Foreign students

Sometimes people need to have some additional students for their mini-plots, but they need some older students, not first years, and none of existing characters can help. I strongly against allowing people to create students older than first year, but I think "temporary" students can be allowed. I think some kind of exchange program can be a good excuse.

Why I don't support older student creation:
1) Created students have lame background, because they didn't interact with any of existing characters for several years. Not in a single thread. (This can be fixed by some background notes, but it's still lame)
2) It discourages players from developing existing characters. If the only way to get a sixth-year is to RP through five previous years, players would stick to their characters and not abandon them.

Why foreign students are fine:
1) They don't have lame "I've been studying at Hogwarts for 5 years and haven't talk to anybody once" backgrounds. Because they studied in another school.
2) They don't discourage players from developing their main characters. I think exchange students should stay at Hogwarts for half a term. It's not a long time, so people still need to have "normal" characters for using them in long-term plots and building complicated relationships.

Some other advantages of these students:
1) Zey can 'ave adorable accents.
2) They can use their Hogwarts habits ignorance as a part of some plots. ("Ve can hold veapons at Durmstrang!" "We can drink vine at Beauxbatons!")
3) They can use their language problems as part of some plots. (What does 'inflammable' mean? Maybe 'heat before use'?)
4) They can use their foreign status as part of some plots. (Good work for International Cooperation Department)
5) In special years they can take part in the Triwizard Tournament. (I would like to see the Tournament idea implemented, by the way)

After leaving Hogwarts, these students can still be used:
1) They can become pen friends. It's much more fun to correspond with someone who is really far away and you have no chances to meet them except summer and, maybe, Christmas holidays.
2) More interesting summer threads (and maybe Christmas ones).
3) Some of them can graduate or get expelled and move to the Great Britain as adults or outcast wizards (like Hagrid)

I think this is a brilliant idea. I'll think about the Triwizard Tournament one though, because I don't know how it would happen. But the foreign students is great. I'm up for it.

I like it as well.

I really like the idea, only thing is that I don't think it would be hard for a fifth year to never have talked to all the other students, even if they had attended Hogwarts, but not RP-ed it. Keep in mind that Hogwarts is a rather massive school, and that, for example, Harry didn't talk much with his fellow Ravenclaws, and barely Parvati and Lavender of his own house. But I don't think it would be a good idea, because then people can simply make their character a fifth year, and there will be severe lack of first years and so on. Therefore, I really like the foreign thing. Though maybe a maximum number? If the school is suddenly crawling with foreign students, it'll be sort of … unreal?

But if we do what Evan suggests (at least, what I think he suggests) that foreign characters can only be made for a plot to another character, then I think it'll be contained and work pretty well!

@ Wade, Triwizard Tournament is not a real priority. But it can be made easily, I think. No need to create any additional forums.
1) Announcement
2) Welcome ceremony (optional)
3) Goblet of Fire thread
4) Simple task thread(s)
5) Yule ball (optional)
6) Goodbye ceremony (optional)
But the Tournament isn't so important for the site, I think. I just pointed out that having the foreign students experience would make the Tournament organization much easier.
This event can be used in combination with the main plot as a good way for Dark Wizard to get into Hogwarts, for example, because there are lots of new people.

@ Morgana, Foreign students don't have to be made exclusively for some plot, but I think no one is going to create one without a real reason, because I find it sad to see your character go.
I also don't think many students are created, so no limit is necessary. If it turns out I'm wrong and there are suddenly lots of them, we can make some limitations. But I don't think we'll need that.