Rising Grades 4-7 | Regis College | Weston, MAEXPLO 360º

International Students

There are dozens of reasons why students from around the world attend American summer programs each summer. Some are preparing to attend an English language-based boarding school or international school. Others are interested in one day attending an American college or university or broadening their future educational and career opportunities. But not all programs are created equal, which begs the question: what should you be looking for when researching academic summer programs for international students?

In a typical summer, about 30% of residential students come from outside of the United States representing about 70 different countries. Living Groups are created to be representative of our overall student body — this way all students have the opportunity to meet friends from all over the United States and the globe.

Three weeks is a sweet spot for most campers to maximize their experience abroad. EXPLO programs run in three-week sessions, and we can accommodate students for up to six weeks.

English is the working language of EXPLO. To enroll in the program, you must be able to speak and understand English at an intermediate–fluent level. To ensure that everyone is able to participate in all aspects of the program, international students who do not attend a school with an English language-based curriculum may need to interview with EXPLO so that we may assess their English speaking abilities. Once you’ve submitted an application and deposit, we’ll contact you and your family about scheduling an interview, should we determine that one is necessary.

Extended Day

EXPLO's day program offers tremendous value to be part of a cohesive three-week experience with a wide array of residential students, but we recognize that EXPLO's schedule for day students may not fit with every family's working hours. Thus, we offer an option for early morning arrival (7:30 - 8:30 a.m.), and/or late departure (6:20 PM + 8:45 PM). Students registered for extended day can have dinner on-campus, and  participate in evening activities and the Main Event.

The cost for early arrival is $50 per week, or $125 for the three-week session. Extended day runs from 4:30 until 8:45 PM, includes dinner and costs $135 per week or $360 for the full three weeks.

Campus Information

Nestled between the Highland Forest and the Weston Reservoir is Regis College, a 90-acre wooded campus just 12 miles from Boston. With air-conditioned classrooms, labs, studios, meeting spaces, and dining facilities, it’s a perfect home for Junior Program students to explore the world of people and ideas, together. EXPLO students take advantage of light filled residence halls, tennis courts, gym, pool, playing fields, track, and plenty of outdoor space. It’s an extraordinary place to learn and play and only ten minutes from EXPLO’s Pre-College Program at Wellesley College. 

Health and Safety

Our students’ physical and emotional health is a top priority. On the Regis College campus, we have a health center staffed 24/7 with experienced nurses who are there exclusively for EXPLO students. All prescription and over-the-counter medications are distributed through the health center because state law — and common sense — dictates that students should not self-medicate or keep medications in their rooms.

Attending an academic enrichment program helps students prepare for the greater independence of middle school and high school. That being said, EXPLO does not believe that our students should be supervised as if they are already completely independent; we work hard to ensure each of our student age-groups is receiving a developmentally-appropriate and safe level of supervision and guidance throughout their days. In order to create the atmosphere that allows learning to be both fun and meaningful, we know that our students (and their loved ones back home) need to feel that our campus is safe — and that our staff is observant and trained to respond to our students’ needs.

Learn about our COVID-19 plans for summer 2023.

Faculty

We believe you can’t supervise students well if you don’t supervise the staff well — which is exactly why we have an intensive staff training program. In addition, we support staff members via an extensive supervisory structure to give them professional development feedback and hold them accountable. We’re regularly told by former staff members that the professional development and supervision they received at EXPLO was the best of their professional lives. While it may be time-consuming and expensive to hire and train this level of staffing — and while none of this completely guarantees the safety of all students — it puts all of us in the best position to keep our students safe and confident that they can let their minds and hearts soar and explore.

We deliberately keep our staff-to-student ratios low. On our Regis campus, it’s 1:4. This allows us to properly supervise residence halls, trips, and activities. We do this to make sure our students are individually known — and more importantly, that they feel known.

Financial Aid