Bermuda
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Korea
Mexico
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Taiwan
Thailand
United Kingdom
Vietnam

Williston’s Director of International Student Programs provides guidance as students adjust to living and learning in a U.S. boarding school. The director also serves as a liaison to parents; offers advice on academic and social issues; provides information about I-20s and other international student forms; and organizes a special orientation for students to help them become accustomed to the campus environment and the American educational system.

With the director’s support, an international student can become involved in all aspects of school life as he or she gains independence in learning and living. Each student at Williston also has a faculty member who serves as an advisor on academic, personal, and general adjustment matters. International students are assigned advisers who either have had personal study or travel experience abroad or who are especially interested in working with international students. These advisers meet periodically to learn more about their advisees’ countries and cultures and to review the academic progress and social needs of the English Language Learners (ELLs) and international students.

Parent communication with teachers, advisers, and other school representatives is always welcome by email, telephone, or fax. And, when parents have plans to travel in the U.S., with advance notice, we are happy to arrange conferences with teachers and advisors.

Because Williston’s academic program is college preparatory, we assume that international students will be prepared to enter an U.S. college or university upon their graduation from Williston. We also know that many of our students, when they begin their Williston careers, are not ready for that step and may still consider themselves to be English Language Learners (ELLs).

In that spirit, we do make a few curricular accommodations to meet the needs of our ELLs when they start at Williston, and we consider adjustments to diploma requirements for students whose first language is not English. For example, an ELL student is not expected to meet our foreign language requirement, because he or she has proficiency in a first language other than English. The English Language Learners course may meet graduation requirements in English under certain circumstances; however, our goal is for all ELL students to be able to succeed in a standard, age-appropriate English course before they graduate because that is a clear advantage for admission to a U.S. college or university. While most students at Williston take five courses, we adjust the course loads for ELL students, especially during their first year in the school.

Each ELL student’s course program and academic support needs are planned individually. When a student first enrolls, those plans are made by the Academic Dean, but, as other teachers and tutors work with the student, their opinions and ideas are included as well. Continuing services include: appointments with specific teachers for extra help sessions, arrangements for tutoring by another student, arrangements for tutoring with a private tutor (fee required), advice and assistance in summer school placements, and additional preparation classes for the TOEFL exam.

To encourage both the swift acquisition of spoken English and as much friendly exchange as possible among students of different languages and backgrounds, international students are often placed with U.S. roommates and are assigned to each of the seven dormitories and houses on the campus. International students establish friendships with U.S. students and many are invited home to visit friends for a weekend or a school holiday. During our informal meal times and open schedule hours, there are opportunities for cross-cultural involvement, as well as time for relaxing moments, such as watching movies, attending sporting events, and going off-campus for weekend activities. Although the hours of study can be long, especially for ELL students in the first year, international students find that the variety of sports and student activities offers them opportunities for both recreation and new successes.

Williston’s location is ideal for international students. The town is small and safe, which allows students to walk to local banks and stores to shop for personal items. During nighttime hours, one or two security officers patrol the campus as a precaution. There is public transportation to the larger college towns of Northampton and Amherst for restaurants and more shopping. Because of the variety of concerts, movies, and athletic events which are within 15 miles, students are able to attend many events that are school-sponsored and chaperoned. There are also a number of nearby boarding schools that sponsor dances and social events to which students are invited.

The school is closed during the November, December, and March recesses, and all students must leave campus at those times. Many international students connect with domestic boarders and stay with their families, but many also take advantage of some of the terrific travel opportunities that Williston makes available for our students, especially during the Thanksgiving break in November.

We offer an Advanced English Language Learners course to prepare students for standard English classes.