Envision Experience

Entertaining but Lacking Individual Guidance

Our daughter had a decent experience at STEM camp. Many of the challenges she found were slightly not up to par with a higher level of learning so she was disappointed in some aspects. Even at age 12 she was one of the youngest pupils there and still not challenged up to her abilities. She was expecting a more scholarly environment and more guidance from the teachers in attendance- specifically when it came to dissection. She wanted to learn the parts of the lung she was dissecting and really get into the science of it but at the end of it all most of the kids just chopped up the lungs with a scalpel and they went along with their day. She learned almost nothing in the dissection experiment and it was quite disheartening for her to see that happen. The robot she was given that she thought she was going to bring home was broken the entire time and a replacement one that actually worked was not offered as she was told there was no budget at the Camp for any kind of replacement. She did enjoy making new friends and also loved being on the Vanderbilt campus; In those regards it was a very good experience for her to see what life could be like in the future for her in a university setting. She also was quite surprised at the Christian based music and themes that went on daily. It didn't bother her because she is tolerant of other religions but she didn't think it was appropriate given the experience was supposed to be scientific and mathematically based which in her mind supersede religiosity. We will more than likely consider other paths for deeper educational stimulation next summer but as a family we are happy she was given the opportunity to have the experience.

An overall excellent experience

Thank you so much for organizing this

Thank you so much for organizing this! The kids had a great time. If I could make one suggestion for next time, it would be wonderful to include something related to STEM and sports. I think combining science, technology, engineering, or math with sports activities would be a huge hit with the kids. There are so many fun ideas—like measuring reaction time, exploring the physics behind kicking or throwing a ball, testing speed and agility, learning how equipment is designed, or even simple engineering challenges connected to sports. I think it would be a great way to keep the kids active while also sparking their curiosity and showing them how STEM connects to everyday life. Just an idea for a future event! 😊

People running the program were…

People running the program were incompetent

The hands on experiences

The hands on experiences, working with Zoo Vets and being able to spend the wek with other people who are passionate about the same things I am are what made this experience amazing!

Great opportunity!

Great experience

The staff. The food. The activities

This is my sons 3rd year participating…

This is my sons 3rd year participating anf every year he has an amazing time .

There was a lot of fun activities

There was a lot of fun activities, teachers were absolutely wondeful

I really enjoyed my experience!

I enjoyed making new friends and learning new things. I also got to build on what I know and love

It was cool

It was cool, nice environment cool historical locations and fun activities, and free food.

Cost way too high

Cost way too high. Daughter already knew most of the stuff that was reviewed, she was told by other students they also knew most of the stuff.

Great

Overall, the experience was great.

The tours should be guided

The tours should be guided. My daughter felt as though the students did not take group work seriously. Logistics of paid transportation to and from the airport was not well communicated. I ended up driving my daughter to check in and she ended up to the airport as we were boarding our flight. The students left the school later than noted they would which created a lot of stress on her and myself.

Wonderful experience for learning and…

Wonderful experience for learning and growing!

Okay but not worth the money

I do not think we received value for the money that was spent. My daughter said she had a good time but there were several hiccups. The water bottle refilling stations were broken and my daughter was unable to get snacks, so my mom had to drive her a bunch of things during the camp. She also mentioned that there were a bunch of bugs in the rooms. I think that for the value and amount of money, many other things should’ve been provided and not required for the kids to bring. I also don’t see my daughter in ANY pictures of the camp which was disheartening.

First of all the staff were amazing

First of all the staff were amazing. Absolutely attentive, informative, helpful and friendly. Fantastic customer service. Overall my day camper had a great experience, made connections and learned. While other students may have needed a more teacher lead model, my child is very much used to student lead projects from start to finish. So they found some of the activities too much teacher “done”. For the price of the camp I was expecting much more of advanced learning however understand that the makeup of the student group may impact. Overall it was a good experience yet for the price we can do so many more things that will impact her learning as well. She loves her teacher and that truly made the experience.

melissa zonisUnited States · 2 reviews · Verified · Experienced 2026-06-28 · Posted 2026-08-01

Grateful to have found an experience…

Grateful to have found an experience for my future vet! She loved speaking with professionals in the field and being with other teens that shared her interests. The daily newsletters and photos helped this helicopter mommy feel at ease! She came home so happy! Excited for next year!

Feedback

Overall my son had a good experience, but there was a couple things I felt could have been handled better. He left his badge/lanyard in a bathroom and it took over 24 hours to get it back to him. He had to rely on other kids to get him on the elevator, his roommate had to get him in his room and at one point he sat on the floor outside of his room waiting for his roommate to finish showering. They did room checks and gave him medications without. In the meeting for the parents orientation, they told us it’s important that staff utilize the badges for nightly checks and medications, which they couldn’t do the first night because he didn’t have it. I had to make a phone call and get upset and it was found and returned to him later that evening. Again, over 24 hours without it and he was ready to come home. I didn’t want that to ruin his experience. Something to improve for next time-there as tons of staff for orientation day-almost every 20-30 feet, which was great. There were signs posted everywhere. The day to pick our child, no one was outside to help guide us. It wasn’t clearly communicated as to what building on campus to pick them up. I ended up in the wrong building where the older children were being picked up and was told to go down the path, between the 2 building to retrieve my child. I think a few people could have been available outside to assist parents to where they needed to go or have better signage. Overall he had a great learning experience and would do it again.

The student connections

The student connections. The places you took us. The part that stunk was that the staff was not knowledgable about where we were going and we never got to process what we learned at the places we went. That seems crazy. But I enjoyed my friends and the counselors were friendly.