Please Join Us
All year long, the Overland admissions team works hard reviewing applications and creating great groups. Every application is reviewed in the order in which it is received, and we build each group with care—keeping ages close, limiting friend pairs, balancing boys and girls. It used to be that applications would come in slowly in the fall, and then flood in during January and February. Now, however, the flow of applications begins in the summer and builds steadily all fall. What this means is that some groups will fill—or close to it—before the holidays and others will fill in January. By the time spring arrives availability will be scattered across our 52 itineraries. Our advice? Apply as soon as you can—it only takes a few minutes—and we'll get to work right away to find a great spot for you.
OVERLAND ADMISSIONS
We welcome your application to join us!
Our admissions team carefully evaluates every application, always looking for healthy, active kids who are ready and eager for the opportunities we have to offer. Our goal is to put together great groups; groups where nice kids can thrive in a warm, welcoming and caring environment.
Overland groups are limited to 12 students. When building our groups, we keep the age and grade range narrow (most groups have a one- to two-grade spread), we balance the mix of boys and girls (6 and 6, 7 and 5, and 8 and 4 work well). We also limit friend pairs to no more than two per group.
Overland seeks to build supportive, wholesome groups, considers applications from all people and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, familial status, genetics, ancestry, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply online using a credit card for the $795 deposit (your card will not be charged until we confirm a spot for you). Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are submitted (we do not hold spots over the phone).
WHEN TO APPLY
We recommend applying as soon as you are ready. We receive applications throughout the fall; many programs fill as early as January, and others will have space available in the spring. We encourage families to apply even if the first choice trip is not available as we frequently open additional sections of certain programs.
ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Applying to Overland is a two-step process. During the first step, Placement, we determine whether or not there is space available after receiving your child’s application. During the second step, Admissions Review, we carefully review each applicant’s Admissions Review Forms to determine whether or not he or she qualifies for admission in our sole judgment and discretion.
STEP 1: PLACEMENT
When we receive your child’s application, if the first trip choice is available, you will receive a phone call and an email containing a link to our Overland Family Portal and Admissions Review Forms. We will process your deposit to hold your child’s place in the program pending a favorable Admissions Review. If the first choice is not available, we will call you to confirm the second choice is acceptable. If neither the first nor second trip choice is available, we will call you to discuss options. For those students placed on our waitlist, we will notify you when a spot becomes available.
STEP 2: ADMISSIONS REVIEW
Using our Family Portal, we’ll ask you to complete our Admissions Review Forms. These include:
- Health Record Forms (Parent/Guardian Questionnaire, Allergy Questionnaire, Prescription Information and Physician’s Report)
- School Reference
Our Admissions Review begins when we receive your completed forms. The goal of this review is to determine whether your child meets Overland’s admission standards. We seek to admit students who demonstrate the personal qualities and experience necessary to succeed on an Overland trip. While Overland is always supportive and nurturing, an Overland trip is unlike a traditional camp in that our small groups—12 students and 2 leaders—travel, live and work as a group, making all of their own meals, helping each other and cooperating in ways big and small, and they do all of this far from home. Every student must be able to thrive in an environment that places equal emphasis on:
- Teamwork & Shared Responsibilities
- Independence & Self-Reliance
- Support of Others & Consideration for Others
Your completed Admissions Review Forms guide our review. We focus on three main areas:
- Whether the applicant is developmentally and physically capable of succeeding in Overland’s program.
- Whether the applicant is socially and emotionally prepared for Overland’s program.
- Whether the applicant has a history of disciplinary or other issues that demonstrate a concern about whether or not the applicant would succeed in Overland’s program.
Once we receive your Admissions Review Forms, we will begin the Admissions Review process. The Admissions Review process generally has one of three outcomes:
- The applicant is placed on the applied for trip.
- We offer a different trip to the applicant.
- We recommend the applicant wait a year and re-applies.
If our decision is to admit your child, we will send you an email confirming your child’s admission. If we decide not to admit your child, we will send you an email with our decision, and we will make a full refund of any payments you have made to Overland.