EXPLO Avis 60

My daughter attended the medical rotations camp. She learned how to suture, practiced laparoscopy at a simulation lab and much more. She was able to experience what being a doctor would really be, it was very exciting for her and further ignited her passion for medicine. The program takes the middle schoolers seriously and gives them opportunities that because of their age, usually would not be possible.

What a wonderful experience! This is a camp where you can trust your pre-teen/teen will be safe, learn to spread their wings and experience more of life! The staff are attentive and encourage your child to push themselves socially and academically! My daughter finished the camp and immediately was interested in signing up again

I am writing this review as a warning to other parents of non-neurotypical children: my son underwent psychological abuse at this camp because they did not understand his quirks. Some of the staff, who are untrained in working with non-neurotypical kids, took it upon themselves to assess and “help” my child. They also ignored his concerns about the way discipline was handled at camp, and redirected his thoughts to how his concerns might be due to his history of depression and anxiety. The whole experience was a nightmare.
My son loved this camp with all his heart in his first week there. He felt he had ‘found his people’; other nerdy kids who were passionate about science. That all changed as he began to see injustices in the way discipline was managed, which he is very sensitive to. He is the kind of kid that has a deep drive to know why adults make the decisions they make, and even though he is only 12 he has a mature ability to understand these things when they are explained to him. The fact that his concerns were redirected and blamed on his diagnoses is abuse. After an initial incident involving this, he was seen as a ‘problem’ by some of the camp staff, who ended up perpetrating even more egregious abuse later in his camp experience.
Please learn from my mistakes. I do not want anyone else’s child to undergo the experiences that mine went through. The whole thing breaks my heart.

We can't say enough great things about EXPLO. My son attended for three summers and each year he couldn't wait to go back. The program offers a wonderful balance of learning and exploring classes, fun activities on the weekends and allowing the kids to have down time to just explore the campus/town. From drop off to pick up the program ran smoothly and we received photos and updates of the kids throughout the time they were there. 5 stars all the way!

My son attended EXPLO for 5 summers and his experience each time consisted of a variety of in depth and memorable moments. He made new friends and did so many interesting activities. It is a testament to the program that we were a repeat family traveling from Los Angeles each summer. As a parent I know this program prepared him for applying to colleges and eased him into the college experience - thank you to your team and many talented and dedicated staff - Los Angeles parent and UCSB Chemistry major!

the kids loved every minute they were there. They met new friends from around the world, shared all the interesting stories, stretched themselves to try new things! We can't say enough good things about this camp!

Daily updates and pictures. Reminders for everyday events. Extra on campus activities. Hands on activities and on site field trips

Out-of-the ordinary wrkshops to explore interests outside what is usually offered in High School.
Great care with excellent Residential Advisors : fun and serious at the same time, assuring older students can enjoy more independance.
The management team at the camp communicated very warmly and regularly - a truly professional team!
Our son loved it.

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed her time at explo. In the Biomedical Engineering program she was able to work on suture technique, she modeled a cartilage knee replacement as well as used the robotic equipment to mimic surgery. She was also able to make lifelong friends through the program and can't wait to try medical rotations next year.

This program was amazing and has furthered her passion to pursue medicine as this is just the tip of the iceberg.

My daughter's experience with EXPLO at Wellesley was phenomenal. She loved the campus, the weekend activities, the staff, and the other students. She became friends with students from all around the world. Her three weeks with EXPLO were the best three weeks of her life!

My daughter had an amazing time in England. It was a once in a lifetime experience!

very little information and feedback from the teachers in camp, especially for those who came very far away to attend the camp.

Lifelong learning and lifelong friendships. This summer was exceptional.

The review below is from the parent's POV.

Communication: fast and efficient for documentation and updates. The website and dashboard (for enrolled parents/students) are well-curated and organized. I was assigned a camp counselor for all my questions and concerns so that's wonderful!

Orientation: It was a good and enriching meeting since parents were able to ask as many questions as they wanted. There were a lot of clarifications on safety, logistics, etc., discussed, so I appreciate this.

Pick-up and Drop-off: easy and efficient. It also helps that the child is allowed their gadget/mobile phone as the pick-up day arrives.

Staff: courteous and well-trained.

Son's POV: my son's opinion can vary, but overall - he had a great experience. There were a few adjustments at the start, and he had to battle homesickness while adjusting to new people around him (he does overnight trips with his classmates in school for school projects so familiarity is different) that he will be interacting and it was a "start from Square 1 - he had to vet and choose well the people he wants around him. Some issues became a mistaken report that left a wrong impression on him, wherein I got a call about the "issue" while my son was still in camp. After clarifying the "issue" and noting that my son wasn't at fault, I didn't get a call on the correction so it was not a good look or impression that I have for the school).

Aside from the above, I am very happy with the rest of the organization. It's a blimp that will hopefully be avoid, if we do go back to with EXPLO for summer camp.

We will look into this organization again for our next summer camp options.

My daughter not only learned new things, she had fun exploring and solidifying her interest in Engineering. She made new friends, and willingly immersed herself in Wellesley and the activities.

The registration experience wasn't the best and could use tremendous improvement in streamlining the requests, emails, and making it easy for parents to complete the requirements. The camp itself was fun.

The overall vibe was fantastic, and the team’s positive attitude really stood out. My daughter had such a great time that she often asked to stay for the extended day!
A big thank you to everyone involved for creating such a welcoming and fun environment. We couldn’t be happier with the experience, and I know she’s taking home wonderful memories.

My daughter had a wonderful time exploring different areas of focus and met wonderful friends along the way.

Overall, my teen truly enjoyed the experience. My teen had the opportunity to meet new people from all over and learn about them and with them. Explo did a great job of keeping them busy and engaged. My child appreciated living in the dorms and experiencing some “independence and autonomy.” The RAs were phenomenal in getting to know my teen, building trust and fluid communication. My teen felt heard and seen. What I think Explo needs to work on is communication with the families. The no phone policy needs to be adjusted. I understand the need to minimize distractions and keep kids engaged but, they should have times where if the teens need to communicate with their family due to homesickness, mental heath, or times of emergency they should allow them to have access to their device. Maybe a monitored hour in the evening, once or twice a week. In addition, Explo should create a transitional space for those challenged with adjustment. They suffer alone because most don’t or can’t communicate what it is that they are experiencing. Some participants come from across the globe and are immersed in a foreign place with no familiar people or identifiable support. Maybe a round table discussion about change, separation, adjustment and building bridges. In addition, the dorms are extremely hot, no ac and minimal air circulation from fans. They should consider securing better accommodations. In addition, when something changes that affects the participants parents should be informed. We should be made aware if any circumstances change that may directly affect our kids and administrators should openly communicate. The teens should have someplace to go other than roaming around because they can’t return back to the dorms after activities. I understand the need for supervision and safety. Maybe they have a drop off and pick up time, I’m which they can drop off their backpacks, bags and pick up what’s useful in the evening hours. However, lugging your belongings around all day, Is a bit much.

My daughter loved every minutes of it. The workshops and classes were fun and engaging. The staff was amazing, extremely supportive, and encouraging. The evening activities were very well organized and very entertaining. I would highly recommend Explo!