<p>I am in 10th grade and my mother went to a meeting for something called "people to people" ambassador program... There is a $400 application fee and whenever I search for it in google one of the instants that comes up is "people to people scam"</p>
<p>apparently a lot of parents have had bad experiences with this program... and on the flyer it says that 85% of people to people ambassadors get accepted into their first college of choice.</p>
<p>There is an application process and from the large price-tag of the program it seems like this is basically a program for whoever can fork over the money... now I am fine to do it if it is actually a legitimate program that will look good on a college application as my family can afford it but I'd like some input from the parents of college confidential</p>
<p>I’ve been leery of it too. However, I have a friend who’s now 9th grader went on it last year and loved it. She went on the trip and just came back from a seminar with the group in Atlanta yesterday. I guess they have groups for kids who are interested on changing the world. I think she said last year was sustainable energy and this year’s had something to do with medicine.</p>
<p>So this year is medicine? I’m not to interested in that :P, I want to be an engineer when I grow up… do you think that NASA has any good summer programs? I live about 5 minutes away from Lyndon B. Johnson’s Space Center. I feel that they might have something that will be better for the “Tech Savy” person such as myself.</p>
<p>The program is very expensive though still and although we can comfortably afford the program, It doesn’t feel right for me to make my parents shell out so much for something that I’m reluctant to go on, If it were something that I really wanted to do then yeah I’d go for it :P</p>
<p>Have you heard of the Amigos program? It’s where you go to a Latin American country and live with a foster family for 6-8 weeks and teach them about hygeine… etc.</p>
<p>It in NO WAY adds to the prestige of your college application. It might give you some reasonable essay fodder, but that is about all it will do for your college chances. You would be a lot better off spending it on an academic program that is related to your choice of majors (math or technology, from the looks of your previous post).</p>
<p>Many students I know have a great time on these programs. These students not only work hard throughout their school year, they work hard to participate on these programs. Both efforts pay off! They not only are able to have the experience of a lifetime, they also have one more thing to add to their college applications… International Student Travel!! This program is also accrediated through the Washington School of World Studies, so the program is listed on your high school transcript. Check out the Alumni section of their website or even their online HUB, I see a lot of benefits.</p>
<p>Xxandra, do you have some financial interest in them? The kid I know who went last summer dropped out of high school this fall (and was well on that path before he was accepted, ranked dead last in a class of several hundred). “International Travel” is a zero on a college app. Unless you were performing some kind of service, or really got out into the culture and had a unique experience.</p>
<p>If you ARE interested in Medicine, get a job or volunteer in a lab, or study for the USA Biology Olympiad or volunteer at a hospital or go to a biology camp of some kind. It will do MUCH more for your chances than this program would.</p>
<p>If you want to go on a trip to another country for fun, then P2P might be good. I personally find the cost to be ridiculous and I know students who have had bad experiences other with good. Don’t expect P2P to help with your app AT ALL.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly with intparent. P2P offers some interesting (albeit pricey) trips. </p>
<p>But, the P2P program generally has no bearing on college admissions whatever. Don’t do it if a primary goal is to build your resume for colleges.</p>
<p>In my son’s school students are selected by recommendations of teachers and guidance counselors. The trip that year was to Australia, someplace I knew we would never get to as a family. At the time, he was interested in majoring in international relations and that international travel, along with his love of languages (fluent in French and Spanish), student exchange, and other related ECs helped develop the IR major “package”.
My son loved his (probably) once in a lifetime experience and it really him grow and develop at a difficult time in his life. I don’t know if it helped his college admittance, I know it didnt hurt. If your child is passionate about going and you can afford it, then I would recommend it. My son still keeps in touch with the friends he met on the trip years ago.</p>
<p>Yes the cost is ridiculous compared to what they will gain - that’s from what I’ve heard. and yes if you get Fs in math and English you can still get in. Do you want peers like that? I wouldn’t.</p>
<p>It’s unfortunate that at some schools the program is open to anyone who can afford to pay.
As I said, at my son’s school you had to be recommended to be able to participate. The students who were selected were the honor roll, NHS, student gov types. It was considered an honor and quite prestigious to be selected to apply. From what I could see of the other students from other schools attending, the requirements seemed to be similar. Too bad it wasn’t like that where you came from.</p>
<p>My teens get what seem to be random mailings from them, implying there is some prestige, but I really think they have taken their names off a mailing list. They do not seem to be associated with the school at all.</p>
<p>We had all these same concerns and questions several years ago when my daughter received an invitation. After careful research we allowed her to participate in a 3 week tour of Europe and it was truly an amazing adventure for her. She had a great time on the trip and met some wonderful friends. She then came home, created a powerpoint presentation and presented it to 3-4 civic clubs, church group, etc. So not only was the trip a great experience, but the public speaking experience that followed has really helped my D develop into a confident young woman. While the trip was certainly not inexpensive, it was worth every penny for what my D gained from it. However, not every student would have this same experience.</p>
<p>People to People is a great organization. Not just for HS kids, but for business, medicine, law and many other groups. Eisenhower started it for people to get to know people from other lands and cultures. </p>
<p>Most kids work to raise the money to go or get sponsors. Unless you are quite rich, how many other ways can a HS student go overseas with other HS kids and live in homes of people of other nations? Very few.</p>
<p>Adcoms do look at it. They also look at going to Space program, being a counselor at a church or BSA camp, etc. It is what makes you different from the kid that stays home and plays nindendo all summer</p>