My daughter got invited to participate in a "student ambassador program" next year. Here's the info page:
http://www.studentambassadors.org/students-programs-details-bj.asp

Okay, it looks legit, but why are they hiding the price? I've researched it online and seen mention of $10,000... I get really, really annoyed when places feel they have to play "hide the salami" with the price - really makes me feel that objectively the price vs. value will not stand up under scrutiny, and they feel hte need to corral you with your kid and get the kid all worked up over a "once in a lifetime opportunity" then nail you with the spotlight and the bill.

What do you think? Is there a justifiable reason for hiding the price?

No.

> Is there a justifiable reason for hiding the price?

They want the people who can afford it to pay and then they'll negoriate with the rest to see what's the most they will pay. If they make the price obvious the second group won't make it through the funnel.

Yeah, the last 2 letters are gonna be how she has to earn her keep.

[g,d,r]

Damn. Saw that when I pasted, hoped it would get linewrapped away. I still don't understand how linewrapping works on here.

<nelson>

ha HA!

</nelson>

I think they should shell out for *real* ambassadors. Cheapskates.

They say in the faq that the prices are not fixed and you should attend the local meeting to see what that particular trip costs...or something.

"hide the salami" -> ROFL.

you know it's gonna be one of those bullshit things that rich proud parents all try to outspend each other on, they are gonna cream so much cash out of you all for the privelege of sending your little darlings to ireland to clean shithouses or something ... oh, for the good of their "characters" ...

the copywriting for that website is just fucking cringemaking ...

[nod] to $--, except I'm thinking it's like one of those "who's who" things where they guilt parents who maybe can't quite afford it into taking out a loan to send little Molly to Europe so they can say they sent little Molly to Europe.

One wonders if their "stringent screening process" involves property tax records...

and I can tell you that that is basically a fairly bog standard back packers holiday, taking in the most obvious tourist diversions along the way. You could do that crap for a *lot* less than 10k. *And* they'd learn to book their own fucking travel tickets in the process.

Got to hand it to them for how many times they managed to work in the words "heritage" and "history" in 800 words though. They know what you fuckers like ...

[shrug] I *hate* package tours. I think they suck. [insert Eric Idle Watney's Red Barrel rant here]

$10k for THAT?

Other than Dublin, London and Edinburgh, the rest looks kinda boring.

the one thing you could hope is that they'd learn to drink some decent beer, in Ireland at least. They'd quite possibly pick up a few other interesting and valuable experiences with it ... jeez, a bunch of American "student ambassadors" in a bar off O'Connell St .... they'd be like fish in a barrel ..

hey fucker, Cardiff ain't so bad these days. You might even have fun in Fishguard (well, if you are a creative type ...)

A Eurail pass and a backpack is significantly cheaper.

More educational too.

Yeah, it is but you have to bring your own salami.

There's no shortage of salami in Europe.

I would take Eural for Salami and Hot Beef Injection. :)