Welcome to Our Global Community
When you come to EXPLO, you’ll experience the world. With students and staff from all corners of the globe, you’ll encounter world views that will stretch your own, beliefs that will challenge you, and friends that will be in your life for years to come. Welcome to our global community.
Explore America
At EXPLO, you’ll have a chance to experience American culture through some of our greatest sights and cities. Here are some examples of where we can take you this summer:
- Overnight trips to Boston, MA + Washington, D.C.
- New York City, including museum tours (the Met, the MOMA), NBC Studio, Broadway Shows (Lion King, Wicked), neighborhoods (Soho, Chinatown), + food tours.
- Aquatic Activities: Mystic Aquarium, Deep Sea Fishing, White Water Rafting
- Sports Activities: Yankees and Mets Baseball Games, Paintball, Rock Climbing
- Music: Litchfield Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival
Free Airport Pick Up + Drop Off from Bradley International
The moment international students arrive at Bradley International Airport, our staff is waiting for them. Wearing bright orange "EXPLO Staff" shirts that make them easy to identify, our faculty members greet students at the airport and escort them to our airport shuttle, which is provided to and from the airport free of charge. Click here for more arrival + departure information.
An International Adventure
What does "normal" look like here? An international program set on the campus of Yale University. Bright students who can speak over 25 languages (and come from over 50 countries and 40 U.S. states) but who use English in their day-to-day dealings with one another. A community composed of innumerable backgrounds, customs, and beliefs — all of which are open for you to explore, debate, and add some views of your own.
Explore America + the World
What is EXPLO like? During the week, you can hang out on the quad with a Texan, eat lunch with a Brazilian, and work on a project with an Italian and a Floridian. On the weekends, you can attend a baseball game at Yankee Stadium or stroll through Times Square in New York City before seeing a Broadway show. All the while, you'll be learning the nuances, slang, customs, and habits of your new American and international friends.
For students interested in improving their English, every moment of your day — classes, quad time, meal time, main events, dorm life — presents you with a new opportunity to practice in a safe and supportive setting. And our weekend and Wednesday trips to cultural destinations and university campuses give you first-hand experience with the sights and sounds of the East Coast.
Preparing for the Future
Students come to EXPLO for all sorts of reasons. Some hope to attend an American university or college some day. While others intend to continue their studies in their native language, they nonetheless want to improve their future educational and career opportunities. Most international students at EXPLO at Yale are already fluent in English, and they just want to be part of a community where they can explore American culture and the world of people and ideas with enthusiastic teachers and classmates.
English + Academics
The working language of EXPLO at Yale is English. To enroll in the program, students must be able to speak and understand English at an intermediate or higher level. To ensure that students will be able to participate in all aspects of the program — from academics to residential life to extracurricular activities — 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 a student has submitted an application and deposit, we will contact the student’s family about scheduling an interview, should we determine that one is necessary.
Regular academic offerings at EXPLO at Yale offer advanced English speakers a great language immersion experience because they are not lecture style, but instead are active and project-based. Advanced English speakers choose from the full course offerings at EXPLO at Yale.
ESOL Instruction
For intermediate-level speakers, EXPLO offers English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The goal of this specialized course is to improve students' oral English and comprehension skills through hands-on projects, role-plays, and activities. In addition to one ESOL course, students take one additional course, which would be drawn from a selection of our regular EXPLO at Yale offerings. Intermediate level speakers will also be able to choose from our regular workshop offerings.
For students at the beginning of their study of English — Early English Language Learners — EXPLO offers EXPLO English for students ages 10-15. For students ages 13 to 15, check out EXPLO English at Wellesley. Students interested in enrolling in EXPLO Foreign Affairs, EXPLO Chef, or EXPLO Ortho must be fluent in English.
TOEFL Instruction
International students who are interested in applying to American universities must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. EXPLO at Yale offers TOEFL instruction as a Princeton Review course in the afternoon.
