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TABLE OF CONTENTS:Letter from the Director 1Instructions 2Getting StartedImportant Dates and Deadlines for ISI 2010Curriculum 3InstructionProposed ScheduleTextbooks and MaterialsSocial Events 6Integration Issues 7Practica SessionsIntegration Issues Research ConferencePractical Matters 8HousingPacking for ISIStudent StipendArrival InformationVisa InformationFROM THE DIRECTOR:On behalf of The Graduate School, I would like to welcome you as you begin to makeplans for your graduate studies here at Northwestern University.When I first arrived in Evanston to begin my Ph.D. program in Linguistics in 1994, Ihad many questions: “What will my program be like?” “Who will my colleagues be?”“What does my department expect from me?” and “Where will I find an place to live?”While I was thrilled to begin my graduate career in such a beautiful and dynamic setting,I knew nothing about how to find my way around the campus, around Evanston, oraround the wider Chicago area. And because I earned my undergraduate degree at asmall liberal arts college that had no graduate programs,I didn’t know what role graduate students play in alarge private university like Northwestern. I didn’tknow anyone on campus, and my friends and family alllived hundreds and hundreds of miles away. In otherwords, I felt a little bit lost.The International Summer Institute was designed byThe Graduate School to help international graduatestudents overcome that feeling of being lost, and givethem the best possible preparation to start theirgraduate studies. We achieve this by providingadvanced language instruction to help youcommunicate more comfortably and effectively inEnglish. We supplement our language classes with a wide variety of social events thatallow you to go out and practice your new skills in the Evanston and Chicago area,meeting students, faculty, and members of the community. Finally, we present forumsto prepare you for role as a graduate student in the university community, including aresearch conference, and sessions that address the practical concerns of grad students,such as apartment hunting, finding transportation, and setting up a bank account.One of the greatest strengths of our program is the community that develops amongour students, staff, and volunteers from the community. You will meet graduatestudents in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, from every part of theglobe. You will have time to get to know one another, share your experiences, and buildfriendships that can last a lifetime.I strongly encourage you to accept this opportunity to make the most of your graduateschool experience. Please read the rest of the materials in this booklet to learn moreabout our program, and don’t hesitate to contact me with your questions.Best regards,Julia Margaret Moore, PhDDirector, International Summer Institute

"...I learned a lot of useful words and info for the daily life in US. And we can share our opinions withother people and learn more about American culture.""I learnt to organize material, keep eye contact and know difference between British English andAmerican English. All these are helpful.""I never expected that there would be some breakthrough in the level of my oral English in the onemonthclasses. Fortunately, I think ISI may share the same idea with me. So what I learned in theseclasses? I learned this, just speaking out. Actually, keeping speaking English is one purpose of near allthe activities in ISI. I used to feel that my tongue was out of control when I opened my mouse to saysome words. You will never notice how many mistakes you made in your words, if you keep silence. Thisis true in past and now. But now I am not shy to use my weird spoken English to communicate boldlywith native or non-native English speakers. Make one mistake, realize one and then correct one.""I enjoyed the presentation class. It was not easy to prepare, I was really enjoy this class becausepresentation is the most important skill in most different departments.""It was the most useful to learn practical words needed for lives in America; for example, hospital wordsto express my body condition, vegetable names, and fruit names. My instructors taught me a lot of usefulterms for American life."TUTORING:ISI students meet individually with a member of the ISI faculty twice each week duringAugust. ISI tutors review the results of the student's performance on the ISI assessmentexams and discuss the results with the student. After interviewing the student to learnhis or her goals and expectations for improvement, the tutor suggests activities for thestudent to work on during tutoring. Students always have the opportunity to choosewhich skills to work on during the