BEARchats

The University of Cincinnati's BEARchats Conversation Partner Program creates cross-cultural friendships and enhances student understanding of the University of Cincinnati's diverse student body.

As the University of Cincinnati becomes an increasingly global university, these cultural exchanges will form a foundation of cultural diversity and awareness for our students as they leave the university to take on the world.

International students are paired with a native/domestic student from the United States. Partner pairs will meet for one hour each week. Through meeting with your partner in a non-classroom setting, you will learn new English slangs and phrases in addition to exploring American culture. This will help you settle into the University of Cincinnati's diverse student body!

Domestic students meet and talk with an international UC student about everyday life. Partner pairs may cover topics ranging from American sports to social norms or customs that are new to students from another region or culture. You are not required to teach your partner English. Just be open-minded and engaged!

Domestic Students

• Help a student orient themselves in another country
• Learn about new cultures, traditions and languages
• Create an impressive profile with global perspective

International Students

• Familiarize yourself with American culture.
• Connect with new groups of students and friends
• Learn about available resources in the University and fun activities around you.

BEARchats also organizes bi-weekly group activities throughout the year. Students from different countries and backgrounds are encouraged to educate other students about various facets of their country such lifestyle, history, cultures, food habits, religions etc. At every presentation, students can enjoy food from that particular country's cuisine. In the past few years, students have presented about India, USA, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Vietnam, Armenia, Peru, China, Iran, Nepal, Nigeria, Japan, South Africa, Cameroon and Costa Rica.

As a part of the program, BEARchats members are also given the opportunity to go on outdoor social activities at reduced prices (or FREE!) to encourage social interactions and help develop their social skills.

The BEARchats program accepts applications through the first three weeks of the Fall semester. Based on their applications, students are assigned partners for the year. 

Applications for the academic year 2021-2022 is closed now. To register for BEARchats, please use the buttons below to take you to the appropriate application. Please note: you must be logged in to your UC CampusLINK account to access the applications. 

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