ETA: One of the posters mentions her child's school counselor's feelings about it. I just want to say that I disagree to a certain extent. I DO believe it's an honor to get into these programs. The majority of kids cannot reach the SAT/ACT level that Duke and other programs expect for admission into these programs. And the academic level of study these kids do during the summer is high. These kids need to be smart enough to be able to get something out of the program. The teachers for these programs run their classes differently than regular school because they really want to make it fun, and if the class isn't fun, the program won't have them back. BUT, the work is challenging.
As far as college admissions go, if your child has high aspirations, I believe that having this on the college resume helps. I believe it helped one of my sons get his Presidential Scholarship. That was worth $66,000. That's my firm opinion...
Original:
My kids went to the Johns Hopkins version of Duke TIP. They loved it, especially my older son, who looked forward to it every year and was really bummed when he aged out. (But it was time for him to start doing some summer work by then.)
What you're paying is about $800 more than it was when my kids went. Ouch!
That being said, both of my kids, who are now older, have worked for Duke Tip as counselors. I kind of felt like I got some of the money back, though they don't get paid $4000 for 7 weeks of work, LOL! (But they do get room and board free, which is nice.) So here are my thoughts based on having children ATTEND a program like this and as college kids WORK at a program like this:
Is your son well behaved? If he is, that's good. However, if he has behavioral problems, anger management issues, hyperactivity issues, etc, think twice before sending him. They really do send problem children home, and you have to pay the airfare to do it, and you won't get a refund for any of your $4000.
Does your son WANT to go? That's important. Don't use TIP as a way to initiate him into stay-away camp if he's not excited about it. Instead, wait a year, which you can do without him having to take the test again, and put him in a one-week stay away camp this summer that you have good references on. I found academic summer bridge programs in my own community that they enjoyed, but it's not the same as over-night camp, and kids need to learn what it's like to "not go home" for at least a week, unless they are really outgoing and easily transitioned. The over night camps weren't academic, but they did promote group cooperation and taught certain skill sets that were great for my kids. I think that this helped my own kids be better counselors at TIP later on, having attended both types of summer programs.
I wish you luck in your decision, and I hope your son has a wonderful summer!!