Global House – Frequently Asked Questions

Global House currently has 11 language clusters: African Languages, Modern Standard Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Possible African Languages include Akan Twi, Amharic, Igbo, Mandinka, Kiswahili, Wolof, isiXhosa, isiZulu, or any other language taught at the BU African Studies Center.

For Spring 2025, we are accepting speakers of Akan Twi and Kiswahili. For future semesters, we will allow applications from any of the possible African Languages. We must have at least 2 student members to support a given language.

Yes. All members of Global House are required to live in Global House (610 Beacon St, 4th floor).

Global House is located on the 4th floor of 610 Beacon St. Global House residents reside in 4-8 person suites (with both doubles and singles). Students also have access to a specially designated Global House Lounge, suitable for many different kinds of activities from casual movie-watching to more formal class discussions to fun cultural events. Other amenities in 610 Beacon St. include a state-of-the-art kitchen, a multi-purpose room, study areas, laundry, bike storage, and gaming tables (billiards, foosball, and ping pong tables).

We refer to our building as 610 Beacon St. as part of the Global House opposition to racial and colonial violence and our commitment to uplift people of all cultures. In May 2024, BU announced that the name Myles Standish will be removed from the building and its interim name is the address. It may be renamed in the future. The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag has petitioned BU to rename our building Wituwamut Memorial Hall. We support that petition and hope that BU will do so as well.

In Global House, we work together to create an immersive and respectful environment for intercultural exchange and discovery. All members of Global House attend weekly hour-long cluster meetings organized by the Language Cluster Leader. During these meetings, members speak their cluster languages and talk about a wide variety of topics related to the cultures where those languages are spoken. Topics may include pop culture, current events, specific cultural practices or phenomenon, memes, or other topics based on students’ shared interests. Cluster meetings are restricted to members of Global House only.

Students work directly with their Language Cluster Leader and the Global House Director to plan and implement at least three cultural events per year. Two of these events focus on the language or cultures of the students’ language cluster (Single Cluster Cultural Event). The other is organized in collaboration with at least one other language cluster (Multi-Cluster Event). In both cases, the Language Cluster Leader, the Global House Director assist students as they develop cultural events based on their own interests and cultural knowledge. Each cluster will also present at the end-of-semester all-program cultural event. These events will be open to the BU community.

All residents of Global House are required to help plan, implement, and participate in the cultural activities organized by their language cluster. Students not enrolled in the co-curricular should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week total engaging in Global House activities.

The African Languages Cluster is open to speakers of many different African Languages, including Akan Twi, Amharic, Igbo, Mandinka, Kiwahili, Wolof, isiXhosa, isiZulu, or any other language taught at the BU African Studies Center. This cluster focuses on exploring the many languages and cultures of Africa represented by its current members. As the membership changes over time, so to will the languages and cultures we highlight. Cluster meeting time will be divided between language practice among specific language groups and general discussion in English with all members of the cluster. In the future, we hope to establish separate language clusters for specific African languages.

We must have at least 2 student speakers of a given African language in order to offer it during that semester. Speaking the language is a core tenet of Global House, so students must have at least one person with whom they can practice.

The Global House Director and Language Cluster Leaders will work together to plan and coordinate supplemental Language Cluster and house-wide activities that include cultural outings, chocolate tastings, film screenings, meals, collaborative house events, game nights, and more. Members of Global House are welcome to suggest activities for our community. We also maintain a discord server so community members can interact informally outside of scheduled meeting times.

Weekly cluster meetings will be scheduled by the Language Cluster Leader based on the availability of all members of the cluster. The cluster leader will reach out to you about your schedule before the semester begins.

The dates and times for the co-curricular discussions are determined by the Hub track and section students register for. Discussions are typically offered on Mondays 4:40-5:30pm (subject to change).

Each cluster is assigned a specific week during which it will hold its Single-Cluster Event. The cluster sets the exact date and time. Multi-Cluster events are scheduled similarly.

Unless otherwise specified, all BU students can attend Global House cultural events. Some events have an attendance cap. Because we are located in a residence, students who live off-campus MUST register in advance to be admitted to the building. All attendees are asked to register in advance so we can more accurately plan. Unregistered attendees are welcome at non-cooking events.

Only members of Global House may attend language cluster meetings and internal community events.

