Rising Grades 8+9 | Sarah Lawrence College | Bronxville, NYEXPLO 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

Campus Information

EXPLO’s setup at Sarah Lawrence offers unmatched campus resources for our explorers. Our Administrators, including the Program Head, live on campus for the duration of the program. This allows for many daily check-ins with faculty and staff, who also have extensive crisis and emergency training. In case of emergency, we not only have a 24/7 Health Center staffed with Registered Nurses, but we also are within close proximity to several top-notch New York hospitals.

Keeping students, staff, and the greater community safe is our top priority at EXPLO. We’re working closely with our medical advisors/practices, our longtime health staff, and our host institutions. We’re regularly monitoring information coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, recommendations from the New York Department of Health, and local regulations. We expect all students, families, and staff to take the EXPLO Health Pledge that acknowledges that individual choice and action will need to be subordinate to the common good of keeping the entire community safe. Visit our COVID-19 Safety page for more information.

Health and Safety

Our students’ physical and emotional health is a top priority. Our Health Center is staffed 24/7 with experienced, registered 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 high school and college. 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 an 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 Sarah Lawrence 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.

Financial Aid