sessions.Tutoring is particularly suited for practicing advanced accent reduction techniques,academic presentations, and academic writing. However, many students also find that itis an ideal time to ask questions about American culture and its impact on the wayuniversity students speak and interact.LEARN BY DOING WORKSHOPS:These workshops use project-based learning techniques to allow students to becomecomfortable using English in situations similar to labs or seminars. Students lead thegroups, with an ISI faculty member participating as a facilitator. After deciding on aproject, students make plans to research, plan, and execute the project. These projectsallow students to practice using English with confidence to brainstorm, prioritize tasks,evaluate options, and present results, just as they would in a lab or seminarenvironment. The workshops also encourage students to use English spontaneously andinformally; building the confidence that is key for communicating easily once they begintheir graduate studies.We offer several different workshops covering a variety of interests; students canchoose the workshop they prefer most. Past workshop topics have included Journalism,Theater, Visual Arts, Filmmaking, Food & Shopping, Games & Sports, and CommunityService.Read what former ISI students have had to say about the Learn By Doing Workshops:The Learn by Doing Workshops presented to me some interesting aspects of daily life in American. I increased myvocabulary, learned a great deal about food and shopping in the US, and became closer to the real American dailylife.I learned how to discuss opinions and work with others during the workshop. I enjoyed having discussion outdoors.It is a very nice experience to develop and play games in our workshop.I am very happy to be a member of yearbook group. Here I practiced doing work as a team. We recorded the nicememory for ISI guys. It's meaningful.Yearbook was fun for me because in the process of working together, we learned cultural difference as well as teamwork.Yearbook workshop requires skills how to organize each member's responsibility and to communicate with otherswithout conflict.Read what former ISI students have had to say about the tutoring sessions:"The other activity I think helped me the most is the tutoring session. It provided me another greatchance to talk with Americans independently. Although each session only lasted half an hour, I couldtalk with my tutor whatever I was interested in. That’s great! My tutor made a great effort to help mecorrect some mispronunciations. And we also had an enjoyable talk each time.""I like the tutoring session very much. It provides me a chance to speak to an American individually,that's the best way to improve my spoken English I think.""The opportunities to interact with native speakers was to my mind, the most important factor thathelped me improve my English. I liked the sessions with my tutor because I had good conversations withher on many useful topics related to living in the United States. That way, not only did I improve myEnglish, but also learned many valuable things."

ISI TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS:Some of the textbooks we use in ISI include:Well Said: Pronunciation for Clear Communication, 3 rd Edition. By LindaGrant (Heinle & Heinle Publishing, 2009, ISBN-10: 1424006252, ISBN-13: 978-1424006250)Speech Communication Made Simple: A Multicultural Perspective. 3 rd Edition.By Paulette Dale and James C. Wolf. (Longman/Pearson, 2006, ISBN-10:0131955446; ISBN-13: 978-0131955448)SpeakEasy: A Communication and Preparation Course for the TSE andSPEAK. By Michelle S. Schafer. (Cengage Learning, 2003, ISBN-13:9780759318489, ISBN: 0759318484)All students must have a copy of these textbooks. Used copies of Well Said and SpeechCommunication Made Simple may be purchased directly from ISI alumni through ourISI Textbook Exchange. Please contact the Director for instructions on how to join theexchange. Additional textbooks may also be required: check our website for updates.Students may purchase books in advance from Amazon.com or another online retailer.Used textbooks are acceptable as long as they are the correct edition, and are usuallymuch less expensive than new texts. Textbooks, including some used texts, will also beavailable for purchase in the Northwestern University Bookstore in the Norris StudentCenter in August.In addition to the required textbooks, we also recommend that you get a dictionary ofAmerican English that is based on real language use (corpus-based) and written for nonnativespeakers (a learner’s dictionary). We have found that foreign-produceddictionaries (especially electronic ones) have weaknesses that make them difficult forongoing use in the United States.

