<p>I think a general way of judging the program is its cost- the less the program costs (taking into account its prestige) the more legitimate the program is. This is just because many of the best programs are subsidized by national institutions (Ex. PROMYS is supported by the Clay Mathematics Institute)</p>
<p>note: I mostly looked at math/science summer programs myself, I don’t know if its the same for humanities programs</p>