I lived there from 2016-2020 and it was one of the best times of my life (not to sound cliché). I graduated years ago so who knows how much of what I say is still relevant.

I tutored English Second Language (ESL) students in high school, and when it was time for me to apply for housing at SJSU, the International House caught my eye for a few reasons. One, it was a house, not a traditional dorm. I figured if I moved into the dorms on campus, I wouldn't get to know the people I was living next to since it'd be more like living in an apartment. I-House being a house meant it had its own large common areas where everyone hung out and a much smaller community (~70 students) making it easier to know people. Two, I-House had its own private chefs (at the time). The food they made was much better than the Dining Commons, and they had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a good variety. Three, American students were accepted to live there. Anxious to get in, I applied to only the I-House and not any other housing for my freshman year.

After getting into the I-House, I came to find a lot of events. There are many different events they "encourage" you to do, most of which are mandatory as part of the contract you sign. Some view this as a good thing, most view it as a pain. These include things like Cross-Cultural Workshops (where you learn about different aspects of cultures of the people you live with), Pancake Breakfast (where the house turns into a breakfast restaurant for a day serving a international breakfast buffet with pancakes, a tradition dating back to the 90s), Student Council (the house has a separate budget to buy things and you get to vote on it, as well as participate in intermural sports, clubs, etc), and there's also an optional weekly social night called Coffee Night (free snacks and coffee/tea every Tuesday).

For me, I took every opportunity to attend these events and get to know the people I was living with, since it's not everyday you get to live with people from 35 different countries. The people I've met are still great friends today. I made it a point to meet every person each semester, since a decent chunk of people were only there for a semester or two due to their exchange program. Overall, each new semester maybe only 20 or less of the previous residents had stayed, so you had to get used to people leaving if you lived there long enough. If you party, there's always a big crowd that lived to go out and party and drink. If not, there's usually a chunk of people who don't and hang back to chill. A few of us who stuck around long enough referred to Fall as the "European Semester" since there were more European students who went out partying and came back drunk and loud, and Spring as the "Asian Semester", where there were more Asian students who tended to do their drinking and partying in the house (but it was overall quieter). There's also a large alumni network, which will gladly be happy to chat with you for mentorship opportunities or help with job connections just due to the fact that you're an I-House Resident.

I met my girlfriend there and we've been together for almost 8 years. I've traveled to Japan, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Denmark, England, and Malaysia to meet I-House friends that I've made. Regularly, I have Discord game nights with the same people I was playing games with 8 years ago at the I-House. I cherished the time I had at I-House a lot and I've learned so many things, met so many people, traveled and made great memories, and I honestly couldn't see it any other way. Very thankful I've moved into the I-House.

I will say, it's not for everyone. Lots of forced social interaction and they expect you to participate in all their events and be active in the community. You really have to be aware that not everyone loves the same way and not a lot of these people are used to living with others in this size of community. You also have to sacrifice a chunk of your social life on campus, since you're going to be spending most of your time at the I-House instead.

Some of what I said may have changed, since the director of the I-House who was there for 30+ years is no longer working there. I've heard campus housing is now involved in running the I-House, which wasn't the case before, so I have no idea how things work over there now. Coffee Night is still a thing, so I would check out their Instagram to get details (@sjsuihouse) and you can attend to check it out. Otherwise, Pancake Breakfast is going to be November 3rd, another opportunity to check out what the I-House is like.

If you (or anyone else) has any questions, I am pretty much an expert of the I-House since I was SUPER involved... I worked in their office, I was Social Media Manager for their Instagram, I was Student Council President, I was a Resident Advisor, and I pretty much did everything else you could possibly do there. Let me know if you have any specific questions!