college can be just as daunting, if not more so. After all, you're dealing with a completely different culture and most probably a new language. Even if you are going to a country that uses your native tongue, chances are there is a long list of vocabulary words and slang you'll need to learn in order to fit in.

But is it really possible to fit in as a stranger in a strange land? Culture shock -- the anxiety that one experiences when entering a new environment -- is a phenomenon that most students will experience to some degree when they study abroad. In fact, even the most seasoned travelers have had culture shock, since living in a foreign country for an extended period of time is not the same as passing through it on a vacation or trip. However, it certainly is possible to get past the initial discomfort one might feel at the beginning of a study abroad program and turn the opportunity into a real learning experience, which is why you left home in the first place.

Getting Immersed
Kimberly Dugger, a senior Spanish major at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, experienced culture shock when studying abroad despite her foreign language skills. However, she notes that there is hope for a student to get past the initial jitters and enjoy the foreign country for the very reasons he or she chose it in the first place.

"By fully immersing myself in the country, culture, and its people and minimizing my communication with family members back home, I was able to quickly adapt to my new setting," Dugger says. Many students would agree that reading up on the country ahead of time, as well as learning a few vocabulary words and phrases to get by among the locals, are beneficial in helping the immersion go more smoothly once you arrive.

Culture Shock at Home?
For some students, the culture shock is not experienced when moving to the foreign country, but rather, it is felt when one returns. This "reverse culture shock" can be an unpleasant surprise to students, like Holly Frew, who worked on an HIV/AIDS project in Swaziland, a country in sub-saharan Africa.

"I had gotten acclimated to the African culture more than I realized, in that it's slow-paced, laid back and simple," Frew says. "When I returned to American culture, I felt an unusual anxious energy and pressure to constantly be doing something productive.  Life in Africa is simple, but here there are so many choices and distractions." Although her time abroad was a "life-changing experience," it is an experience that comes with its fair share of growing pains.

For Maya Frost, author of The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education, any discomfort a student feels when first experiencing a new culture should be embraced, not shunned.

"Culture shock is not something to be avoided," Frost says. "It is evidence that a student is becoming aware of other ways of living and going through the natural process of asking questions about the new culture and their own. It's proof that they are allowing themselves to be changed by their experience abroad -- and isn't that the point?"