[Cynette]

My son went to one of those conferences, NSLC (National Student Leadership Conference) between his Jr and Sr year of HS. His was in Washington, DC and they stayed on the campus of American University. He had a great experience and went places and saw things that you can't do on a normal family or school tour.

So in that sense it is not a scam. But while the attendance and invitation is selective, it is not as prestigious as they would make it sound in the invitation. The letters of recommendation that they offer to provide are rarely needed for a college application anyway.

And yes they are expensive. Like many of those youth programs you can do your own fund raising to earn all or part of your tuition. Some offer college credits, some ask for additional tuition before issuing college credit.

For us it was the right thing to do at the right time. But there are lots of other pre-college experiences to choose from. Just pick something to do to widen your horizons and challenge yourself! Good luck!