Already signed up..is it a waste?

<p>So, I've been hearing that college admissions think nothing of summer programs where you simply pay to get in. My father already paid for me to attend the Brown Leadership Institute for 2 weeks..Is this a waste of time? I'd feel so bad if it is.. it wasn't cheap. My instructor will not be a professor, but he's a researcher at Brown & graduated from both Harvard & Brown. Maybe I could get him to write an awesome recommendation? Honestly, I applied to this program b/c the class really interested me (entrepenurship for social change) It correlates with my volunteer work at a nonprofit & my passion for the environment.
I was contemplating applying for the Yale Journalism Workshop (1-week) next summer (It's free for CT residents, based on writing samples and stats) Again, I'm very interested in journalism. Is it a good idea to apply to it, as well as TASP? Or, is it a waste of time..</p>