Whether it be one of the 6,000 plus alumni of the IUHPFL, or its reputation throughout the state of Indiana for sending students abroad for over 45 years, someone (or something) has piqued your interest in the Honors Program–and we're glad!  As prospective participants and parents of prospective participants, we'd like to provide you with a few Honors Program 'need to knows' and 'important questions you should be asking yourself' to help you best understand what the IUHPFL is all about. 

We're not your typical study abroad experience–and this introduction to our Program isn't your typical introduction, either.  But we think the best way to give you all the info you should know about the IUHPFL is in this 'need to know' and 'questions you should be asking yourself' format.  In doing so, we will guide you through navigating our Web site, which serves as a bountiful resource of information about the IUHPFL.  

• IUHPFL Need to Know #1: This isn't your ordinary study abroad program…but that's a good thing!
   
• IUHPFL Need to Know #2: If you are unsure if you can commit to the IUHPFL Honor Code, then stay home. Because otherwise it's not fair to the rest of the students who are committed!
   
• IUHPFL Need to Know #3: You will be speaking only your language. All day long. And all night, too. And maybe even in your sleep…
   
• IUHPFL Need to Know #4: You will be taking classes. Yes, classes in the summer.
   
• IUHPFL Need to Know #5: You will be living with a host family. How hard can that be? Well, let's put it this way: it's not as easy as it sounds!
   
• IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #1: How do I know that the IUHPFL, and studying abroad in general, is safe?
   
• IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #2: This is a lot of money to consider spending! Are there any grants, scholarships or fundraising opportunities available to me? And is the investment worth it?
   
• IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #3: Six and a half weeks is a long time to be away from home. How will I cope? I'll miss my family, friends, training for my sport and even playing my instrument!
   
• IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #4: How does the Selection Committee make placements, in the event that I am selected to participate in the IUHPFL?
   
• IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #5: What is the Honors Program REALLY like?

 

IUHPFL Need to Know #1: This isn't your ordinary study abroad program…but that's a good thing!

We at the IUHPFL office are proud to set ourselves apart from other study abroad programs in a few different ways: first, the fact that our program is academically focused. Second, our program ascribes to an Honor Code, which is a set of norms put into place to help participants maximize their study abroad experience within safe and reasonable parameters. Third, while taking classes abroad, and pledging to fulfill the Honor Code, you will also be living with a host family. Talk about 'living your language!'

If you haven't picked up on this already, we'll state it for you loud and clear–the Honors Program is a demanding experience on every level: academic, personal, social, emotional, physical. It's not for the faint of heart, and it may not be right for everybody. To see if the IUHPFL is the right study abroad program for you, first take our Self-Inventory. If you 'pass' the Self-Inventory, well, then, read on!

IUHPFL Need to Know #2: If you are unsure if you can commit to the IUHPFL Honor Code, then stay home. Because otherwise it's not fair to the rest of the students who are committed!

We take the Honor Code, which is a set of norms designed for you to maximize your experience abroad, and to do so safely and soundly, very seriously.  It's important to remember that when going abroad with the Honors Program, you will be immersed in a new language and a new culture that are not your own…that in and of itself is quite a challenge.  Throw other factors into the mix (alcohol, independent traveling, staying out too late in unfamiliar places) and it could potentially be a recipe for disaster!  We'd like for your trip abroad with us to be as smooth sailing as possible, but that doesn’t happen naturally–it takes hard work on your behalf as well as on behalf of your instructors, your host family, and our office.  And it takes a lot of training and persistence with all parties involved, which is why our application and orientation process is so thorough.
 
When it comes to the Honor Code, you first need to understand why it is in place.  And once abroad, you need to be very self-aware and diligent about abiding by the Honor Code not only for your own safety, but for that of the entire group.  And what happens if you, or others in your group, deviate from the Honor Code?  It’s a no-win situation.  Those who deviate from the Honor Code not only receive an infraction report (which will ultimately be reported on your IUHPFL Final Evaluation), but it sends the message to the rest of your peers that you are not committed to the Program, which thus encourages them to de-commit as well.  Additionally, when there are infractions of the Honor Code in a group, the bond between instructors and students is potentially broken, thus the group dynamic is adversely affected.  In the past, some infractions have even led to the cancellation of excursions and the Program's farewell show.  So, if you have a hidden agenda (i.e., deviating from the Honor Code) in your intentions to apply to the Honors Program, please reconsider.  We want students who participate in the Honors Program to participate for the right reasons!

