International Student Welcome Days 2025

Join your IREPs for coffee, hot chocolate, and donuts to start the day! So much has been shared with you over the last two days. Join your IREPs and other new students for a morning of snacks, activities, and socializing.

Make sure to eat in the Sherman Dining Hall!

During the resource fair, you will have an opportunity to connect with many different campus resources and get to know staff and students who are excited to share with you how they can support you during your time at Brandeis!

Board the bus to Boston at 1 pm for a sightseeing tour of the Charles River and to do some shopping! Students will receive a colored wristband to board the cruise. There will be one cruise at 2 pm and one cruise at 3:00 pm. Students will be free to explore the local shops when they are not on the boat. The bus will leave at 4:15 pm after the last boat ride and drive back to campus. If you do not take the bus back, students will need to find their own transportation back to campus.

If you plan to return to campus, the bus will leave Cambridgeside Place at 4 pm after the last boat. Students are not required to take the bus back to Brandeis. Feel free to stay enjoy the afternoon in Boston!! Students who do not take the bus back will need to find transportation back to campus. Ask your IREPs for tips on public transportation back to campus!

Check out dinner at the Sherman Dining Hall

Grab some breakfast in the dining hall before heading to the IWD welcome session!!!

Meet key Brandeis administration, staff, and faculty who are going to support you during your time at Brandeis University. There will also be time to connect with the ISSO team and meet the IREP student leaders!! We are excited to welcome you to campus!!!

Build connections with your IREPs and fellow students! During this time, students will have different opportunities to learn about life at Brandeis and connect with other students.

Eat lunch in the Sherman with your IREPs!

This session is mandatory for all students in F-1 and J-1 status. Students will learn about the immigration regulations to follow to maintain their status in the U.S.

Join our IREPs and other domestic students who may live outside of the continental U.S. for a special interest group session!

A brief introduction will be provided about inSTEP, the International Student Experience Project. This program introduces students to the many campus partners and resources available to you. Learn from an experienced IREP and current student about how these resources can support you! This will include a welcome from the Director of Academic Advising and how they can support you and your time at Brandeis.

Build connections with your IREPs and fellow students! During this time, students will learn about life at Brandeis and hear from student leaders on campus about their experience being a student at Brandeis.

Take some time to rest! Take a break so you can regroup and be ready for evening activities. Take time to set up your room or take time to get over jetlag. The IREPs will take a walk around campus and provide an optional campus tour. Take a walk around campus and get to know your new home!!! Groups will meet at the Olin-Sang Auditorium 101.

Go have dinner at the Sherman Dining Hall!

A bus will take you to Target in Watertown so you can make quick essential purchases and/or pick up online orders if you shopped online.

Bus Schedule 8/23/2024:
6pm: Depart Brandeis
6:30pm: Arrive at Target
7pm: Depart Brandeis
7:30pm: Depart Target
8:00 pm: Last Departure from Brandeis
8:30pm: Depart Target
9:30pm: Last Departure from Target
10:00pm: Arrive at Brandeis and drop off students

Join your IREPs for badminton, basketball, and more at the Gosman Athletic Center. You can find your IREPs in Shapiro Gym (upstairs) and the indoor tennis courts. Please note the main court will be closed for other university events.

All students attending IWD need to check in with the ISSO team. Stop by and let us know that you have arrived on campus!! If you will live on campus, you can pick up your room key with the ISSO and Community Living. We will then connect you with an ISSO staff member or IREP and take you to your new room!!

Please have your families stop by the Brandeis Parents and Family table during the IWD Check In! We would love to connect with your family members and share how we can help support them during your time at Brandeis.

Staff from the Brandeis Student Health Center will be available to answer your questions about health insurance and vaccinations.

Sherman Dining Hall will be open for students. Check in with the ISSO first and get your Brandeis ID. Then you can eat in the dining hall for lunch.

Head to the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) Atrium to learn about options to open a U.S. bank account and/or set up a cell phone plan. Be sure to bring your passport.

Get to know your new home while one of the IREPs leads you on a campus tour!

Join other new students for dinner!

A bus will take you to Target in Watertown so you can make quick essential purchases and/or pick up online orders if you shopped online. If you miss the last bus, please use a RideShare app like Uber or Lyft to return to campus!

5pm: Depart Brandeis
5:30pm: Arrive at Target
6pm: Depart Brandeis
6:30pm: Depart Target
7:00 pm: Last Departure from Brandeis
7:30pm: Depart Target
8:30pm: Last Departure from Target
9:00pm: Arrive at Brandeis and drop off students

Join your IREPs and new international students for some game night fun with giant connect four, giant scrabble, and more at the SCC!!!