<p>HI! </p>
<p>So today, I was invited to study in Europe in the summer. They I was identified as a result of my participation in the PSAT. </p>
<p>I'm just wondering if this is a scam or not, and if I should reply to this letter.</p>
<p>Thanks :D</p>
<p>This is with the people to people program.</p>
<p>It’s not a scam but it’s probably not something worth responding to (unless if you really want to got to Europe). A lot of people get recommended by teachers to go so it’s really not selective…as long as you have the money, you can go.</p>
<p>Agreed that it’s not a “scam” per se, but it is expensive. My neighbor across the street just participated in a people to people program for 3 weeks in Australia. He had a wonderful experience.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call it a “scam.” I just think that by making it seem special, some people are willing to pay over inflated costs for travel opportunities. I think that our whole family could have traveled in Europe for what People to People wanted to charge only for D.</p>
<p>It’s not selective. It’s not something that impresses college. You can take a family to 4 for a European vacation for what People to People charges one student. (I know, I actually did that one summer with my family, visiting many of the places where People to People took students).</p>
<p>If you have the money and can afford it, it can be fun.</p>
<p>It’s not a scam. When we were traveling through Australia we saw a big group of students at the airport traveling with People to People. You couldn’t miss them, they had on matching t-shirts and were carrying a banner. We tried to get son interested in it to no avail.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to the quality of the program but it does exist.</p>
<p>You’ll find multiple threads on this if you search cc, but they pretty much come down to the same conclusion: not a scam in that there is a trip involved and many participants have had worthwhile experiences, but it’s expensive and not as prestigious as the company would have you believe.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if most of the people here know alot about the P2P, it actually IS A SCAM! (caps lol) They make the price really steep, so they can make profit. My friends was actually in the program, and he told me it was a joke. There do half the things they promised and have a horrible quality of “education.” </p>
<p>If you have money & time & GOOD HEALTH(see link) then you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Here’s the site that show you why it actually is a “scam”:</p>
<p>[Consumer</a> complaints about People to People](<a href=“http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/people_to_people.html]Consumer”>29 People to People International Student Travel Programs Reviews from Travelers | ConsumerAffairs®)</p>
<p>I personally wouldn’t find it a great international experience to be traveling abroad with a large group of obvious Americans. I think that under such circumstances, one becomes far more familiar with other Americans than with people living in the foreign countries that you visit.</p>
<p>However, it could be a good experience for people who’d enjoy something like that and who might not get to travel internationally otherwise.</p>
<p>S went on a P2P tour of Russia and Eastern Europe about two years ago. Yes, it was expensive. No, it’s not selective. But the one thing it did for S is that it helped him decide that he really did want to do a full year exchange program in high school to Russia. And it also helped him sort out * why * he wanted to spend the year abroad in Russia instead of Germany, which he was also considering. He wound up applying to the NSLI-Y program and much to his pleasure he was one of the ten students selected for the NSLI-Y year long program to Russia last year. Since NSLI-Y paid for everything, including a small stipend, I think that we did manage to get our money’s worth out of P2P because his experience on P2P had helped him sort out the “why Russia?” question for his NSLI-Y application. But I do think my S represents an exceptionally odd-ball case.</p>
<p>It is not particularly selective and will not be any great benefit to college applications, but it could be a fun experience. If you have the money to spare and it sounds fun, it could be fine.</p>
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<p>Simply because they make a profit doesn’t mean it’s a scam.</p>
<p>Anyway, I don’t think it’s worth the money. In my opinion, there are better ways to spend one’s summer. Don’t drain your wallet.</p>
<p>I don’t call it a scam. I’ve known kids who have really enjoyed the experience and would not have gotten foreign travel other wise at that time. </p>
<p>What I dislike about such programs, is that there is a distinct inference that there is some reward aspect in being selected for consideration, and that participating in such programs can enhance your acceptance chances for college. Those things are not true.</p>
<p>I think it’s over-priced. A friend spent over $7k for her middle-school D to go to Australia last year…and she doesn’t have money to blow. She could have spent $7k and have taken her D herself!</p>
<p>We chose to allow our D to go the summer after 9th grade. There were many reasons why it was worth it to us and to her. We thought it was an excellent program. She did things that people otherwise can’t do when they are traveling abroad - raise flags at Normandy, meet public officials (like a Member of Parliament). But there are many other excellent experiences people can have with the same money. She doesn’t expect it to make a difference on her college applications, but it made a difference to her personally. She gave up some other privileges to be able to afford it.</p>
<p>Also, our HS gave social studies credit to her, which was very helpful.</p>
<p>My to-be 8th grader received a letter last week inviting her to travel to Australia next summer. 
She won’t be going!</p>
<p>I do have good friends that have used this with their children. They have always had a big traveling budget and often plan trips for their kids with and without parents.</p>
<p>I went on an Australian trip for 2 weeks the summer between 5th and 6th grade. It was an amazing experience. It’s not a scam, and it’s a good program too. We didn’t stay with host families, but we did visit two different schools and stay two days on a 10,000 acre ranch as well as more normal tourist activities like snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef and going to an animal sanctuary where we held koalas.</p>
<p>Definitely not selective. S of a friend of mine went this summer. Ranked dead last in his high school class as a soph (theoretically) last year, not going back to high school at all this fall. The kid had a good time, I think, and but I sure wouldn’t have spent that kind of money on a trip like that (it wasn’t easy for their family to afford it, either).</p>
<p>There is a thread about this over in the summer program section, too.</p>
<p>I don’t mean I wouldn’t spend a fair amount on a summer program for a kid. I just think that there are better places to spend it…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/540881-people-people-national-state-leaders-programs.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/540881-people-people-national-state-leaders-programs.html</a></p>
<p>It’s an expensive vacation that your kid can take on his own. We have tossed the envelopes into the recycling bin, but for some people (who have plenty of funds available), it’s a nice idea. It is not selective - anyone who can afford it can go - you can nominate yourself. But I know a girl who went to Australia and a boy who went to Europe who both really enjoyed their people to people trips. I’m sure they benefited from the trips. Any travel is beneficial. :)</p>
<p>It’s rather pricey, and the quality of the experience varies from trip to trip. I went on one to DC, a “leadership conference,” in 6th grade. It was fun, the first time I’d been so far without my parents, but I really was too young to get much out of it. Not really worth the money in retrospect.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t have gone on another except both me and my friend got a letter for the Japan one a few years ago…and Japan as a country was veryy tempting. We suffered through the stupid pre-trip meetings with some very aggravating leaders. And then the trip was amazing, most likely due to our Japanese coordinator. We went all over Japan, from Tokyo to the tiny fishing village where we did our homestays. I gave an impromptu speech to the Mayor of Hirado. We stayed in a traditional hotel, complete with tatami mats and hot springs. We helped bring in the catch with our host fathers and then ate those fish that night for dinner. We participated in “Grandparents Day” with an elementary school. Plus all the usual sightseeing and shopping.</p>
<p>So, is P2P worth it? Flip a coin. It depends on the local coordinators, leaders, and the other students on your trip.</p>