Sleepaway or Ultimate Day Veterinary Science
The choice is yours
Sleepaway...
Live your animal adventure 24/7 for two weeks on the beautiful suburban campus of Regis College. Have fun from sunup to lights-out. Build friendships with your clever and funny roommate and the kids in your living group. Your friendly EXPLO resident advisors are there 24/7 to help or just hang out.
...or Ultimate Day
The Ultimate Day option combines immersion in animal care, discovery, and fun with flexibility and choice. Come to campus early, stay late, join awesome off-campus weekend adventures with sleepaway kids, all while working with professional vets and technicians on everything from domestic pets to large, exotic animals.
Veterinary Science the Ultimate Day Way
Want to come early and have breakfast with us one day but not another? Want to head home in the afternoon one day and stay for dinner and a movie night the next? You can do all of that—you have ultimate flexibility in Ultimate Day.
Fun on a daily basis
You’ll participate in all the same surprising, creative adventures together with residential students (and we mean all of them, even evening activities and weekend trips to places like the New England Aquarium, Canobie Lake Park, Boston’s Museum of Science, a surfing school, indoor skydiving, and more).
What's included:
Arrive as early as 7:30 AM and leave as late as 8:45 PM. Three late evenings per session are included in your Ultimate Day tuition. Breakfast, additional evenings, and weekend trips have a small fee that’s part of your trips and sundries account.
Living the adventure 24/7
We’ve been making first-time campers at home for 50 years
We invest in making the first-time sleepaway experience as smooth and stress-free as possible, with the best staff-student ratio of all overnight summer camps in Massachusetts. Every student is part of a close-knit living group led by two residential advisors to ensure their needs are met and they feel welcome.
Other features include:
- 24-hour dedicated health center
- Laundry service each weekend
- Personal staff pickup and drop-off from the airport
What a sleepaway day looks like
There’s no such thing as a “typical” day at EXPLO, but they follow this basic flow.
- Mornings
- Afternoons
- Evenings
- Weekends
Mornings
- 8:00 AM – Breakfast
- 9:05 AM – Morning Greeting
- 9:20 AM – Veterinary Science Focus
Afternoons
- 11:45 AM – Lunch + Quad Time
- 1:30 PM – Veterinary Focus
- 4:15 PM – Quad Time
Community Meeting brings the whole EXPLO Junior program together to share a joke of the day, student performances, the EXPLO favorite Minute to Win It competition, and so much more.
Evenings
- 5:15 PM – Dinner
- 6:30 PM – Evening Activities
- 7:30 PM – Evening Event
- 8:30 PM – Winding Down Time
- 8:45 PM – Floor Check-In
- 10:00 PM – Lights Out
Before winding down for the day, grab a spot for movie night, catch a magic show, laugh out loud at the stylings of an improv comedy troupe, or take to the stage yourself—the possibilities are endless. Events EXPLO has hosted in summers past include Carnival Night, EXPLO’s Got Talent, pool parties, Camp-Out Movie, Game Show Night, and more!
Weekends
The more you know
Here are more details on program logistics (aka, grown-up stuff). We’re standing by to answer any more questions, though: don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 781-762-7400 or emailing us at junior@explo.org.
Airport
We know that one of the big concerns about traveling far from home is transportation. Our staff—easily identifiable in their bright orange EXPLO t-shirts—meet students at the airport, escort them to campus, and help students settle in. On arrival day, staff members remain at the airport until we know that the last student has been picked up.
At the end of the session, we take students back to the airport—and stay there until we’re sure everyone is safe and in the air.
The cost for airport transportation is $100 each way, and if a student is flying as an unaccompanied minor, there is an additional charge of $150 each way.
Car
Families may arrive between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM on the first day of their session. On departure day, students will be packed and ready to greet their families between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM. EXPLO signs will direct you through to registration.
Most students will be housed in double rooms with a traditional multi-stall hall bathroom. We encourage families to work with their Admission Counselor to discuss housing for their child. Each student is part of a living group. There are two residential advisors per living group and the group is comprised of students from a diverse array of backgrounds. Living groups are determined based on student grade and gender identity, with an option for mixed-grade, gender-inclusive housing should space be available.
Each living group is also supervised by two residential directors who work closely with the deans and assistant deans in the Office of Student Life. The Office of Student Life ensures that each student feels a sense of belonging at the program and is thriving. Since most students have never lived in a residence hall and most have never had a roommate, members of the Office of Student Life guide and advise students through this new experience.
Most students are assigned a roommate they do not know. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get to know someone new. We recommend that if friends come to the program that they do not live with one another, but they can instead request to be in the same living group. That said, students may choose specific roommates as long as both students are in the same grade and they request one another.
Students are not permitted to have cell phones or laptop computers with them on campus for the duration of the program. For students traveling on their own, EXPLO can safely store these devices until departure. Communication will be through EXPLO phones.
Kindles, iPods, and other personal music/reading devices are allowed, but only for purposes of playing music and reading. Any cellular or internet capabilities must be deactivated for the duration of the student’s time at EXPLO. All books or audio must be pre-loaded on a device, as streaming will not be available.
Apple watches or other smartwatches/personal devices must also be disconnected from cellular, GPS, or internet capabilities.
In order to establish a support system with the other members of the EXPLO community, students may not make or receive calls during the first week of the program. Students may call home beginning the second Monday of each session from a shared phone on their floor.
Families can always call the Main Office and connect with the Office of Student Life for an update on their child.
From day one, families may send emails to students using the student messaging service on the Student Portal. Students will not have access to their personal email accounts.
Students may send and receive snail mail, and should bring stamps with them to the program.
Care packages and nuts
EXPLO is a nut-sensitive program. We ask that you refrain from sending your child food or candy of any kind. Nut-rich candies, granola bars, and chocolates, or toiletries containing nuts or nut oils, could be incredibly harmful to students with allergies so they, along with food of any kind, will not be delivered to students in their dorms. Most parents/guardians do not send gifts of any kind to their children, but if you want to reach out, you could email funny articles or stories or other encouraging, positive material that will let them know how much you care.
English is the working language of EXPLO. To enroll in the program, you must be able to speak and understand English at a reasonably fluent level. To ensure that everyone is able to participate in all aspects of the program, students who do not attend a school with an English language-based curriculum or speak English at home may need to interview with EXPLO. Once you’ve submitted an application and deposit, we’ll contact you and your family about completing an interview should we determine that one is necessary.
Almost 90,000 students from 101 countries have attended EXPLO. The community is diverse, and students from around the world have made lifelong friends across cultures. Students attending EXPLO are eligible to attend under a B-2 tourist visa. You can check to see whether a visa is required using the online Visa Wizard on the US Travel website – select the “study or exchange” and then “recreational program.” Should you need to apply for a visa, EXPLO will provide you with a support letter tailored to your needs.
Regardless of visa need, all students entering the US from abroad are encouraged to request a travel letter from EXPLO to expedite entry and should ensure that their passport is valid for at least six months beyond their planned entry date.