A Guide for Foreign Students
Welcome to Northampton and the International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI). Thank you for choosing ILI for your Intensive English Program. Your decision to study English in the United States will be enhanced by living with a host. There is more to education than lectures and textbooks. You will find that some of your most rewarding experiences while in the United States will occur outside of the classroom. Through living with a host you will gain first- hand knowledge of how others live and gain valuable communication skills.
Northampton is the cultural center of Western Massachusetts with a lively community of 30,000 inhabitants. Fourteen colleges and universities contribute to the rich cultural atmosphere of this area, commonly called the Pioneer Valley. It has all the cultural, business and educational amenities of a city surrounded by a beautiful, rural landscape with many incredible recreational opportunities. Northampton is known as the #1 small ‘arts’ town in the U.S.
Downtown Northampton offers the area’s best locally-run music venues, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, book stores, and even a nationally renowned ice cream shop. With the colleges nearby, you have access to world-class libraries, museums and other cultural events such as readings, lectures and film festivals.