<p>My son was in the last group of students to benefit from this program - he is a senior this year. I agree with the description in the Daily article linked above, in that the program often funded experiences that were more of the nature of "intellectual exploration" than focused researchd. I also agree that Stanford does not need to do this anymore in order to attract great students. In fact, some feel that the program may have done more harm than good, as some admitted students were "offended" by not being designated President's Scholars and chose to attend elsewhere, when perhaps they might have chosen Stanford all things being equal. However, from a personal standpoint, my son was very fortunate to have been funded for an experience during the summer after his freshman year which he likely wouldn't have had without the President's Scholar program.</p>