We hope the following notes are helpful as you consider your participation in the Rutgers International Friendship Program. American friends/hosts find their experiences with international students to be very rewarding, educational and fun! We look forward to hearing from you and to having you participate in the IFP.
Who is an American Friend/Host?
An American friend/host is a friendly community member (individual or family) who is interested in cross-cultural exchange and is willing/able to spend some time helping one or more new international students adjust to their life in the U.S. This program does not require or encourage you to provide living accommodations for your student(s) or to assist them financially in any way. Our goal is to support international students as they try to cope with a new language and a different lifestyle in the U.S., and to give local community members the stimulating experience of learning about languages, cultures and lifestyles from their assigned international student(s).
How are Student/Host Assignments Arranged?
American friends/hosts are asked to describe their interests and to let us know if they have a specific interest in a particular country or region of the world. Ideally, the IFP coordinator arranges student/host assignments based on this information, but while we make every effort to match hosts and students in this way, it is not always possible. Although Rutgers has students from over 100 different countries, the largest international populations that sign up for the IFP are from China, Japan, India, Korea and Taiwan. In keeping with the mission of the IFP, American friends/hosts signing up for the program should be open to being assigned a student from any country of the world.
How Do I Contact the Student?
Assignments are usually made within the first few weeks of a new semester. (Most students sign up for IFP in the fall semester.) At the start of the semester, students are very busy getting adjusted to living quarters, classmates, professors, school buses, etc. Therefore we ask that you, as a host, make the first contact via e-mail, since many students may not have phones for at least a couple of weeks into the semester. Introduce yourself as a participant of the IFP and ask about their availability to meet. Don't be discouraged if you don't get an immediate response. It could take a week or more for the student to filter through all the mail. Send another message, even 2 or 3 more. In the meantime, the IFP coordinator will also be advising the students of their host's names and encouraging them to respond.
The Students
Most of our international students are visiting the U.S. for the first time as Rutgers students, and may not be very familiar with American culture. Approximately two-thirds of our international students are pursuing graduate degrees. Very few students are here with a spouse or family, or have other relatives in the U.S. All students who join the IFP do so because they are interested in meeting Americans and experiencing American lifestyle outside of the classroom, and they have a strong desire to learn colloquial and conversational English. However, these students generally carry very rigorous academic schedules, and thus may not be able to accept every one of your invitations.
Do the Students Have Their Own Transportation?
Most international students do not have their own transportation during their first year in the U.S. They can commute between campuses via school buses. Although some may have an international driver's license, the cost of purchasing and insuring a car usually prevents them from driving in the U.S. for several months to several years. You can arrange to meet a student on campus at one of the Student Centers. If you invite a student off campus for a meeting or dinner, you should anticipate the possibility that you may need to provide transportation.
Do I Have to Make a Specific Time Commitment?
Both students and hosts are usually very busy with school, work, family, etc. It is often difficult to find a convenient time for both to meet. However, persistence does prevail! Meeting on one of the college campuses, initially, may make the student feel most comfortable. The number of times (and length of time) that you meet with a student depends on the specific IFP program in which you choose to participate, and can range from a single meeting to a multi-year ongoing friendship. Please refer to each individual program description for further details.
