My son did the engineering program at Berkeley. We live in Chicago so doing the program at Northwestern was not an option for him. He flew to California by himself. He did other engineering programs at Michigan State University and Milwaukee School of engineering but he said this program was far and away the best one he did. It gave him a chance to see Berkeley up close and they visited Stanford also. They went to the Intel museum and other fun stuff. He loved the daily engineering programs and competitions.
It is well worth the money if you can afford it. He was with top students from around the United States. He came home with a renewed sense of confidence that yes, he could do engineering.
Also note that this company has their program at some of the leading schools in the United States. A good way to test out the campuses also. The company was extremely organized and helpful.
It won’t help get you into a. College but colleges like to see your doing something with your summers also especially if it’s in your field of interest.
They do go by grade point and most likely the reason you got a letter. It’s not a con company.