Envision Experience Reviews

Envision Experience by WorldStrides, found online at EnvisionExperience.com, describes themselves as a leading experiential education organization that's dedicated to enabling students to gain learning experiences in the real world.

How Does It Work?

Envision Experience states they use a team of professional educators to design hands-on programs for students that allow them to develop leadership, scholarship and career skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive college and career landscape.

These programs give students a chance to discover their career and life interests, as well as to build the necessary skills, access to resources, and have experiences that will help them achieve their educational and career goals. 

In order to apply to one of their programs, a student must be nominated by a teacher, educator, mentor, or educational institution.  

Interested educators and parents can search through available programs by student grade level, including Elementary, Middle School, High School, or College, as well as by topic, like Medicine & Health Care, Business, Law, Leadership, Diplomacy, Engineering & Technology, and much more. 

You can also search for programs by region, including those in the Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southwest, or West, and available programs in other continents, including Asia, Australia and the South Pacific, and Europe. 

Cost & Price Plans

The costs of each individual program will vary, but the quoted tuition of each program will usually include the cost of lodging, most meals, curriculum materials and professional instruction and supervision.

It will not include transportation to and from the program location and any personal spending money used for souvenirs, snacks and other incidentals.

They do offer a limited number of scholarships to eligible students, ensuring opportunities for children from a variety of backgrounds, as well fundraising options which cover the majority of costs for many of their attending students. 

And though they cannot guarantee your child a spot in any program, if you are waiting on a scholarship or fundraising before you can confirm your child’s attendance, they do ask that you contact the Office of Admissions to make them aware of your child’s intent to attend. 

Refund Policy

Since this company does not charge any subscription or membership fees for their services, there is no applicable Refund Policy offered by this company at this time.    

Customer Service Contact Info

Customers who would like to contact Customer Service with any questions, concerns, or complaints can do so by phone at 877-587-9659, by email at [email protected], or by submitting them directly to their website through their Contact Us link. 

Reputation

Unfortunately there are some very serious accusations made about this company and the promises they make, much of which is well outlined and detailed in an article by the New York Times explaining a recent lawsuit settled by the company, in which they paid out more than $17 million in vouchers to students of a previous program.

The biggest complaint about this company is their emphasis on how exclusive their programs are, and how students must high achieving, promising students that are nominated by educators, when in reality this company markets their trips to tens of thousands of students per year. 

The reason this is a serious problem, is that the students who then pay thousands of dollars to attend these programs expecting close, personal attention in a small group experience are then confronted with the reality that there are large numbers of students attending these programs, and very little opportunity for individual attention. 

Competitors and Alternatives?

There are many other organizations that offer students learning experiences outside of the classroom, so parents and educators looking for alternatives to this program should be able to find more than one option to choose from. 

If you have any experience with Envision Experience by WorldStrides or their services, please leave your reviews below.