IUHPFL Need to Know #3: You will be speaking only your language. All day long. And all night, too. And maybe even in your sleep…

One of the most important components of the IUHPFL Honor Code is the Language Commitment, which is a pledge that accepted students make, vowing to speak only the foreign language throughout the duration of the Program.  Implied in this Language Commitment is the fact that students will have very limited contact with their family and friends in the U.S.  Though it's tough to learn to express yourself in a language that is not natively yours, and also to temporarily disconnect with family and friends for the summer, the dedication to do so will pay off in the long-run.

Evidence of the positive impact that the Language Commitment has on our students' linguistic proficiency is the fact that our alumni who end up enrolling at Indiana University Bloomington test into, on average, fifth semester language classes.  This means that they bypass roughly 14 credit hours' worth of classes, which is almost an entire semester of college!  Such linguistic progress does not happen automatically, however–you've got to stick to the Language Commitment 100% to see such positive results.  Our goal for you is not only to speak and live the language of the host culture, but to think in it and dream in it, too.  And perhaps even struggle to speak your native language upon your return, a phenomenon to which many of our alumni can attest!

IUHPFL Need to Know #4: You will be taking classes. Yes, classes in the summer.

As previously mentioned, the IUHPFL is an academically focused study abroad program, in which participants will dedicate their daily lives abroad to taking classes (in the foreign language of the country in which they are studying, of course!).  In addition to taking classes, participants will participate in afternoon activities, such as theater, choir, dancing, sports, etc., also conducted in the foreign language.  As part of the classes and afternoon activities, prospective participants will be assigned homework, and will be evaluated at several points during the Program, including the IUHPFL Final Evaluation.  In other words, if you plan to pursue participation in the Honors Program, be prepared not only to work–but to work hard!

IUHPFL Need to Know #5: You will be living with a host family. How hard can that be? Well, let's put it this way: it's not as easy as it sounds!

The fact that you will be living with a host family is one of the many factors about our Program that sets us apart from other study abroad programs.  And since we employ a Language Commitment, it only makes sense that you live with a family that is speaking the language of your country all day long, right?  Living with a family is the best way to practice the language skills you are learning in your Honors Program classes.  But living with a local host family is not without its set of challenges.

While your host family will tell you to make yourself at home, which may sound like a 'green light' for you to do whatever you please, acclimating to their home is a two-way street.  They'll tell you to help yourself to the refrigerator to show you their hospitality, but you should be respectful about the amounts of food you consume, and always ask if it is okay to consume it first.  They'll offer you a nice bed to sleep in (and maybe your own room if you are lucky!), and in turn, you will be expected to make your bed every day and maintain your room well-kept.  How will you know if you are holding up your end of the deal and how will your host family know if you need anything from them?  You have to communicate, that's how!  And to communicate in the language of your country, you’ll have to be willing to put yourself out there. 

Of course living with a host family also implies trying new foods and adapting to a new schedule.  One of the many ways your host family will show you hospitality is by cooking for you.  As a matter of accepting their hospitality and showing them thanks, you should be willing to at the very least try what they make for you.  And who knows…you might like it!  As far as schedule is concerned, your host family might prefer you to shower in the evenings versus in the mornings.  Or eat dinner later than what you are used to.  And if that's the case, you've got to roll with the punches…which is part of what this experience is all about!

IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #1: How do I know that the IUHPFL, and studying abroad in general, is safe?

What a great question to ask!  And here are just a few things to think about:

1. The field of study abroad has grown significantly since its roots in the early 1900s (one of the pioneers of study abroad was Professor David Starr Jordan, 1851-1931, who became president of our very own Indiana University at the age of 34)–in fact, it is estimated that the number of U.S. students who studied abroad during 2008-2009 is over 260,000.  In other words, there are many who have gone before you in studying abroad.  With so many students interested in going abroad in this country, you would think that there have to be standards for setting up study abroad programs–and you’re right!
   
   The IUHPFL is part of a rich study abroad tradition at Indiana University.  The IUHPFL is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs (OVPIA), and thus we are well advised and supervised by OVPIA in our policies and procedures.  Not only do we work directly with OVPIA, but we also work directly with the Office of Overseas Study (OVST), which is also a unit of OVPIA, on Indiana University Bloomington’s campus.  We follow the mandates that the OVPIA sets out for us.  Rest assured, not a decision is made about our programs without first seeking the counsel of our colleagues at OVPIA who have many years of experience with international education as it applies to U.S. students.
    
