Hi !
I’m a junior in France and since I’m moving away from home for college and I probably won’t be near my family (DC area), I was wondering if anyone knew about host family programs ? I know Kenyon has one, but I couldn’t find others. I’m very interested in LACs. I think it would reassure my father to know that I’m being taken care of even thousands of miles away from home 
Thank you!
With all due respect, I think your father has a misunderstanding about what American colleges provide - they are not boarding schools and he cannot expect a college to provide a family to take care of you.
@GnocchiB That’s not what I meant. Some colleges offer to pair you with a host family for when you can’t get home for break or just need support or to leave campus. He doesn’t ‘expect’ it, I’m just asking so that he’d know that I’m not completely alone on breaks etc 
Here is the section on Kenyon’s website, at the bottom of the page : http://www.kenyon.edu/admissions-aid/how-to-apply/international-students/
Aha. I would think that many colleges would be sensitive to the issue of international student housing over breaks, even if they don’t have formal programs like Kenyon’s. And also it’s not unusual for students to go home with their friends for breaks that are too short for long journeys home.
My daughter’s very large research university doesn’t kick international students out of housing during breaks, so there is no need for such hosting. I read your link, and it sounds like Kenyon offers that service primarily because it makes all students leave their housing during breaks. You might check the housing section of the websites of colleges that interests you to see what their policies are, and perhaps contact whoever is in charge of any organizations or services on campus that target international students to ask what the students there do on breaks. I also know there are some “home stay” businesses that are not affiliated with universities that offer these services for international students across the U.S. Just search “home stay for student” and the company links will come up.
@GnocchiB Thank you! I actually did not consider the fact that I could go home with friends…
@mommyrocks Thank you! I will look them up. Some colleges require you (implicitly or explicitly) to leave during breaks ?
Yes, housing policies differ at each college. It will always be very explicit what the policies are, although you may have to hunt around to see where it is listed on the actual college website, or even contact housing to find out. When you sign up for housing, you will sign a contract that has the details on whether students can stay during breaks or not. On some campuses, international students are allowed to stay, or students in specific buildings/types of housing are allowed to stay. It can also vary by which break it involves – winter break between semesters, spring break, holidays, etc. Typically most students are required to leave college housing during winter break – they can leave their stuff in the room, but just not be there themselves. Some smaller colleges may require all students to leave during breaks. It might be helpful if you made a chart with this information as you gather it, so you can compare the offerings of the different colleges since this will be an important consideration for you.
When thinking about your college location, you should also consider transportation issues. The U.S. is very different from Europe in that regard. Look for locations with lots of public transportation, nearby restaurants and shops, bike lanes, etc., so you are not stuck on campus with nothing to do and nowhere to go without a car. It is not a given that communities here have public transportation or walkable areas like in Europe. Many colleges are very isolated, with a car being almost a necessity.
@mommyrocks Ok thank you so much this helps a lot! I’ll do my research on the colleges/universities I already have on my list.
I wanted to add that my daughter’s university also has an “international buddy program” among its many offerings for international students. I’ll give you the link so you can see the description of what I’m talking about. Because her university is large, there are so many programs for the international students that it would take some time to list them all. Before you entirely settle on choosing an LAC, you might want to compare lifestyle issues and offerings for international students at the larger universities with the LACs so you can make an informed decision. Here is info on the buddy program: https://isss.umn.edu/programs/interbuddy/ If you click around on that website link, you will discover many other services for international students, including some of the weekly clubs targeting internationals and Americans interested in other cultures. My daughter participates in one of the clubs.
@mommyrocks I’m not set on just LACs, I’m considering a variety of options (UMN is on the list!). I’m actually not an international student per say since I have citizenship, but coming from abroad, it’s the same lifestyle adjustment, so I’m not sure I qualify but I will definitely check it out! Thanks
Bowdoin College has a host family program - and any student can request one:
https://www.bowdoin.edu/studentaffairs/community-host-program/index.shtml
Contact the International Students Office at each campus. Yes, you are a US student, but having your family outside the country means that you will face at least some of the challenges that true international students face. Many of the ISO programs and services will be available for everyone on campus, not just true internationals.
My parents were overseas when I was in college (eons ago), I never had problems finding people who were happy to have me come visit for holidays when I couldn’t make it back to Africa. Later when my parents were stateside, I was always happy to return the favor. It’s nice to hear that many colleges have more formalized arrangements.
My daughter’s college has the biggest percentage of International students in the US. They make all kinds of accommodations for students during breaks. The dining rooms may be closed but there are other places to eat, many of the international students live in apartment style housing. During the recent hurricanes, the students were all taken care of. Some were transported to county shelters and housed in buildings with electricity when they returned.
At my other daughter’s school, she happened to live on a dorm wing where international students lived. Those students made very little effort to get along with the other students so they weren’t invited home for Thanksgiving. Make sure you do your part too. I think those international students miss out on a big part of studying internationally because they didn’t interact with the domestic students.
@Laliejour , make friends with another student who lives close to your college. When we lived near my daughter’s college (Wellesley), she brought home international students (and others who couldn’t afford to travel home) every single break.
Denison has one. https://denison.edu/campus/multicultural-international/international-friendship-program
Housing during breaks is not really part of it, but could be depending on the family. Mostly it’s to have a family to hang with, maybe get a ride to the airport, that sort of thing.
Thank you so much for the advice everybody !!
Washington University in St. Louis has a program where students can eat dinner with a local family at the family’s home. I don’t know if that is for holidays or just random days or how you get matched up with a family. Just something to look into if that’s a school you’re considering.
Harvard has a host family program that is even open to people from the US - https://fdo.fas.harvard.edu/pages/host-family-program. A friend of mine still visits their host family for holidays, even though it has been a few years after graduating.
@OHMomof2 Great thank you! Does Denison require students to be off campus during breaks?