<p>No, it does not help, and this is straight from the mouth of the Administrative Director of M&T (regarding programs like LBW, M&TSI, etc). Attending these programs will not help you leg up into Penn. You get the chance to learn more about certain programs up close and personal to see if they are right for you. You can learn about business, engineering, Penn, etc, before ever choosing to attend if you are accepted. It isn’t demonstrated interest/passion – which is a concept that will be evaluated from your high school profile and essays. </p>
<p>The reason why it may “seem” like it helps is because the pools are fairly self-selective. The kinds of kids who sign up for LBW/M&TSI/etc are generally the types of kids who are more college-savvy and qualified to begin with. But the programs themselves will not help you get in. This has been stated explicitly and so any word to the contrary is just speculative opinion.</p>