SOCIAL EVENTSInstruction in the classroom is only one part of the ISI program. Our social events givestudents a chance to use the skills they are learning in the classroom in real-worldsituations. Several social events are scheduled each week during ISI to give students achance to get to know one another better, to speak with Americans, and exploreEvanston and Chicago. During these events, students interact with ISI faculty andvolunteers from the Community Council for International Students, a local organizationthat supports the international community at Northwestern.Students are expected to use English at all times during social events. This practice is anessential part of the immersion process; therefore, regular attendance at social activitiesis expected of all ISI students.Most events are free to students. We use public transportation to reach off-campusevents, including Chicago Transit Authority buses and trains, PACE suburban buses,and Metra commuter trains.Read what former ISI students have to say about our social events:"Social events offered us a good opportunity to speak with native speakers, and toknow more about American culture.""I learned some of the cultures and customs of America, while I learned how tospeak English during the events. I used what I learned in class in these socialevents."The following trips and events are just some of those scheduled to be included in thesocial programming of ISI for 2011:Art Institute of Chicago: Visit some of the most famous Impressionist paintings in theworld by Monet, Degas, and Seurat.Beach Day: Tour of the Sports Pavilion, plus relaxing, swimming, soccer, and volleyballon Northwestern's private beach.Coffeehouse Night: ISI students and staff meet for coffee, desserts, and performancesby students.Culture Night: ISI students share cultural traditions with one another and bring theirfavorite foods to a special feast.ISI Olympics: Students compete in teams in a series of student-designed games andsports.Ravinia Music Festival: A western classical music concert held in a beautiful outdoorpark setting.CCIS Dinner: Enjoy a dinner reception in an American home.Banquet: Celebrate the end of the program with ISI students and faculty at a banquetreception.“The ISI social events were also an opportunity to speak as well as to discoverAmerican culture. Not only were they an opportunity to meet the other ISIstudents, they really helped me to discover Chicago. I particularly appreciated thevisit of the Art Institute of Chicago. I went back since, and it gave me the idea ofvisiting other museums as well."We can communicate with each other in social events. And we can learn moreabout American's culture in social events."" These events provided me a lot of great opportunities to know the Chicago areaand to enjoy the renowned Chicago concert and art. During the events we havewith CCIS people. I got to talk with many native speakers, and they helped meunderstand the American traditions more deeply.”ISI 2006 students in downtown Chicago after the Architecture Boat Tour

INTEGRATIONIn addition to classes and social activities, ISI provides students with help in integratinginto American culture. We have two programs within ISI that provide integration help:Integration Issues Conference. The Integration Issues Conference is designed to helpstudents become familiar with the academic culture of an American university. The onedaymini-conference includes panel discussions, meetings with departmentrepresentatives, and presentations by ISI students.The conference begins in the morning with a series of panel discussions with graduatestudents, undergraduates and faculty from across the university. Each discussion centersaround one aspect of life in an American university, particularly those issues whichpresent challenges to international graduate students. Each panelist will briefly presenthis or her perspective on the issue, followed by a question and answer session, in whichstudents can pose questions to any of the panelists.In the afternoon, each student eats lunch with a representative from his or her owndepartment, allowing for further discussion of academic life within each discipline. Inthe afternoon sessions, students give short presentations on their own research interestsand receive feedback from their peers and instructors.“I felt very anxious on my first day in Evanston. I had such questions as, where is my department,where do I register, where do I open a bank account. I seemed so helpless and desperate. However, ISIwas like a considerate friend. It quickly gave me a campus map, took me to the international andpayroll offices to register and led me to open a checking account at US bank. With all of the worriessettled, I felt much better. In the Practica sessions, they gave us more helpful information, such as rentingapartments, getting to know our neighbors, shopping nearby and using public transportation to travelaround Chicago. Gradually, life became more and more comfortable.”“Although I’ve been living in the United States for about two years, the experience of academia was anew one for me and that is probably what the ISI program helped me with the most: not only inspeaking and understanding English, but speaking in front of an audience and in an academiccontext.”ISI 2005 Students painting a Northwestern University landmark: “The Rock”Practica. The "Practica" series presents practical tools for living in Evanston, with theopportunity to practice and expand everyday linguistic structures as well. Conducted bythe Assistant Director with occasional guest speakers, the sessions focus on the practicalside of integrating into American life. Topics include the following:How to find an apartmentApartment livingCooking, food shopping, and eating outWhat to do if you suffer from depression or stress and anxietyPersonal safetyTransportationRead what former ISI students have to say about our integration programs:“…the practical Practica sessions in the ISI program helped me a lot with beginning my life here inChicago area. The practicas about public transportation, shopping, safety and mental heath, all of thesehelped me familiarize with this whole new area and whole new life style. It’s very nice that you knowmore about the place you will live for the next five years and it is even nicer that know them in an easyand concise way.”

