Archive for the 'For Parents' Category

To describe Overland, we like to say that it’s a small and supportive group of students with superlative leaders on carefully-crafted programs that have a clearly defined goal…but what does that really mean?

Small and supportive groups: At Overland we never have a group with more than 12 students or fewer than 2 leaders. Keeping our groups small ensures superior supervision, individual attention, and a wholesome family-like environment. A group of 12 students and 2 leaders can travel together easily, they can sit around a single campfire, and everyone can truly get to know every each other during the trip. Everything from eating meals to reaching a summit is also always done together. We place a premium on selflessness and teamwork so the group is encouraging and welcoming to each and every student.

Superlative leaders: Overland heavily recruits from about two dozen elite schools across the country in an effort that generates nearly 600 leader applications a year. We hire about 60 of those applicants and have roughly 50% of our leader staff returning for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or even 5th summer. In addition to our a rigorous screening process involving a lengthy application, written references, background checks and in-person interviews with every one of our finalists, we hire leaders who are not only incredibly qualified but are fun, enthusiastic and engaging role models for our students. Read about our leaders here.

Carefully-crafted programs with a clearly defined goal: From trip design and leader hiring to student placement and our 10-day leader training, we’re making sure that every component of every trip is planned in minute detail. This ensures the safety and success of our groups around the world. We also want our students to be challenged and feel a sense of accomplishment on their trips. Whether that’s the challenge of being away from home for the first time, biking across a continent, climbing a 14er, or learning a new language, each program has a goal that the students as a group work towards and achieve together.

Please join us in 2010.

-Conor Frantzen

Our flow of applications is running at over 30 a day and is surpassing last year’s daily totals consistently – if Overland is in your plans for this summer, now is the time to apply.

The trips that are filling the fastest include:

- Field Studies: Tanzania (first section is full!)
- Alaska Leadership Course (new section opened!)
- Pacific Coast
- Language Immersion France
- North Country Adventure
- Nova Scotia & Acadia
- Language Immersion & Service Peru

Please contact us for questions on the latest enrollment.

Overland offers over 40 carefully crafted programs with clearly defined goals led by superlative leaders. Please join us this summer!

-Tom Costley

A group on our Berkshire Adventure summer camp for 5th graders on top of Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts

Over the past 25 summers Overland has grown into an excellent New England summer camp. Through our offerings to 5th graders (10 year olds and 11 year olds) and 6th graders (11 year olds and 12 year olds) we have firmly established ourselves as a wonderful camp for adventurous kids. Unlike traditional camp, however, at Overland there is no lake with cabins and a dining hall — instead, all of New England is our camp: the Berkshires and Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains in Vermont, and Lake Sunapee and the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Overland’s campers explore by foot and bike, they camp out at night and they are led by caring, conscientious counselors who assure their safety and well-being every step of the way.

If your 5th grader is looking for a summer camp adventure  in New England, check out our 1-week Berkshire Adventure camp or our 2-week Mountains & Sea Adventure program.

For 6th graders, we have our 1-week New England Adventure camp and our 2-week North Country Adventure program.

-Tom Costley

Now that our enrollment season is well underway, the phones are ringing off the hook and we spend our days in the office answering students’ and parents’ questions. This is an exciting time for us… and despite the heavy workload we all enjoy the non-stop conversations.

In this post I’ll address the most common question:

“How do I make a decision between a biking trip, a hiking trip, a service project, a language immersion program abroad, a writing program or a field studies trip?”

“It’s easy,” we always say. The essential Overland experience (a small group meeting a series of carefully-crafted challenges with a clearly defined goal) is the same on any Overland program. Making a choice, then, is as easy as simply picking the program that most appeals to you. Here are some ways you might narrow down your choices:

By Location

If you’ve always wanted to explore New England or travel out West, then start by investigating our different hiking, biking and service options in each region. Use the Find a Program search feature located on our home page.

By Challenge Level

Are you more interested in a fun summer adventure or a challenging experience? Then consider these options:

Low Challenge: Go on a cycling tour of Cape Cod and the Islands

Moderate Challenge: Study Spanish abroad on Language Immersion and Service Peru

High Challenge: Hike the Swiss Alps on the Alpine Challenge

By Length

Even if your summer is packed with family plans, you can still find time for the best summer adventure. Use the Find a Program tool and you can search by program length or even start date.

Need more guidance? Just call us! 800-458-0588.

-Tom Costley

Where will you be next summer?

Enrollment season is here and the flood of applications has started… now is the time to make your plans!

An important part of the application process for many families is attending an hour-long Overland presentation where you can meet one of our directors, hear about our 2010 programs and have your questions answered.

Please click here for times and locations.

We hope to see you there!

-Tom Costley

This is the first in a series of posts addressing this question from five different perspectives: outdoor adventures, service programs, language programs, environmental studies and academic programs.

But before I get into the details of how we structure our hiking trips to be both challenging and supportive, or how our language immersion programs guarantee hours a day of instruction and conversation (and do so in places as beautiful and exciting as Barcelona and Paris) let’s just look at the process of choosing a summer camp or summer program.

My advice to parents? Give your son or daughter the Overland catalog and ask him or her to have a look to see what looks interesting; then talk about his or her interests. In the ensuing conversation you’ll likely be surprised by some of the things you hear (my daughter surprised me by being eager to head west as a sixth grader; my son surprised me by saying that his interests were largely centered on hiking rather than biking).

Then consider your family’s summer schedule—if your family’s schedule is like mine, it’s a jigsaw puzzle of competing interests. Since most of our 40 programs have multiple start dates, you should be able to find a program that fits.

At the end of this conversation, size up where you are in the process. Everyone’s on board and ready to go? Send your application and deposit in right away. Not quite ready to commit? Take your time, think it through and call us with your questions or concerns. We’re always happy to help… and we want you to help your family find the best summer camp or best summer adventure: what works best for you, excites your child’s imagination and will produce memories that will last and influence a lifetime.

-Tom Costley, Founder