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Information for MIX Returnees

 

Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed your time on international exchange, and that you learned a lot both inside and outside of the classroom. Here are a few reminders for you:

  • Submit your Course Syllabi - If you have not yet submitted syllabi to MIX for the courses you took abroad, please take care of this immediately. The transfer of your credits will be on hold until all syllabi are received. Please email syllabi to uhmix@hawaii.edu, or drop them off at QLC 206.

NOTE: Shidler College of Business students should submit their general petitions and course syllabi directly to Shidler B101.  It is advisable to establish a list of 'course equivalencies' in advance so you will know which classes you should take at your host university and how your courses will fulfill your UHM requirements. Early preparation before you leave the UHM campus will help to reduce your anxiety and eliminate confusion during registration at the host university.  

  • Transfer Credits Take Time - Your host university will send an official transcript of the courses you took abroad to MIX. This happens automatically for UHM exchange students - you do not need to request it. Once MIX receives your transcript, we will attach your course syllabi and any course pre-approval forms you turned in and forward everything to Admissions (either undergraduate or graduate). Admissions will manually enter your transfer credits into your record; they may consult with your academic advisors and/or faculty in order to determine course equivalencies. Undergraduate students will not receive transfer credit for any courses in which they earned lower than a D; graduate students will not receive transfer credit for any courses in which they earned lower than a B-.
  • Maintain your Eligibility for Financial Aid - If it takes an especially long time for your MIX courses to transfer in (this is common for students who went on exchange to Japan or other countries where the semester ends much later than our semester), then Financial Aid may consider you to be behind in credits and think you are not making Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students in this situation should submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal to UHM Financial Aid.
  • Understand Reverse Culture Shock - While you may have experienced culture shock when you went abroad, you can also expect to go through an adjustment period when you return home. Reverse Culture Shock is the discord you may experience when you realize that, while you have changed a lot, your family and friends do not understand or acknowledge the changes in you. It is important to keep a positive attitude, and to take steps towards dealing with Reverse Culture Shock in healthy and proactive ways.

    • Vagabondish article: Can You Survive Reverse Culture Shock?

    Diversity Abroad article on Reverse Culture Shock

    Challenges That I May Face With Reverse Culture Shock (Marquette Univ.)

  • Get Involved with MIX - We welcome Returnees to stay connected to their international experiences, and to help other UHM students embrace the opportunity to go on exchange.
    • Consider becoming a MIX Intern or MIX Volunteer to get valuable practical pre-professional experience. See Darrell or Sara for details.
    • Attend International Coffee Hour, every Friday at 3:00, Sinclair Library 'Ewa Lanai
    • Be a Returnee Panelist at the MIX Pre-Departure Orientation
    • Participate in the MIX Speed Dating event at Shidler College of Business
    • Represent your MIX host university at the MIX Fair
  • Share your pictures, videos, and blogs - Please share your pictures, videos, and/or blogs from abroad with us! They will be very helpful to prospective MIX students who are in the application process, or just exploring the idea of international exchange. Please send your picutures, videos, and blogs to uhmix@hawaii.edu. Mahalo!!
  • Write a Student Review of your MIX Partner University on Abroad101:

Abroad101