International House at UC Berkeley — Attraction in Berkeley

I had to deal with them when I was a grad student back in 2011 because of they were handling the visa paperwork. They'll do standard simple things, but for everything else the incompetence is mind boggling. Like, I once asked them a question and the person just typed it in Google in front of me and read out the first result with a straight face.

They sometimes organized events where they invite someone on site to give some kind of advice to newcomers to the US. I've found those are often someone doing self-promotion. Some are OK, like when an immigration attorney promotes their services they usually give some useful information. But others are often just shills. For instance, there was a book author who was explaining to a room full of Asian students how in the US if you don't talk loudly and give a firm handshake, you are doomed to never ever find a job. (I wish I was making this up). She was selling the cure in the form of her book and personal training of course. I was scared for a solid couple of years that that I'll not be able to have a job. Hope that author failed and is now a Walmart greeter.

Lastly, never, EVER, take any immigration advice from them. Double-check everything they say. They are not here to help you - they are to make sure that UC Berkeley is not in trouble with the law. They don't care about what happens to you. Hire an immigration attorney if you need immigration advice. Don't fall for the smiles and "friendly" attitude - this is simply an American way to be polite. The international house staff are not your friends.

Yes, it's been 14 years and I am still angry about how they treated me at the international...

My extended stay at iHouse over two semesters has been marked by persistent dissatisfaction, exacerbated by the lack of responsive support and unreasonable fees. Despite ongoing challenges, including mediocre food, hygiene issues, and logistical inefficiencies, the absence of effective assistance makes me even more frustrated. Here's an additional aspect of my experience:

Tiny (they are small for even one person, but you have to share them with someone else too), old, dusty rooms with bunkbeds. Barely any closet space.

Subpar Food Quality: The meals provided at iHouse were have limited variety and uninspiring options. Most often, the menu seemed to revolve around rice and various preparations of chicken. The quality was mediocre at best, leaving much to be desired in terms of taste and nutrition.

Inadequate Shower Facilities: The state of the showers was appalling. Not only did they frequently run cold, but they were also dirty. There is nothing in the world that justifies the monthly prices we pay here, and still getting cold water.

Inefficient Mailroom Service: The mailroom's inefficiency was frustrating to deal with. Delivery processing took an unreasonably long time. It became apparent that the internal logistics were poorly managed, leading to prolonged wait times for residents.

Overall, my time at iHouse was marred by these significant shortcomings. The price we residents pay here are not worth it at all. I do not see the returns anywhere. 3600 a month for this is...

As the former Executive Director of International House at UC Berkeley, I had the great pleasure and privilege of welcoming thousands of students from the US and around the world who came to call I House "home" - a place where countless students told me they never felt like foreigners and where they saw stereotype after stereotype and prejudice upon prejudice crumble. Thus, I along with residents and staff colleagues, were challenged again and again by notions of what is normal, confronted by the limitations of the familiar. We were reminded over and over again that we do not know what we do not know, and that discovery is often about two people looking at the same thing and seeing something different. At I House, as one alumna observed, "ethnocentric perspectives are dismantled and residents live together not as images on travel posters, but face-to-face- and in the process may be initially startled or confused by differences, then awakened with insights and understanding, as well as acts of kindness: then delighted, enlightened, and in the end changed in glorious, mind expanding ways. My nearly two decades at I House often remind me that someone once said, "the world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." Because of my I House journey, the readings were many; they were rich, and their messages of discovery and friendship remain with me wherever I go. Joe Lurie, I House January...