Remember when you first came to IIT and how overwhelming it was to find your way around? You probably had a ton of questions about professors, campus life and more. Wouldn’t it have been great to have had those answers before you even arrived, and maybe even a friend on campus?

Now you can be that person for a fellow IIT student! The IIT International Center has developed the I-Buddy program for current students to help incoming international students prepare for and adjust to life at IIT and in the United States. Current students do not need to be from the U.S.; everyone is welcome to act as a buddy so long as they have spent two semesters on campus.

This is how it works: IIT students email their buddy/buddies over the summer to introduce themselves and incoming students ask questions before they arrive on campus. Many questions will be about dorm life, extracurricular activities, getting around Chicago and academic life—basic stuff in which you are the true experts. New students want to hear this information from someone who has been there, and there is no one better to help them than you. The International Center will provide you with contact information for campus offices to share with your buddy/buddies in case you are asked questions that are not in your area of expertise, i.e., financial aid packages, immigration issues. You will also be invited to attend various cultural events and get-togethers, though participation is not required.

If you are interested in this program, please register here. We plan to match buddies in late June/early July, so check your email. We hope that you will consider participating in this program to help make life a little easier for a fellow student!

If you have any questions, please contact Jen Sherdan at jsherdan@iit.edu.

This event reflects the values expressed in IIT’s Diversity Statement and is intended to promote diversity at IIT.