Residential Students

While many families choose to drive their students to campus, we know that one of the big concerns for families traveling so far from home is transportation. Our staff — easily identifiable in their bright orange EXPLO t-shirts — will meet you at the airport, escort you to campus, and help you settle in. On Arrival Day, staff members remain at the airport until we know that the last student has been picked up.

When it’s time to return home at the end of the session, we’ll take you back to the airport — and stay there until we’re sure everyone is safe and in the air.

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.

Campus Information

Wellesley College’s 500-acre campus is dotted with stunning brick and stone buildings rising from wooded hills. The view opens to an inviting vista through pine trees to the shores of Lake Waban. Home to outstanding academic and recreational facilities, extraordinary architecture, an art museum, observatory, meadows, and woodlands, it is the perfect setting for our Pre-College Program. The picturesque location is only enhanced by the College’s belief in the transformative power of curiosity, learning, and teaching — a belief we share here at EXPLO. The campus is a short walk from Wellesley Square, a lively downtown area teeming with restaurants, shops, and cafes. Just a few miles away are Boston and Cambridge, home to world-class colleges and universities that create an educational ecosystem that is known the world over as a global innovation hub.

Health and Safety

Our students’ physical and emotional health is a top priority. On the Wellesley 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 Wellesley campus, it’s 1:6. 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.