People to People Trips -Worthwhile Cost for College Application

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>My 5th grade daughter was recently "nominated" by People to People to join a delegation of 40 students for a trip to Western Canada. I've been researching this company and have seen lots of mixed feedback on other forums and websites. I was wondering if anyone who has had children travel with People to People within last 5 years to describe their experiences. I'm especially curious if the trip(s) had any impact on their college admission.Part of the sales pitch I received at a recent info meeting claimed that 80% of students attending these trips get into college of first choice. Sounds very far-fetched to me. I'm also curious if $4500 is a legitimate price for an all-inclusive 12 day trip to Vancouver, Calgary, etc. Part of my research is leading me to believe that this company is a glorified travel agency for students. I'm not sold on this company, but my wife thinks it's legitimate and a "once in a lifetime opportunity." Thanks in advance for any feedback!</p>

<p>I have a friend whose daughter had a wonderful experience on one of these trips. But will it help on college applications - no. Having traveled is a good thing, and may help with maturity, but it’s not going to give a bump at admissions. And 5th grade is an awful long way to college. You need to decide based on your budget whether $4500 is reasonable for one person in your family to take a week and a half vacation or whether you could use the money differently, maybe taking a family trip which would be more meaningful in the long run (my friend who sent his D is someone who had significant disposable income, so they were still able to take family cruises as well as send her on the trip).</p>

<p>I did want my kids to have international travel, and sent D on a trip to London/Paris with her school summer before senior year, but it cost less than $4500.</p>

<p>Don’t put too much weight on being “nominated”. That just means they bought your name off a mailing list. Wait until high school and see how many “exclusive” summer leadership programs, who’s who, and honor societies your D will get “nominated” for…</p>

<p>I can’t believe that you spent time reading about it yet STILL post about it? It is a for profit holiday company, there is nothing selective about their picks, If your wife wants to get your kid doing service, have her facilitate the service, it takes parental time over money though, because a 5th grader isn’t really much help alone. Have your wife ask where your kid’s contact data was mined from, if they tell you it was her teacher, then contact her teacher, no savvy teacher will give your kid’s info out like that.
If your kid is on a great academic pathway, you already know that, you don’t need an expensive holiday to Canada (LOL again) to make or break that path. As you know, there is no nomination. </p>

<p>“once in a lifetime opportunity.” Man oh man – you need to be on the lookout now. Kid in fifth grade and your wife is already falling over herself with this basic selling strategy?</p>

<p>Acquaint yourself w/searching on these programs, parentmidwest. You’ll be innundated with them once your kid gets to HS. Most of them are bunk.</p>

<p>If the idea of your young one traveling really intrigues you, may I suggest this? <a href=“http://www.cisvusa.org/”>http://www.cisvusa.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>You can reference it here: <a href=“CISV International - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CISV_International&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My good friend (who went to Finland as a 13 y.o.) just sent her 12 y.o to Hungary. </p>

<p>I looked into it as well some time back.</p>

<p>Pro: they appear able to arrange meetings for the kids with government officials (mayors, etc.) and get some “backstage perqs” at their destinations through leveraging the BOD names and the Eisenhower connection.</p>

<p>Con: The price for the trip is very high; it is hard to see the overall value compared to some pseudo intellectual activity, like Baby-CTY. It is hard to make a case for the value, especially as you could often pay for 2 tickets for the same itinerary, and go along yourself, for what is being charged.</p>

<p>I think they are legitimate if you can afford it, but the value is questionable. One cool perq is the trip, available only to alumni, you can sign up for and pay for to attend special programs and an inaugural ball, complete with special speakers, at the presidential inauguration in Washington DC.</p>

<p>I would definitely do it, there are no hidden gremlins, if it is affordable within your budget and you do not mind the poor overall value, since it trades against increasing confidence and meeting officials and seeing cities “through the back door.” I think it selects for those academically inclined, and that the 80% number is not a result of the credential or enhancement to the student through participation, but just a comment on the types of students that the program attracts. I never did it because of the poor value. I hope that helps :)</p>