Let’s Eat is a cooking workshop series offered monthly by Global House. Each session features a recipe from a culture where a Global House language is spoken. These sessions are taught by BU faculty in the language of the recipe. As part of the experience, students will practice language skills, gain cultural knowledge, and learn to cook culturally significant dishes.

Freshmen may apply to Global House if they will have sophomore standing by the time their residency in the program begins. Sophomores, juniors, and rising seniors are also welcome!

All applicants must be proficient in a Global House language at the second-semester level (112) or above.  Advanced language students or native speakers are also encouraged to apply. Native speakers may apply to the language cluster of their native language. However, if students know more than one Global House language, they are encouraged to apply to the language cluster for their non-native language to maximize their exposure to other languages, cultures, and perspectives, as well as to improve their language skills.

Additionally, advanced and native speakers may apply to serve as paid Language Cluster Leaders. Students must first be accepted as a member of Global House and select a room in Global House before they can apply to serve as a Language Cluster Leader. Hiring preference will be given to students who have already completed at least one semester in Global House.

Approximately 84 bed spaces (4-8 per suite) are held for Global House participants. Students with approved applications will be eligible to select a Global House space in 610 Beacon St during regular room selection. If accepted into Global House, students are expected to select 610 Beacon St, 4th Floor during the room selection period. Students who join Global House outside of the regular room selection period will be offered a housing assignment in 610 Beacon St before the start of the semester. Living in Global House is a mandatory component of participating in the Global House program.

We do not accept late applications for Spring enrollment. Our application deadline for Fall enrollment is Feb. 3. Applications received after that deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all available spaces on our floor are filled. Our application is closed during the Room Selection period in Spring semester. Our application reopens after the end of General Room Selection. We often have a few spaces available for incoming transfer students who apply before July 1.

No.  Residents of the Global House will pay the same rate as other building residents. These rates are set by the Housing Office. All students who live on campus are required to have a Dining Plan.

You must apply to Global House and be accepted in order to live on our floor. Once you have been approved, you will follow the normal Housing procedures for room selection and roommate pull-in. Placement in a specific room or suite is not guaranteed.

If your preferred roommate/suitemate also applies to and is accepted into the Global House, you can then go through the room selection process together and place yourselves in the same room/suite within Global House. It is your responsibility to coordinate with your desired roommates. If you join Global House outside of the normal room selection period, you will be placed in an available space by the Housing Office. If you would like to live in a specific room, you may request that, but we cannot guarantee that you will be placed there.

Global House does NOT reserve specific rooms or suites for specific languages. Students wishing to create single-language rooms or suites should coordinate with other members of their language cluster and go through the Room Selection process as a roommate group. Admitted students will be put in contact with all members of their language cluster prior to the start of Room Selection. It is highly encouraged to live with members of your language cluster in order to maximize your immersion experience.

After move-in, students may also create single-language suites by doing a direct swap with another member of Global House, as outlined on the Housing Office‘s website.

Check out this video tour of a double room and the common spaces in one of our suites.

Room Tour

No, students are not required to enroll in the Hub co-curricular. However, enrollment is encouraged because participation in the co-curricular discussions helps build community connection and facilitates reflection on navigating a multi-cultural world. All members of Global House are expected to participate in and contribute to cluster meetings and events.

Students in Global House may earn a Hub unit in either Individual in Community OR Global Citizenship & Intercultural Learning. Students must successfully complete all parts of the Global House co-curricular in order to earn the unit. Students cannot earn both units, even if they stay in Global House for additional semesters. BU permits students to earn a maximum of two Hub units through a co-curricular experience.

Students enrolled in the co-curricular should expect to spend about 2-3 hours per week total on Global House-related activities, readings, and reflection. This is equivalent to a 2-credit course.

Students earn most of their engagement hours by attending weekly meetings with their Language Cluster Leader, by contributing to their cluster’s Single Cluster Event, Multi-Cluster Event, and by attending an orientation meeting and end-of-semester all-program cultural event. These activities are required of all members of Global House. If the student’s cluster is not organizing a multi-cluster event during the semester of enrollment in the co-curricular, the student will instead work with cluster leaders to organize an internal community night.

Currently, students enrolled in the co-curricular fulfill the remaining hours by attending 7 discussions led by the Global House Director and completing 5 short reflection assignments. Students also complete 8 engagement hours on their own by self-selecting and attending community events, cultural activities, and other cultural events both within and outside of Global House. Students keep a log of these self-selected cultural engagement hours, due at the midterm and end-of-term each semester. Resources will be provided.