2. The Honors Program itself was established in 1962, which tells you that we have been on IUB's campus for almost 50 years now!  So it’s not our first time around the block, so to speak.  In our almost 50 year span, the IUHPFL has sent more than 6,000 students abroad on our Programs.  That's a pretty impressive number, considering that for many years, we had only three programs (whereas currently we have nine!).
    
3. Given that the Honors Program is a unit of OVPIA (who receives daily alerts from countries all over the world), we are well informed of any safety issues in the four countries in which we are present.  And we would certainly not have programs in sites that Indiana University would not endorse!  Additionally, the Managing Director for the Honors Program frequently makes site visits to all of our programs to meet with Honors Program personnel there, including host families. 

IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #2: This is a lot of money to consider spending! Are there any grants, scholarships or fundraising opportunities available to me? And is the investment worth it?

It sure does seem like a lot of money to consider spending.   But with a little effort, understanding and elbow grease, you'll see that the investment is worth it!

1. First off, Financial Aid is available for all applicants.  Should a student decide to apply for Financial Aid, his or her Financial Aid application will have no bearing on his or her selection.  Financial Aid with the Honors Program is a reduction in program fees, not a loan that needs to be paid back. It is based on individual family need and based solely on the pool of Honors Program applicants, independent of Indiana University at large. The distribution of Financial Aid varies in amounts that have ranged in the past from $600 to $1,200.  Over the past two program cycles (2009 & 2010), roughly 52% of students who applied for Financial Aid received it.  For more information about Financial Aid for the IUHPFL, please read more here.
    
2. Second, there are currently three other opportunities for aid with the program fees of the IUHPFL.   You can read more about the grants available for French students from The American Association of Teachers of French in Indiana, the John & Barbara Busch Scholarship, and the total reduction of fees awarded to one participant in our program in Krefeld, provided by the Department of Germanic Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, in conjunction with the IUHPFL office.
    
3. And of course, there's a role you can play, too.  Whether individually or banding together with other participants from your high school or city, you can work at soliciting sponsorship funds as well as do some fundraising.  We've got some great suggestions for you, starting with the use of something you already have – elbow grease!  Babysitting, dog-sitting, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, raking leaves, working extra hours at a job, organizing bake sales, writing letters – that should give you a good start!  Check this out for some more ideas, too!

Now comes the answer to the question 'Is the investment of the Honors Program really worth it?' First, ask yourself the following question:  How can you put a value on greater self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-reliance; a zest for experiencing new cultures and participation in the ever-growing global community; a sense of maturity, accomplishment and independence?  There's no price tag to this personal growth that individuals who participate in the IUHPFL experience. 

In addition to this personal growth, saving almost a semester's worth of college tuition adds to the worth of this long-term investment.  Overall, the average IUHPFL alumnus tests into fifth semester of his or her language at IU Bloomington, which assumes that he or she has tested out of four semesters of language credit.  If an IUHPFL alumnus does, in fact, test into fifth semester language at IUB, and passes that class with a C- or higher, he or she is eligible to retroactively earn the credits for the previous four semesters of language that he or she bypassed.  Which is how we come to say that alumni from our Program can potentially save almost a semester's worth of college tuition!

Check out this power point for more data that we've gathered through our collaboration with the Office of First Year Experience on IU Bloomington's campus.  In addition, if the IUHPFL alumnus plans on attending Indiana University, check out the scholarship statistics that we were able to gather of IUHPFL alumni who went on to study at Indiana University Bloomington.  Can you guess how much our alumni will receive as a group over their four years at IU?  Hundreds? Thousands? Hundreds of Thousands? Millions?

IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #3: Six and a half weeks is a long time to be away from home. How will I cope? I'll miss my family, friends, training for my sport and even playing my instrument!

First thing's first: all of the students on your Program site will be in the same situation as you.  You’re all in 'the same boat,' which makes for an incredible support system and source of camaraderie.  Your classmates on your Program site will likely become like family to you, given that you have all made the same pledge to the Honor Code and to dedicate yourselves to taking classes over the summer, and made the same decision to commit your summer to a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  You should not underestimate that bond!

Second, you will have your instructors there to guide you on this journey as well.  Your instructors have likely spent time abroad in a an exchange program or a program similar to the Honors Program, thus will be able to relate to your joys, your struggles, and your concerns.  In fact, at least once a week you will partake in '‘support groups,' which is a twenty-five minute session in small groups dedicated specifically to helping you assimilate to the host culture of your country and sharing experiences of homesickness.  You need not prepare for your weekly support group session, you just need to be open to your peers and willing to put yourself out there and share your feelings.  You will find in doing so that you are not alone! 

