The Global Village - Language House Application

The Global Village

The academic and cultural mission of the Global Village is to immerse students in a living environment that fosters increased language study and cultural awareness and sensitivity. The Global Village comprises eight Language Houses—Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish—run by the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures. Each Language House hosts an International Fellow from the target country/region who facilitate conversation hours, movie nights, cooking classes, celebrations of traditional festivals, and many other activities. These events are open to residents of the Global Village but also to any W&M student interested in increasing their knowledge about other languages and cultures around the globe.

The Resident's Role

Your role as a resident of a Language House is crucial to the success of the Global Village mission. When you engage fully in the program, you are not only practicing the language in real-world context but also gaining deeper insights into the cultural nuances that shape communication. This level of involvement accelerates language acquisition. As a resident, you are encouraged to use the target language in daily interactions in a more realistic context and relaxed setting. Additionally, your active participation strengthens the sense of community within the house, motivating other residents to learn from each other, collaborate, and push their linguistic boundaries, and equally important, have fun! Ultimately, the more residents and students immerse themselves in the experience, the more rewarding and transformative the Global Village becomes, creating lasting linguistic and cultural competencies and meaningful connections.

The Global Village Location

Starting the 2025-26 academic year, the Global Village location will be at the Pine Hall in the West 1 Housing & Dining Development. All rooms are gender-inclusive and ADA accessible. All eight Language Houses will be grouped on the same floor, sharing common areas. In this immersive environment, residents and students can explore and experience cultural diversity firsthand.

Note: The Language House Application has closed for the 2025-26 academic year. However, if you would like to be considered in case of an opening in the Global Village - Language House of your interest after we have concluded the original application process, please fill out the 2025-2026 Waitlist Language House Application. The application password is "late".

After you submit your application, email [[bmtyle, Modern Languages Department]] to schedule a 10-minute interview with the Language House Advisor and the International Fellow. Available spaces will be offered in the order in which the application was received.

To complete the application process, you must:

Be a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior (AY 2025-2026) and have the equivalent of a 102-103 level background in the target language.
Read The Global Village - LH Resident Participation Agreement that you will be asked to return signed if you received an invitation to live in The Global Village
Provide a written statement of intent (built within the application) explaining why you wish to live in a language house.
Sign and submit the Waitlist Language House Application.
Sign the W&M 2025-2026 Housing Contract by Tuesday, February 11, 2025, before 5:00 p.m.

Note:
This application will take about 20-30 minutes to complete. Once you start the application, you have one week to submit it, after one week, the system will delete incomplete applications and won't allow you to try to submit a second application.

2025-2026 The Global Village - LH Application Timeline

Application Calendar
Mon. December 2, 2024	The Global Village - LH Application. Password: mll. Application deadline: Friday, January 31, 2025 by 9:00 a.m.
Tue. January 21, 2025	Sign the 2025-2026 W&M Housing Contract as part of The Global Village application. Deadline Thursday, February 11, 2025 by 5:00 p.m.
Fri. January 24, 2025	Open House hosted by the International Fellows. 5:30-6:30 PM. Landrum Hall - Basement room 0039. There will be signs at the closest entrance to the room.
Fri. January 31, 2025	Deadline for submitting The Global Village - Language House Application by 9:00 a.m.
Fri. January 31, 2025	Modern Languages will send a sign-up email for interview time slots to all applicants before the end of business day.
Feb. 3, 4, and 5, 2025	Applicants interviews conducted by Language House Advisor and International Fellow. Applicants who have a signed W&M Housing Contract by their interview appointment will be given preference.
Fri. February 7, 2025	Acceptance e-mails sent out to selected applicants by end of business day.
Mon. February 10, 2025	Deadline for students to confirm or decline their acceptance to live in the Language House by 9:00 a.m.
Mon. February 10, 2025	Alternates will be contacted with a deadline of 24 hours to accept or decline their invitation to live in the selected Language House. Waitlisted applicants must have a signed W&M Housing Contract to be eligible for this space.
TBD	International Fellows will host a "Meet and Greet" for accepted residents with the purpose of selecting a roommate and preselect a room.
Th. February 13, 2025	Accepted participants will receive and email from Residence Life with instructions on room assignment.
Mon. February 17, 2025	Residence Life will email residents to confirm rooms assignment information.

*Dates may be subject to change. Please visit this page regularly to have the latest information.