Homestay

WESLI can arrange a dormitory room or a homestay for you. If you need WESLI to arrange housing for you, you should indicate this on your application. Once housing has been arranged, you must stay there for at least one session (2 months) before moving. Staying with an American family is a great opportunity to experience American culture and practice English. WESLI has been placing students in homestay families for 30 years. Today, many WESLI homestay families have hosted students for more than 15 years. Many relationships between homestay families and students last a lifetime. When WESLI recruits new families, the housing coordinator screens the family and gives information and guidance to ensure the families and the students enjoy their experience. Your American family may be a couple with or without children, or a single person. Most families live 5 to 10 kilometers from WESLI, about 20 to 45 minutes by bus. A bus pass allowing unlimited bus rides for 31 continuous days costs $55. You will have a private room and food provided. The cost of homestay is $1440 for 2 months. The first 2 months fee and a $200 security deposit should be paid directly to the host on the arrival day. Most families do not permit smoking in the house, and many don’t accept smokers at all.

Dormitory

WESLI can arrange a dormitory room for you at Hamilton Place, our apartment-style dorm. If you need WESLI to arrange housing for you, you should indicate this on your application. Once housing has been arranged, you must stay there for at least one session (2 months) before moving. In Hamilton Place, students share a fully furnished suite with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen and a living room. The suite is furnished with everything that students need: linens, pillows, towels, dishes, silverware, cable TV, DVD & CD player, phone service with unlimited local calls, and high speed internet access. There is no cafeteria in the dorm, so students cook on their own. If a student doesn’t like to cook, she or he can eat at one of the many nearby restaurants. The cost at a restaurant is almost the same as a typical American dorm cafeteria.

The dormitory is only one block from WESLI. There are many interesting shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and parks in the area. The dormitory fee is $1400 per 8-week period. Students should pay the first 8-week fee and a $200 security deposit upon arrival. The fee for additional sessions should be paid at the beginning of each session. (Single bedrooms may be available for $2200 per 8-week period. Please ask us if you are interested in a single room.)

WESLI is in a charming historical building with high ceilings and stone walls. Original woodwork still remains in some sections of the building. Some classrooms overlook the magnificent Capitol Building and its public garden, and vibrant downtown life. Madison: Safe, Friendly, Progressive, and Fun. WESLI is located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin’s beautiful capital city. Madison is known for being home to the world-famous University of Wisconsin. Students and university faculty make up over 30% of the city’s population, which creates a safe, open-minded environment. Visitors to Madison remember the city’s open-minded, friendly people, who are willing to help and learn from students from a different culture. Madison is also home to the world-renowned University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), a public university founded in 1848 that boasts a current enrollment of more than 41,000 students, making it the 10th largest university in the United States. Known as one of the great research universities of the world, UW is a highly-ranked school in the subjects of education, geography, history and sociology. Downtown Madison is a 1-hour drive from Milwaukee and a 2.5-hour drive from Chicago. As the third-largest city in the United States, Chicago is home to more than 9 million residents and is commonly referred to as the “Second City” or the “Windy City.” While exploring the city, don't forget to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo, the nation's oldest public zoo; the Art Institute of Chicago, home of the largest collection of Impressionist paintings outside of Paris; or three of the world's tallest buildings, the Sears Tower, the Amoco Building and the John Hancock.

Classrooms: WESLI has 18 classrooms designed to provide an excellent learning environment. As our student population grows, we continue to expand our facilities to fully meet the needs of more students.

Computers and Internet: WESLI is “totally connected” to the Internet. You may use your own laptop by wireless or DSL connection, or use WESLI's computers in the lab. Students are encouraged to use computers to do research and homework in order to prepare for university studies or future professional work.

Lounge & Lunchroom: The student lounge and lunchroom provide a comfortable place to study, relax, and socialize during class breaks.

Student Service Offices: WESLI staff members are available to help students with housing, activities, conversation partners, immigration advising, university applications, and any other question a student may have.

Libraries: WESLI students may use the city’s public library (2 blocks from WESLI), and the University of Wisconsin Library system. There are over a dozen major libraries on the UW campus. The largest UW library, Memorial Library, is only a 10-minute walk from WESLI. Students can get a library card to borrow library materials.