You may also find that your host family is a good support system for you.  Even if you do not share a native language or culture, you are still capable of sharing emotions, and being happy, scared, confused, exhausted, etc. (all states that you are likely to experience in the first week of the Honors Program alone!), which are basic human experiences that we all share, no matter where we are from in the world.

It is, of course, natural to miss family and friends from the U.S. while on the Honors Program, but we remind you that, according to the Language Commitment, you have one hour a week to 'connect' with loved ones back home via the Internet.  Even though an hour does not seem like a long time, seeing an e-mail from a loved one, or even a picture or two, will go a long way in bringing you comfort.

If you are concerned with being gone from the U.S. for six and a half weeks due to missing sports or band, know that plenty of our alumni have been in the same situation.  Alumni in the past have trained for their sports while with the Honors Program and have even brought their instruments, or chosen to rent instruments in the host country.  When it comes to sports, if you can motivate yourself to train either before classes begin in the morning, or once classes are over in your period of free time before you are due home at your host family’s house, you can maintain a solid level of personal fitness to be able to return to your sport by the summer's end.  As far as instruments are concerned, if you so desire you may take your instrument abroad with you (though you will want to check with the airline your group is traveling with to see how much it will cost you), or you can look into the option of renting an instrument abroad.  Please realize that while the Honors Program encourages such activities, we ask that your top priorities be your classes, Honors Program related activities, and time with your host family.  If you choose to engage in sports or instrument related activities, we ask you to be realistic in how much time you can put into them, and, of course, require that in doing so, you are also in compliance with the Honor Code. 

If you are accepted into the Honors Program and do wish to practice your sport or instrument consistently, we advise you to include such information on your Personal Information Form, which is part of the IUHPFL's required acceptance materials.  It is most helpful to know this information before the Program begins.

IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #4: How does the Selection Committee make placements, in the event that I am selected to participate in the IUHPFL?

Should you be selected to participate in the Honors Program, the Selection Committee makes placement decisions based on a number of factors, the most important being how well they believe you will mesh with the instructors on your Program site.  It is the IUHPFL's wish to place you in a site where you will feel nurtured and well-supported in your interests by your instructors, as well as feel compatible with your instructors, with whom you will be spending up to eight hours on a daily basis!

In addition to compatibility with instructors, the Selection Committee attempts to distribute males and females proportionately across programs.  We also attempt to distribute students proportionately across programs based on their level of the language, as determined by the scores of the language test, to create an academically diverse population on each Program site. 

The Selection Committee does its best to distribute students from the same high school evenly across all Program sites as well.  After all, part of the IUHPFL experience is to expand your horizons, which you wouldn’t do if you were placed on the same Program site as all of the other students who had been accepted from your high school.

Finally, the Selection Committee does take into consideration requests about site placements that Spanish students make on the personal application, but cannot accommodate every request, given the large number of students requesting Spain.  The IUHPFL office encourages prospective participants in Spanish and their parents to be open to placements in any one of our five Spanish-speaking sites.

IUHPFL 'Question you need to be asking yourself' #5: What is the Honors Program REALLY like?

Incredible. Daunting. Exhilarating. Intimidating. All of the above! The Honors Program is like nothing you've ever experienced before. Believe us when we say there are no words to adequately describe it. But we'll try to give you an idea of what the Program is REALLY like if you let us...

You can read what our alumni have to say about each Program site by visiting our Program Sites, then clicking on the star that represents each Program site. When you click on the star, it will invite you to read more about what our alumni have to say about that particular Program Site.

You can catch a glimpse of what living in a Spanish host family might be like. Stephen D., Class of 2010, Oviedo, of University High School of Indiana in Indianapolis, takes us on a tour through his Spanish apartment and introduces us to his Spanish family and way of life in Oviedo.

You can view an interview that Hadas B., Class of 2010, San Luis Potosí, of North Central High School, had with her host mother about the Honors Program. In the interview, Hadas asks her host mother why she began to host students in the Honors Program, how the experience improves a student's language skills, and more! Hadas also interviews her father about why students might be interested in visiting Mexico and why he likes to be a host father with the Honors Program. Finally, Hadas interviews classmate Daniel E., Class of 2010, San Luis Potosí, of Center Grove High School, about his experience in San Luis Potosí.

And what about a parent’s perspective?  Well, we’ve got that, too.  Click below to read the parent testimonials we’ve gathered from proud IUHPFL parents.

• Craig S., parent to Sarah S. – IUHPFL class of 2010, San Luis Potosí (Covenant Christian High School)