OPAL's International Student Mentoring Program (ISMP) supports incoming international undergraduate students as they transition to Dartmouth College.
Within this program, all incoming international students are matched in groups with an upper-level student mentor. Mentors connect with mentees to communicate information, answer questions, and share their experiences. These mentor/mentee groups continue formally throughout the International Student Pre-Orientation Program (ISPOP), which introduces new international students to Dartmouth resources and opportunities, and is ongoing during the first two terms of the new student's life at Dartmouth.
A team of 20-25 returning international and U.S.-based Dartmouth students are selected to be International Student Mentors. Each mentor is assigned a group of international undergraduate students; group sizes vary each year based on first year class size. Mentors offer support and referrals, as well as guide mentees through ISPOP. The formal programming and informal work of advising new international students continues throughout the fall and winter terms.
"Flying in from the opposite side of the world, I naturally had a lot of questions - both logistical and personal - regarding my academic career at Dartmouth. The International Student Orientation and Mentorship Program did a great job of addressing these queries for me. I continue to maintain a good relationship with my Intl. Student mentor and I'm grateful these programs were available at the beginning of my freshman year." - Arunav Jain, Class of 2020, From India
"I found my place here through the International Student Mentor Program. To this day, many of my best friends are the ones I met during International Orientation. ISM gave me the sense of community and family that is Dartmouth and was and still is an instrumental part of my love for the College." -Orkan Sezer, Class of 2020, from Turkey
"The International Mentor Program instantly made me feel like I was at home. The second I stepped off the bus and arrived at International Orientation, I was accepted into a community - a community that definitely eased my transition into freshman year. My mentor to this day remains one of the strongest points of support in my life." - Josh Renaud, Class of 2017, from Canada
"The ISM program was my first sense of community at Dartmouth, and allowed me to meet my best friends here! I can't imagine how different my entire first year would have been if not for ISM and what it did during pre-O!" - Reem Chamseddine, Class of 2017, from Lebanon