PRACTICAL MATTERSISI HOUSING INFORMATION:You may choose to live on- or off-campus during the month of August when ISI is insession. Staying on-campus in August will allow you to have a place to stay as soon asyou arrive. You will be able to meet other ISI students and stay in a location that isconvenient for traveling to classes and social events. It will also give you time to find anapartment for the academic year if you wish to do so; there are plenty of affordable andcomfortable apartments in Evanston and Chicago, but it does take time to find them.For these reasons, we do NOT recommend that you try to find an apartment on yourown as soon as you arrive. Your schedule will be packed with classes and social eventsduring the first week, and you will not have enough time to hunt for an apartment rightaway. We will also be covering apartment-hunting strategies during the course of ISI.HOUSING APPLICATIONS: Space in Engelhart will be limited and availability of housing is notguaranteed. Apply as early as possible to make certain that you will get a room: werecommend applying within one week after you accept the offer of admission fromNorthwestern, and absolutely no later than May 2, 2011.To apply for academic year housing in Engelhart Hall, download the Graduate Housingapplication for Engelhart from the Graduate Housing Webpage, and submit yourapplication directly to Graduate Housing.http://www.northwestern.edu/gradhousing/accommodations_evanston.htmlFREQUENTLY ASKED ISI HOUSING QUESTIONSCan I move in before the start of the month?Yes, you can, but you will need to pay an additional fee (see below).Will I be charged extra if I move in early?If you arrive early and are staying in a twin studio, you will pay an additional fee pernight before the start of your lease in August. For a twin studio, the additional cost willbe 25.00 and for a one bedroom the additional cost is $40.00 per night. You must let theHousing Office know when you plan to arrive on your application form. If you arriveon a Saturday or Sunday, the Office will be closed, and you will have to make specialarrangements to get into your room.I don’t have a NETID yet. How can I submit my application online without one?You must have a NETID to submit your application online. If you do not yet have aNETID, please contact the director for an electronic copy of the application, whichmay be returned to Graduate Housing by e-mail.Is there a separate form for ISI housing?No. But do please indicate on your application that you are an ISI student.Can I continue living in Engelhart Hall after the ISI period?Yes, but you must apply for housing for the academic year BEFORE you arrive,because many students want to stay in Engelhart during the academic year. If you waituntil you arrive to request housing, there will not be any rooms left for you. If you wanthousing for the academic year, apply as soon as possible to get the best possible roomchoice.Can I email the housing application back to the Graduate Housing? If so, what is the address?Yes, you may email your application to graduate housing. The address isgrad-housing@northwestern.edu. Signed leases cannot usually be faxed or e-mailed, butyou may ask for an exception.Can I stay in Graduate Housing though August and Fall Quarter and then leave?No. There are only two options:Stay for the month of August onlyStay from August through the end of the academic year (June or September).What is the housing deposit fee?This deposit is used to reserve a room for you ONLY if you intend to stay in Engelhartfor the entire year. This is not a damage deposit and can be used to pay part of your rentfor August. Once you arrive, this deposit will appear as a credit on your studentaccount towards your first month’s rent.Do I need to pay a deposit if I am only staying through August?No, you are only required to pay a deposit if you will be staying the entire year. If youwill only be staying in Engelhart in August, you do not need to pay a deposit, and youdo not need to pay in advance. You may pay your August rent when you arrive.I didn’t get my lease in time to return it by the deadline! What should I do?Contact the Graduate Housing Office and let them know that you still want your lease,but that it may be a few days late. They will make arrangements for you. Also, contactthe ISI Director, and we will work with Graduate Housing to make sure that they hold aroom for you.Can I pay my deposit or rent by credit card?No, you will need to pay by check or money order.If I am only staying in August, when do I have to move out?You will need to move out on Wednesday, August 31, 2011.WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING WITH YOU TO THE U.S.?The weather in Chicago in August varies a lot from day to day. The average temperaturein July is 23 C and the average temperature in January is –5 C. In August, the averagetemperature is 22 C and the weather can be hot and humid, or cool, rainy, and windy.We strongly recommend that you either bring a large, sturdy umbrella with you, orpurchase one as soon as you arrive. A good rain jacket is also very helpful. Dress forISI is very casual; shorts and t-shirts are appropriate for hot days. The one exception isour end of program banquet. For the banquet, gentlemen will need to wear a suit, orlong pants (not jeans) and a long sleeved shirt. Ladies will need to wear a dress, suit, or anice shirt and slacks or a skirt.One other word about packing involves our “Culture Night”. This is one of the first bigactivities we will have as a group. Each student shares a little bit of his or her culturewith the rest of the group. Students from the same country work together on a grouppresentation. Each presentation is limited to ten minutes, and is meant to beinformative, creative, and fun. We end the night by sharing some home-cooked foodfrom around the world.