<p>Do it if it appeals to you and your daughter, and you can afford it. Do not do it for the spurious claim that it will have any impact whatsoever on your child’s college prospects. No college takes an interest in activities prior to high school, unless they led to bigger things (e.g. your daughter could mention how she first became interest in a particular field). Any student who has to reach back to middle school for activities and honors is one who lacks them from high school.</p>

<p>Hello! I am a three year veteran ambassador of People to People. It is definitely worth the money - when your child is older. The experiences are irreplaceable, but I definitely would not appreciate it if I was in 5th grade. Wait until they get to high school. You should definitely let your child go. My love for people and culture thrived and expanded while I was in Europe. This summer, my senior trip will be with People to People to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. I love it, and it definiteky has formed me into the person I am today. It helped me to conquer fears that I never could have otherwise. I climbed active volcanoes, the Eiffel Tower, and the Leaning Tower. I was a shy sophomore who really could not talk to many people. Now, I give speeches in class like a pro and even do presentations for People to People. 80% of Student Ambassadors do get into their college of choice. I am currently applying to schools like Vanderbilt, Brown, Notre Dame, Tulane, and Cornell. I will let you know if I get into my first choice or not. </p>

<p>Top colleges don’t care at all about People to People. …and they certainly are not interested in anything a student does in 5th grade.</p>

<p>There have been many exposes of this and similar programs. No. They are not worth the price and no they will not help your child get into a good college. Colleges know exactly what they are. They are programs wealthy parents pay to send their offspring thinking it will give them a competitive edge. Colleges also know that the admission criteria is ability to pay (with a few charity slots thrown in for appearance sake). </p>

<p>My D’s P2P experience is nine years old, but I don’t think much has changed in the interim. For her, it was a nicely organized, well-chaperoned travel experience, the main drawback, apart from the price, being the spoiled brat nature of some of the very affluent kids who attended. In retrospect, I came to realize how deceptive their sales pitch was, and that put me off the organization for good, despite their constant pleas for my D to re-enroll. For example, despite the strong implication that the program is highly selective, anyone who inhales and exhales and has the money will qualify–a pet hamster could write the recommendation for OP’s daughter and no one would notice. For another; no one is an “ambassador” in any sense of the word–the P2P travelers aren’t asked to, nor do they, spread goodwill for the USA in any fashion. What good can possibly come from mobs of privileged American kids in matching tee shirts demanding chicken nuggets at every meal (my D was so dismayed by the lack of local cuisine)? Finally, despite a lot of talk about how the students were to keep detailed journals of their experiences which the chaperones would periodically review, no one bothered to write them, and no one bothered to review them, so the educational element of the trip was far less than advertised. OP is absolutely correct that P2P is a glorified travel agency.</p>

<p>As for OP’s main question with respect to whether participation in P2P impacts college admission–well, even assuming it might (and I don’t believe that for a second), how would anyone ever know? It’s not like college admissions letters specify what particular aspects of an application made the difference, and it’s not like a rejection letter has ever said “If only you’d been a Student Ambassador. we could have made this work!”</p>

<p>DD was inundated with P2P mail in her middle school years. I just tossed it. Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with sending a 10 year old to The Great Barrier Reef alone. Was I too overprotective? </p>

<p>I know two young women who did P2P. One was 11years old. This was roughly 5 years ago. She went to Australia & had a great time. Another was a schoolmate of DDs and went after sophomore year. She was a very immature kid and I think it helped her to grow & wise up about her education. She is now a sophomore at Howard University & thriving. </p>

<p>I would just like to point out that most kids in my travel groups did NOT have a lot of money. Most had to earn it with multiple fundraisers. My suggestion is to go to a local meeting and just see what its about.
You could say that not many things help with college applications. People to People is another thing to add to your resume.
In regard to not helping anyone, if that was true, why did I go to an international school and play with young kids? Why did I plant trees on Mount Vesuvius? Why did I learn about saving the environment and helping sea turtles? Why did I engage in learning dances from many countries and teach them dances from the United States? I think some of you need to get your facts straight before you comment on these forums.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t send my 10-year-old anywhere with total strangers. And pay for the privilege. Why not take a nice family vacation with that money?</p>

<p>My niece did People-to-People. For her, who may have never travelled outside of NJ much, it was a great opportunity to see other cultures which she probably never would have otherwise. She did it as a high schooler.</p>

