<p>Anyone familiar with the Language House program at UMCP? Is this an option for freshmen, or for upperclassmen? </p>
<p>Do the students really stick to speaking the target language in their dorms (or is it apartments)?</p>
<p>What is the physical facility like? Is it a nice, well-located residential option?</p>
<p>Would it be possible to be in the Honors program and also participate in the Language House program?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure it’s only available to sophomores and up. I know that you have to apply to be in the Language House and you become a part of a “cluster”. They have one for pretty much all languages…as far as strictly speaking the language, you’re supposed to speak your cluster language 80% of the time. They have pictures of the place here: [The</a> Language House Website](<a href=“http://www.languages.umd.edu/lh/]The”>http://www.languages.umd.edu/lh/)
And I’m not sure about the last one…but I’m pretty sure that you could, because the Language House is just an apartment and the Honors program is more about your curriculum. I hope that answers your questions.</p>
<p>I visited the campus and language house and it is in a very nice building in a central part of campus (right by the foreign language classrooms haha). The room I visited (one of the Russian ones) was VERY nice; it had two levels and houses six people I believe in addition to the native speaker who lived with them. The rooms do vary apparently and the number of students in each room is not always set. And of course, there is an interview process to get in to make sure you are competent enough for the environment. I talked to some of the students and they said they are usually pretty good about not speaking English and they all seemed to really enjoy the program. Unfortuneately it IS only for sophmores and older, but it definitely is something to look forward to!</p>
<p>I understand some of the honors programs do house freshmen together–is that just a freshman year feature of Honors? So a student could live in one of the honors communities as a freshman, and then apply for the Language House program thereafter, without missing out on some aspect of the Honors program?</p>
<p>I’m not sure, but honestly, if I had to choose my sophmore year between Honors or Language housing, I think I would definitely have to go to for Language (as I am planning to be a foreign language major). The benefits of the Language House program seem to outweigh those of Honors housing tremendously.</p>
<p>You wouldn’t miss out on anything if you chose to do non-honors housing sophomore year.</p>
<p>You can definitely still be in honors and live in the Language House. If you are admitted in to honors, after the first year in Denton, most people relocate with groups of friends elsewhere (D had friends going to La Plata, Commons, etc.). You need to complete the number of honors courses to receive the honors citation, but that’s pretty much the end of it. I think there are still programs, etc. for honors invitees, but the two benefits I think are living together freshman year with people who (roughly) have your similar work habits, intend to study, etc., and some of the really cool subjects for the honors seminars. </p>
<p>If you apply and are accepted into the Language House (in most cases your sophomore year is the first real chance), there are required meetings that you need to attend, both with your cluster (the language you’re studying) and with the entire Language House. You are expected to be a contributing member to the Language House program–joining and doing some of the MANY activities that they have. They really do try to enforce the 80% speaking the language while you are in your apartment. The whole point is that it is a living/learning program and it give you a chance to have everyday conversations in the language, not just study it in school. You are required to be enrolled in a class in the language of your cluster while you live there. </p>
<p>The different clusters are divided into (single sex) apartments with anywhere from 2 to 4 bedrooms (a couple have triples, but they are MASSIVE, compared to Denton’s triples). One apartment even has a loft, one or two are two stories (like a townhouse). </p>
<p>The things that they look for are that you have good grades (I don’t know that there is a set level you have to be, but one of the things that the director likes to point out is the overall GPA of the Language House…which is VERY high). There is an application and an interview; D found the interview to be rather intense (and it’s all in the language you are applying for). Your ability to stay in the Language House is dependent on how active you are, how much you contribute, etc. If you head up one of the major groups or committees, it is possible to live there up to and including your Senior Year. Every year, the biggest cluster (i.e. language) varies; and the number of spots that are open really depends on who moves out, and how many people apply. It’s mostly (i.e. all) up to the discretion of the Director, who is a reasonable nice lady.</p>
<p>And the location is awesome! If you are interested in foreign languages, it’s great…</p>
<p>Does anyone know about the cost of living in a language house? I know you’re not required to buy a meal plan, but how much is it to live on campus in the house? I’d assume it’s different than just living in a regular dorm.</p>
<p>It’s the same price as a dorm, just without the meal plan. Like the dorms, if you get one of the few singles (which you will NOT get your first year), there’s an additional charge, and if you are in a triple (which there are some…it all depends on the number of people in what sex there are, since apartments are single-sex), you will get a discount. In theory, you have an apartment so you will be able to cook your meals. In reality, you’re right across the street from Stamp and all the fast food choices…</p>