What is the Friends of International Student Host Program?
The Friends of International Students (FIS) Host Program offers Middlebury College international students a chance to connect with a local person or family. It is a friendship program that provides an opportunity for hosts to share the local community with international students through invitations to join the host for a meal, a community event or simply to explore life outside the campus.
Students meet their hosts each October at an informal reception hosted by International Student and Scholar Services. From that point on, the program is what you and your international student make of it. Some families and students meet weekly for lunch, while others meet periodically throughout the year and primarily during vacation periods. Our hope is that you will form a friendship that will last far beyond the student's time at Middlebury.
How do I get involved?
Please complete the FIS Host Application. In addition, we expect all potential new hosts to attend an information session. Sessions are held during the summer for October matches, and by appointment for February matches. If you would like to be notified when the sessions are announced, you may send us an email at isss@middlebury.edu
Can I ask for a student from a certain country?
While we cannot guarantee that you would be matched with a student from a particular country, we will consider special requests. All potential hosts will fill out a questionnaire in which they can provide detailed information regarding their interests and expectations. ISSS will use this information as well as the students' questionnaires to arrange the best matches possible for all involved.
Where do the students come from?
The incoming class includes almost 80 international students from more than 35 countries, including some U.S. students who live abroad. We also match students who are at Middlebury for a year-long exchange program.
***********************
We hope you will consider becoming an FIS host. It has proven to be a rewardng experience for both student and families.
In the students words:
"My family has been absolutely fantastic - I love them to pieces and they have made such a difference to my time here."
"…the dinner on Saturday was sort of like an escape from seeing the same people and the same places over and over. I felt much better afterwards…I think the Host Family Program is wonderful, thank you."
"It was, for me, a brilliant experience, which I would recommend to anyone. They should not think of the hosts as "parents" but "friends"
What have the famlies gained?
"A window into a world that is very different from ours. A friendship with a lovely, interesting person. Important life lessons for my daughters."
"A new perspective on the U.S., an opportunity for us, as a family, to reflect on history, traditions, values, the role of education."
Advice from current FIS Hosts:
"Just do it!"
"An opportunity of a lifetime for you and your family."
We hope you will consider participating.
Last updated June 5, 2009