When you are packing, you may wish to bring a special reminder of home with you toshare during the presentation, whether it is the ingredients for a special dish, a piece ofclothing, a music CD, or an object with special cultural meaning. A photo of yourhometown or family can also be very special.Past presentations topics have included:DancingSportsFood, fine cuisine and beveragesGeographyCultural customsMusical InstrumentsHistoryClothes, costumes, and fashionLanguagesFine and folk artsISI STIPEND:All participants will receive a stipend of approximately $1,635 USD for housing andexpenses for the month of August. This is the equivalent of one month of a UniversityFellowship stipend. Please note that your ISI stipend check will be issued on the LASTday of August. It is important for you to arrive with enough money to handle set-upexpenses. We suggest bringing $1,000 USD if possible. If necessary, you may apply foran emergency loan of up to $500 at the beginning of August, after you have arrived atNorthwestern; you will repay this loan when you receive your paycheck.ARRIVAL INFORMATIONARRIVAL DAY. Our official arrival day is Monday, August 1, 2011. You must arriveon or before this day to participate in ISI. If you wish, an ISI representative will pickyou up from the airport on August 1 and take you to campus. Please note that August 1is the ONLY day that we are able to provide transportation from the airport to campus.You should use the Arrival Information Form to make a pick-up reservation.EARLY ARRIVALS. Students who arrive on weekends may not be able to check in toGraduate Housing until Monday morning. If you must arrive earlier than August 1, youmay apply for a temporary home-stay with a CCIS family (see the CCIS website athttp://www.northwestern.edu/international/ccis/index.html) or make otherarrangements for a place to stay. Also, please note that if you wish to check intoGraduate Housing upon your arrival, you should schedule your flight so that you arriveas early as possible in the daytime.ARRIVALINFORMATION FORM. As soon your flight information is confirmed,complete the Arrival Information form and send it to ISI. Please fill out the formcompletely; we need all of the information on the form. ISI must receive your arrivalinformation form by 17:00 on Friday, July 1 2011 (Central Standard Time) at the latest.You may send it through the mail, fax the form to us, or e-mail it as an electronicattachment.ATTHEAIRPORT. Upon arrival you will be given a folder with an orientationschedule, maps to all ISI locations, and emergency contact numbers. These materialswill give you all the information you will need until official programming begins thenext day. If our ISI volunteers pick you up at the airport, they will give you your folderas soon as you arrive. If a friend, a department representative, or CCIS host family picksyou up instead, please give us contact information for that person on your Arrivalinformation form. We will send your folder to them, so that you may still have it assoon as you arrive. If you are making your own arrangements or are coming early,please contact us so that we can arrange a time to greet you and give you your folder.ORIENTATION TOURS and ASSESSMENT. A special orientation to Northwesternfor ISI students is held on Tuesday, August 2., as well as two kinds of assessment tests.You must be present for both the orientation tour and the testing in order to participatein ISI.The NU orientation is designed to help you quickly find all the necessary administrativeoffices and complete most of the paperwork necessary to begin life as a Northwesterngraduate student. The assessment is a way for us to create a language profile of eachstudent, so that we can customize your instruction to your needs. You do not need tostudy for the assessment, as we want to determine your needs at the time of theassessment.ISI VISA INFORMATION:Like all foreign Northwestern students and scholars, ISI participants must obtain theproper visa status to legally study in the United States. All visas are handled through theInternational Office, and the International Office is your best resource for accurateinformation about visa policies and procedures. However, please understand that theInternational Office must process many visa applications each spring; although they willdo their best to answer questions as quickly as possible, you may need to wait a day ortwo to receive a response. In the meantime, please feel free to send questions to the ISI.We will know the answer to some of your questions, and can act as a liaison to theInternational Office in case of emergencies.Because ISI students arrive on campus six weeks earlier