<p>I would not send a 5th grader…wait until they are older.</p>

<p>I do not think it will help in admissions. Think of it as a well organized travel program that is set up for the age group, will allow your child to experience a different culture, and will allow them to gain some independence.</p>

<p>While from what I’ve read P2P trips are well run and kids enjoy them I would agree that the organization’s selling tactics are deceptive. E.g., how does P2P know where their MS alumni ended up for college or where the schools fell on their lists? Clearly someone’s feeding parents what they think they want to hear. As other have said, it is not an honor to be “nominated” for a P2P trip. It simply means they bought a list of names that included your child’s.</p>

<p>I would think of this trip as another pay-for-the-opportunity summer travel trip. As such I would compare it to other trips of its kind. Figure out what really sparks your child’s interest, research the companies and their records, take a look at your budget and go from there, but don’t let P2P convince you that their trips offer an advantage at college application time. </p>

<p>Want an activity that will actually help your child with college applications? Get her involved in local community service or let her get immersed in a hobby she enjoys. Both options are more likely to be looked at positively years hence than a pricey trip and they’re free!</p>

<p>I would also agree about the price you were quoted for the P2P trip. Last summer my MS daughter spent 17 days sailing the Caribbean aboard a catamaran learning to scuba dive with 2 instructors and 8 kids for the same price.</p>

<p>Re: first choice schools…It very well be that 90% of P2P get in their first choice schools…but it also may be that 90% of all college goers get into their first choice schools.</p>

<p>^ I was thinking the same thing. We should also remember that correlation is not the same as causation. Families willing to pony up this kind of money for a short student trip probably provide their kids with a lot of other resources and opportunities as well.</p>

<p>As an illustration, my son played JV golf in HS. Two of his good friends did as well. All three got into their first choice schools. Somehow I don’t think we can credit JV golf. ;-)</p>

<p>@oliviaarpie, I would love to hear the details of how any student managed to raise thousands of dollars for an overseas trip through “multiple fundraisers”! That’s a hell of a lot of car washes and bake sales, and who in their right mind would contribute their own hard earned cash to support some kid going on a fancy trip abroad? ! I know that the P2P sales pitch is that students can somehow pay for the trip by “fundraising”, but I think that’s a load of hooey.</p>

<p>I’m glad you had fun playing with children, dancing and planting trees, all of which could be done right here at home, btw. When you get a little older, you’ll realize it was all window dressing–and mighty lame window dressing at that–to sell people on these trips.</p>

<p>P2P sells student tours by pretending the participants are a select group and that they are acting as “ambassadors” for the US. The trips are very nice, but the marketing is deceptive, and one can only hope that any right minded person would avoid an organization with such questionable ethics. There are plenty of teen tour companies out there that don’t pretend to be something they aren’t. Shop wisely, folks!</p>

<p>As for those who have been privileged enough be able to afford a P2P trip, sure, feel free to incorporate your foreign travel experiences into your essay if that works for you, but whatever you do, don’t include a meaningless title like “student ambassador” on your list of awards/achievements–you’ll accomplish no more than giving the adcoms a good chuckle.</p>

<p>@MommaJ You have your opinions and I have mine. I think you are degrading a very great organization. And btw, I earned all the money for my trip so it can be done. And yes, it is a lot of work, but it CAN and HAS been done.</p>

<p>Details, Olivia, we need details about how you fundraised thousands of dollars for three (!) P2P trips, how others do so, and why you think anything said about P2P in this thread is inaccurate. Without details, your statements have zero credibility and make you sound like a shill for P2P. P2P has been discussed many times on CC by posters whose kids have participated (look up old threads), and your statements in support don’t adequately respond to the many negative opinions. I get it–you had three fun trips, and you were lucky to be able to travel so much. But that’s not enough to defend this organization’s shortcomings, nor counter these facts: being “chosen” for a P2P trip is no honor, going on a P2P trip is worth no more on a college application than any other travel experience, and P2P’s marketing is highly deceptive. Here’s one expose that should set off alarms: <a href=“Eisenhower student program invitations questioned - CBS News”>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/eisenhower-student-program-invitations-questioned/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;