[aigel]

Waste of $ IMHO, unless you are really flush with money.

How about going on a road trip and hit some national parks, go fishing, hang out for the summer? Or a non-academic summer camp doing something he likes ...

The way to go in the US is to start out in a good state school and finish with an excellent undergrad degree, then go to grad school, where it is easier and free to get into a top school. This may not work for every field, but I have seen this done in science and engineering many times.

G