EXPLO Pre-College Interview with Jonathan from Massachusetts

A former EXPLO Senior day student, Jonathan is learning a lot about how to navigate the world as a young adult as a residential student at Pre-College. 

I started my EXPLO journey at the Senior program and it was just wonderful. I learned so much and I was exposed to so many things. I was a day student while I was there, and I wanted to try the residential setting, so that's how I ended up here.

Both experiences were great, but you definitely learn different things from each. Being a residential student this summer has taught me great people skills, because when you live in close proximity with so many people, you cannot enter the room with an air of intolerance — it just won't work. You have to hear everyone out and come to a compromise in which everyone is happy. I have also learned great budgeting skills! Because I was not going home every night, I had to be conscientious about what I spent and when, and I had to look out for myself. 

The classes I am taking here have also been so revolutionary. In  Psychopathology, there is so much we cover everyday in a class that I leave everyday feeling like I know so much more about the world. I hope to go into Psychology and Neuroscience. I was really inspired by the talk we had by Skip Rizzo [from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies]. He really opened my eyes to the power that Virtual Reality can have when it comes to treating people with mental health issues. The talk was really cool and I hope by the time I am in the industry the technology will have developed to a point where we can make a real difference in the world.