Personally I had a fantastic time. Made a lot of friends from all over the Commonwealth (many of whom I still keep up with). Learned a lot about government and political process -- with the party convention being particularly educational. Our session wound up electing an independent as Governor by a large margin. I was extremely interested in politics at the time and went on to a career in local government (30+ years so far). If your son is similarly inclined, then he'll probably get quite a lot out of that aspect of the program. But even if he's not it's a pretty fun experience and a good introduction to college/dorm life.