Even though exchange students learn to improve themselves through the experience of studying and staying in another country, there are also many difficulties to be encountered. One of them is when exchange students are unable to adapt to pedagogy followed by the host country. Another is conflicts between the host family (who have provided accommodation) and the students, when it cannot be solved by communicating with each other and the student usually will be asked to stay with another host until they find a new match.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} This process, however, could take time while the students' duration of stay is limited. Even with preparation and knowledge about the new environment, they could still experience [[culture shock]], which can affect them in different ways. Students from a different culture<ref name="culture">{{Cite web |title=Resources and Information |url=http://www.foreignexchangestudentprograms.net/us-culture-guide-for-exchange-students |website=www.foreignexchangestudentprograms.net}}</ref> can also encounter homesickness for a longer period of time. Transport can also be a problem, as it is often difficult or impractical for a student to buy a car during a short program. Students will find it hard to find a job, even part-time since most exchange visas do not allow students to work and it is difficult to obtain one that does. Another potential drawback is ill-health that can occur during the stay in a foreign country. Students are advised to always have health insurance while traveling abroad, and carry emergency contact details of their local hosts and of family members as well.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 July 2016 |title=Student Exchange Program |url=http://travelsafeclinic.com/student-exchange-program/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328072742/http://travelsafeclinic.com/student-exchange-program/ |archive-date=28 March 2019 |accessdate=17 April 2021}}</ref> Students participating in student exchange programs have sometimes been vulnerable to threats such as terrorism and other crimes. For example, in 1998 a number of US students traveling in [[Guatemala]] on a college sponsored trip were attacked in the [[Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa]] area, with the entire group being robbed and physically harassed and threatened, and in the [[1998 Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa attack]] five of the young women were raped.<ref name="globe2003">{{Cite news |last=Gowen |first=Annie |date=27 January 2003 |title=Terrorism a new test for US students abroad |work=[[Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/443075858/ |accessdate=2 November 2020}}</ref>
