EXPLOSince our founding in 1976 as a nonprofit startup out of MIT, EXPLO has created transformational learning environments of intellectual inquiry and spirited adventure. In roughly 50 years, we’ve brought together over 89,000 students and educators from 101 countries for summer enrichment programs. We design programs with immersive, boundary-pushing worlds for kids and teens to explore. Here, clever young people take the time to wonder, find passions, and make surprising discoveries.
EXPLO (explo.org) has 68 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.
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kavetha
It was a great experience for my son at the veterinary science focus program where he learned so much but the only reason I gave it a four star was my son was looking forward to get CPR certified but was unable to so was a bit disappointed
Response from EXPLOAug 29, 2024
We are so glad that your son enjoyed the Veterinary Science focus program!
Abbie H.
I attended EXPLO at Yale for three summers. I was a really delightful opportunity. Taking mini-classes on subjects I was truly interested in reminded me of my love for learning. In the U.S. education system, I had started to lose sight of that. I gained incredible knowledge about different countries, political systems, philosophical and sociological theories, and systems of exploitation. I also learned lots of practical skills: how to problem solve, work productively within a group, write a resume and college admissions essay, and navigate life in a big(ger) city (than I had ever lived in up until that point). EXPLO prepared me for college in a way few other practical experiences could have. More than anything, though, the people were the defining feature of my experience. The people are what made it worth it. I have made friends that I still keep in touch with from EXPLO. Having so many curious, intelligent, successful kids all together was rewarding in a way few opportunities were. I felt seen and understood. I'll always be grateful I got to attend EXPLO. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the big, obvious problem: the finances. Motherpucker it's expensive. Without help from my very generous grandparents (who valued educational experiences for their grandchildren) there is no shot I would've been able to go. None. It is prohibitively expensive, and I'm sure that the pandemic, recent inflation, and corporate greed have only exacerbated the problem. I honestly don't know what the breakdown of expenses is. Feeding and transporting people to activities for 3 weeks is expensive for sure, but for the price they ask for?? Maybe the rent of the facilities they use takes most of it. It certainly didn't go to our chaperones (they totally deserved the money, too!) The only other complaint I had as a child was that time was super strictly regimented and that the adults could be a tad overbearing. However, for liability and logistical reasons, as an adult I completely understand. They're a consequence of keeping everyone safe and avoiding lawsuits. Those problems never ruined any experience of mine, it was just odd at age 17 to be corralled around sometimes. If you can put those complaints aside, the experience is nearly perfect. I cannot recommend it to those who can afford it enough. For those who cannot, I empathize. I only got to go because of luck. P.S. My last experience with EXPLO was in 2018-2019, so ignore the date of experience for my review!
Response from EXPLOApr 21, 2024
We are so glad you had a wonderful EXPLO experience. The impact that the program had on your love of learning and the sense of belonging that you found in our community are central to our ethos and we love hearing that feedback. It’s expensive to run a very high quality experiential program. Access to extraordinary facilities and extensive academic and co-curricular programming adds to the cost. In addition to the facilities, the other big cost is our people. We have the best staff-student ratio in the industry. We believe that having a staff of smart, talented, and passionate people is the best way we can help our students find their spark, and develop their own passion and purpose. We know that not every family can afford the tuition, which is why we operate a robust grant and scholarship program and work with a number of partner organizations that support lower-income families in attending our programs. We encourage families of all means to give us a call and see how we can offer support.
David C.
It was a worthwhile summer camp that I attended for three consecutive years at different colleges while I was in middle school, about 5 years ago. I met lots of people from all around the world, and some are still my friends today. If I had to identify the biggest advantage and disadvantage of this summer program: The biggest advantage is that you get to make connections with people from various backgrounds and locations around the world. It allowed me to gain different perspectives and enriched my narrow worldview at the time. The biggest disadvantage is that, although the program has some academic significance, there is no credit for higher-level academic courses such as high school or college level. The experience is more social than academic.
Response from EXPLOApr 21, 2024
We now have college credit! Over the last few years, EXPLO has added a number of new programs, including six that offer college credit and more that take a deep dive into an academic or career area. So, if you are interested in a more challenging academic experience, check out our pre-college concentrations in a range of areas, from engineering to psychology and neuroscience to medicine and machine learning and AI. Or check out our explorations programs, which are two week dives into areas like architecture, business, law, and politics. The great thing about EXPLO is that you can tailor your experience to what you’re looking for, and our admission counselors can help you design the best summer program just for you. We are thrilled to hear that you’ve maintained friendships from your time at EXPLO and thank you for your comments.