than most Northwesternstudents, you must be very prompt in all stages of the application process.Step One: REQUESTING A VISA FROM NORTHWESTERNFill out a request for visa documents as soon as you have been admitted toNorthwestern and return it to The International Office You should receive directionson how to access the proper I-20 Request form from the Graduate School along withyour acceptance letter. Please do so as soon as possible. This will allow sufficient timefor the International Office to process your request. Also, make sure to fill out theforms accurately and check the accuracy of the forms you receive from the InternationalOffice; errors will delay the processing of your visa. Always check that your first andlast names are listed in the correct order and with the proper spelling and that allinformation about your financial support is accurate. It is very important that you sendyour visa request form in as soon as possible. If you are waiting for final transcripts orother pieces of information, you can send those in later, but the form itself must be sentas quickly as possible.

Step Two: PROCESSING OF YOUR VISA DOCUMENTS BY THEINTERNATIONAL OFFICEOnce the International Office has received your ISVDR form and has processed yourvisa request, they will forward it to your academic department. Your department will usean express courier service to mail your I-20 or IAP66 visa documents to you, along witha letter from The Graduate School indicating that you will be enrolling in the summerinstead of the fall. You must bring this letter with you when you apply for a visa.Sometimes we may need to send you other visa documents by express courier. We willneed a current address and phone number in order to do this. You can give us thisinformation on your Participant Response Form. There must be someone present atthat address to sign for the package if you are not available. If necessary, you may ask usto send your documents to a different address where someone will be available to signfor it during business hours. It is very important that we have a correct address for you!You may also need additional application materials, including proof of Englishproficiency, school records to verify your academic preparation, or additional evidenceof strong ties to your home country. Be sure to check with the U.S. embassy orconsulate before your appointment.For any additional questions about our program, please send an e-mail message toisi@northwestern.edu.Thanks, and we hope to see you soon in Evanston!Step Three: SEVIS FEEIn order to apply for a visa, you will need a Receipt of SEVIS fee payment (I-901). Youcan pay the fee online at http://www.Fmjfee.com. For more information visithttp://www.northwestern.edu/internationalStep Four: APPLY FOR YOUR VISAOnce you have received your visa documents from your department, check them tomake sure that all the information is accurate. In particular, make sure that the start dateon your visa is August 1, not September 2011. If you have a September date, pleasecontact the ISI Director (isi@northwestern.edu) so that we can ask the InternationalOffice to issue a new I-20 or DS-2019 for you.Then use your visa documents to obtain a visa to enter the United States. You will applyfor the visa at the nearest U.S. consulate in your home country using the “Certificate ofEligibility” (I-20 or DS-2019) form that you received from Northwestern University..Your SEVIS Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019) has a bar code in the upper rightcorner of the first page. When you visit the U.S. consulate or embassy to apply for yourvisa using Northwestern’s form, this information will be recorded in the SEVIS Systemand entered on your student visa stamp. This means that you will also have to provideNorthwestern’s I-20 or DS-2019 when you arrive at the port of entry here in the U.S.You will need several documents to support your visa application and you shouldprepare carefully for your visit to the U.S. embassy or consulate. Be sure to read page 2of your I-20 or DS-2019 carefully so that you understand your responsibility to complywith U.S. laws and regulations that apply to your F-1 or J-1 student status.Visa procedures vary slightly from one U.S. embassy or consulate to another. Beforeyou apply for your student visa, be sure to check with the embassy or consulate youplan to visit to learn about specific procedures and policies that apply to that office. Forexample, some U.S. embassies and consulates require appointments several weeks inadvance, others may accept student visa applications only during certain hours of theday. Be sure to plan ahead so that you will be as prepared as possible!