Upcoming
August 20, 2026
Welcome Dinner - Thursday 8/20
Come and find out who we are! Our evening includes a free Chinese dinner 🥘, icebreaker game, info session, and some of the best Philly ice cream 🍨 at the end!
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Philly · Philadelphia, PennsyvaniaYou don't have to
You don't have to
do this alone.
ISMP at Philly is a group of volunteer mentors who meet international students here on campus. Come to one event or get matched with a mentor and start from there.
On campus
What's happening at Philly.
Come and meet the mentors here. Everyone is welcome.
Your mentors here
Some of the mentors you'll meet here.
They run the workshops, host the dinners, and stay in touch long after your first semester.
What to expect
What a mentor actually does.
01
Get help with the real things.
How to email a professor, a roommate problem, a housing question, and what looking for a job in the U.S. is really like. These are the parts of life here that nobody explains. Our mentors are unpaid volunteers who know how hard it is to move to a new country, and they are happy to help.
02
Open to everyone.
ISMP is built on Christian values, and all of our mentors are Christians. Their faith is what motivates them to volunteer and invest in the lives of international students. What you do together is practical and personal: studying, working, and building a life here. There is no requirement to be Christian to participate. Every international student is welcome.
03
You set the pace.
You meet your mentor once to start. After that, you decide how often you meet and what you talk about. Some students meet every week. Others only want to talk once, before something important like a big presentation. You can stop at any time.
01
Get help with the real things.
How to email a professor, a roommate problem, a housing question, and what looking for a job in the U.S. is really like. These are the parts of life here that nobody explains. Our mentors are unpaid volunteers who know how hard it is to move to a new country, and they are happy to help.
02
Open to everyone.
ISMP is built on Christian values, and all of our mentors are Christians. Their faith is what motivates them to volunteer and invest in the lives of international students. What you do together is practical and personal: studying, working, and building a life here. There is no requirement to be Christian to participate. Every international student is welcome.
03
You set the pace.
You meet your mentor once to start. After that, you decide how often you meet and what you talk about. Some students meet every week. Others only want to talk once, before something important like a big presentation. You can stop at any time.
“When I first came to Penn for my master's degree, I was looking for people to hang out with, and ISMP is the community I found here. People here are very genuine, and they help me with my school work, job hunting, or just in general life in the US. I tried other clubs and social events, but ISMP is where I find people whom I can find life-long friendship with.”Liz Zhang, software engineer @ Amazon · Penn MCIT · Philly
Photos
A year at ISMP.
There are mentors at Philly right now.
Tell us your year and what you want help with. It takes a few minutes.
Apply to get a mentor