I haven't had a chance to study abroad yet, but from my point of view, culture shock is very terrible. It can make new students who study abroad feel shocked, depressed and stressed a lot. I'd like to give some more ways to overcome the culture shock.
1. Accept the change: Change is part of life; it is a part of the journey. Don’t resist something just because it is different. Give it a try. Millions and millions before you have gone through the same experience abroad. You may actually like the ‘new you’ if you try.

2.Learn the local language: This step is very important, actually the most important. If you really want to adapt to the new place, learn the local language, the local way of communicating. This includes getting used to the new accent and losing the old accent; the local way of pronunciation and the local slang – the whole nine yards. And, don’t forget to learn the art of small talk in a new society.

3. Venture out and try first hand: Don’t isolate yourself from the local culture. Expose yourself to the local common places where social life breathes. The shopping mall, the hair salon, the barber shop, the community center, the local parks….. – go be a part of the day-to-day outdoor life. The best way to adapt is by trying it firsthand.

4. Use family and friends’ support: Use your local circle of friends and family as your support system. Share your concerns and hesitations. You will be surprised, people are always helpful; all you have to do is ask for help.

5. Expand your social circle: Now that you have your close family and friends supporting you, expand your social circle. More local interaction you have, more at home you will feel.

6. Notice the subtle differences: Pay attention to the small changes, the subtle differences abroad. How the greetings are slightly different, how people mind their own business :) . If you notice the small details and differences, it becomes easier to adapt.

7. Find a local hobby: This is another way of trying to adapt to the local life style. Find a hobby that helps you interact with local culture. Go fishing, jogging…., join a book club…Make friends with people from other cultures. This can greatly help in local adaptation.

8. Watch some TV: Yes! the best of both world – entertainment and learning. You can learn a lot about local way of life by watching local TV. Watch some local dramas, the local news, the local talk shows…This will not only help with the info about the new culture and customs, but it also helps with the native language and the new slang. Pay attention and listen to the spoken language; watch, listen and learn.

9. Find a mentor: You can find a mentor to work with, who can show you around and help interact with local groups and cultures. This could be a local friend or someone you look up to. This can work really well at new work place as well.

10. Time is a great healer: If I only get a dime every time I say this, I will be millionaire by now. :) It takes time to adapt to new surroundings, a new culture and a new life style. As time goes by, you will feel more and more at home. So, give it some time, and make a conscious effort to adapt by trying the above tips.

Culture shock is a great obstacle especially for oversea students to adapt with new environment where has a lot of different things to learn. From the reading above and some oversea students , I see that to keep pace with a new life, first , student has to repair for it in his hometown by learning about culture , customs , habit of native people especially learn native language well to avoid some awkward situation and study more easily and can make friends in class .I am sure that , repairing carefully will help oversea students over come culture shock and see it like a chance to learn something new.

yeah i haven't had any chance to go abroad or even just travel abroad yet -.- but i've read a lot about culture shock. i think it is a normal matter that most of students that go abroad to study usually meet when they put their first steps on a different country. tiredness, stress, loneliness & the yearning to come back home are some serious problems (i'm sure i'd be in the same state if i went to go abroad alone T.T) thank the writer of this article & viehyunh for giving me a lot of helpful information about how to cope with the culture shock problem, even though i haven't had many chances to go abroad but who knows? maybe these tips can be useful for me in the future ^^

Culture shock is the big problem not only for students but also for people when they go abroad, so i think culture short is felt when we have to adapt to a new environment that we don't have any experience at all, therefore we should always try to adapt to the foreign culture and within time we effectively manage culture shock. In order to overcome culture shock, i think the best way you have to do is that you can meet the locals. Getting know their habits and behaviors. Or being happy will allow you to adjust quickly and it will certainly help you make friends faster.
Thanks the author for giving me useful tips and i'll put these tips into practice when i go abroad.

I have read another article on the internet which ,in my opinion, has somthing to do with this article.
How to overcome culture shock


Some good ways to successfully minimize and overcome culture shock are to read about the place where you will be staying and the things you will be doing, also, if possible, speak with someone already living in the new environment.

Once you are there, keep in mind that people and customs may be very different from what you are used to. Having realistic expectations and realizing that difficulties and misunderstandings may occur will help you keep a cool head when they do, and keeping an open mind will allow you to find solutions to those problems that may arise.

When possible interact with the local population. Don't succumb to the temptation to isolate yourself, even if it is within a group of compatriots. Locals will generally be pleased to introduce you to their culture and willing to answer questions. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. When you are eager to learn people are usually more than willing to meet you half-way and learn from you in turn.

Find ways to keep in touch with family and friends at home. Sometimes you just need to talk with someone who fully understands who you are and feels that your way of being is not strange, or rude. Keeping in touch also makes the homecoming process much easier.
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Culture shock is considered one of the obstacles you encounter when visiting a totally new different country whose culture and value are not kinda similar to your home country. I'm studying IC-International Communication now and I find it very useful. Don't consider culture shock as a bad thing since it can be avoided if you have "effective code switching ability". Let me extract some sentences from an article telling the story about Pablo Garcia, who pedals through Thailand after 75000km, 64 countries and five continents on two wheels."Through the kilometers he's traveled, Garcia has gradually developed empathy and tolerance towards a different society and culture.
"It's not your country, not your culture. It's another country, another mentality. How could you decide what's good for them?""

I have many friends who study abroad and they have experienced many culture shocks when first going abroad. It is extremely difficult when going to a different country with a lot of different cultures. The article offers some useful tips for overcoming the culture shocks. I like the idea of trying not to judge the people around you and yourself, judging will make you feel you are a "weird" person and make you lose your confidents. And another tip I noticed is that you should share some elements of your culture with the people around you: cook for them, organise an evening about something that you find interesting about your country. It will make you closer to your new environment and help your new friend more deeply understand about you.