<p>I just applied for the Boston University Summer Challenge. I really want to go because I hope to go to BU or another school in Boston when the time comes. I want to get a feel for what it is like to live alone in the city and I want to find out what the campus is like and if it is right for me. Also, they seem to offer some really interesting classes, like Business, Chemistry of Medicine, and Abnormal Psychology. I would love to meet new people and make new friends, and also want to do something fun and productive with my summer. My parents are very reluctant to send me to the program because it costs $3600. Is the program really worth it? </p>
<p>My son attended July 2013. The classes are good but the program is mostly for students to experience Boston and college. The instructors are good so you will learn something, but they aren’t hardcore, so you won’t have much homework. Frankly, it’s more of a social experience.</p>
<p>My son decided he did not want to attend BU after attending this program. We realized the administration sux and doesn’t care about the kids much, and he decided he wanted a campus feel instead of an urban campus with subway running down the middle, plus he was accepted into a better program at another school. I’m not sure it’s representative of BU students, as most who he talked with were not considering attending BU.</p>
<p>If you want to attend a school in Boston, this would be a GREAT experience for you because it will help in your decision. The downside is that the freshman dorm, Warren Towers, is a 7-story building with no air conditioning in the rooms so you’ll have to sleep with the window open and fan blowing on you all night. Our fan was basic/lousy so I went by subway to the Bed, Bath, Beyond in Boston and bought a Vornado fan - highly recommend this fan for ultimate circulation. And you NEED a fan to survive. There is AC in the study rooms but not in the bedrooms. It was 85-95 degrees and HUMID. There is a CVS and Jamba Juice next to the dorm so you can buy drinks, and there is a drink vending machine on the ground level of the dorm. There are also basic dorm supplies at the bookstore, but overpriced. Buy a Charlie Card if you don’t want to have to pay cash each time you take the subway (you just swipe the card). The dorms aren’t super clean, the food is mediocre, it’s hot and humid. But in the end, the experience is worth the money to experience Boston. If your parents are willing to pay the high BU tuition, they should pay this lesser amount so you can be sure you like it prior to attending. Even better if they can take you a few days in advance to experience Boston. Brought my daughter when dropping off my son, and she decided she wants to go to NY instead of Boston. Again, the experience is well worth it and something you will always remember.</p>
<p>My son attended in 2012, went for four weeks, and selected four subjects to study. He had a fantastic professor for Creative Writing and discovered a passion he didn’t knew he had. He met students from all over the world and still keeps in touch with some of them. There is plenty of time to play and discover Boston.</p>
<p>We didn’t get the sense that the administration didn’t care about the kids (as the poster above said), but it certainly is an urban campus. As for Warren Towers, my son was there during one of the hottest summers on record - so hot, that they let the kids sleep in the air conditioned cafeteria one night! But part of the experience was the communal suffering of living in a dorm that is completely typical of the ones experienced by most college-educated parents on this site. </p>
<p>Yes, it is expensive (was a bit less a few years ago), but it was great for my son’s first experience away from home and set him upon the career path he is following today. </p>