I should have read the reviews before signing up my kid for this camp. I hope this review will help save others some money. The camp was so-so, but just absolutely not worth the $1600, especially for any kid over the age of 12. The positives: the counselor was nice, the food was good, and the kids were kept safe. The negatives: The kids were in shared classrooms with really young kids. The learning was minimal. They mostly worked by themselves on projects which they said they could have just completed themselves at home. The mandatory food cost was $22 per day. My kids attended multiple camps this year and last year. This was by far the worst value. We will not attend again and do not recommend this camp. There are so many better options out there at a fraction of the cost. read more

One of the lead staff got me into trouble with a call home for playing rock paper scissors, the instructors are really nice but the assistant head is just mean. read more

Waste of money. Son says he could've just watched a YouTube video. Let's see how the next $500 virtual class goes (since I've already paid for it). read more

So, as a follow-up to my previous post, I was contacted by the ID Tech peeps. Their representative, Roki, did a good job reminding me about all the benefits of the camp, that their camp may not be for everyone, that the kids get out of it what they put into it, that they pride themselves on the work they do and the safety they provide. When he asked about my disappointments, I reiterated that I felt their Marketing was misleading. The whole 8:1 ratio, small class sizes is why I signed up; only to see that it was one giant computer lab with an 8:1 ratio of adults to 50 kids. Had they been more transparent about the computer labs I would have at least known that I was putting my technologically savvy son (with ADD) into an environment that he would be bored and easily distracted in. A small room packed with lots of beginning learners, who need lots of help, is not an ideal place for my child. To me, when you say small class sizes - I interpreted that as a small class room with one teacher who works with the 8 kids at their pace; the teacher is available to them when they need help (at their pace!). If it was the same 8 kids with the same teacher it should have been a better learning environment. But I was reminded that this is not what the brochure says. I said the brochure didn't show any pictures of giant class sizes. Roki let me know that there are videos on the website. I could see the set-up if I watched the videos. My bad. I didn't scroll to the bottom under the fine print prior to registering. But, there they are. So, if you - as a parent, want to see what you're getting please look at the website, at the very bottom. Look in the fine print for the line that says Camp Video Tour. Too bad they don't put these up top on the website where they're easier to find. For those of you that are too busy to scroll and watch, I pulled a few pics from their videos so you can see the set-up. If you notice, most pics in the brochure are close-up or of small groups, but you get a better sense when you watch the videos and the really fast clips that show the big class sizes. Let's break it down: 1) They guarantee "incredibly small class sizes", but that doesn't mean the kids are in their own class (it's a big computer lab). My misinterpretation. I'll give that to Roki. 2) They guarantee 8:1 ratios, but that doesn't mean it's the same one adult to the same 8 kids all week long (all adults work with all kids; and all kids are in the same computer lab). Again, not quite clear on the brochure or website, but if you compare this to other camps - they also have the same philosophy, that all counselors are there for all kids. Point for Roki. 3) Third, when I said I wasn't allowed to see the classroom prior, Roki reminded me that there are insurance restrictions and they don't let just anyone into the rooms for safety purposes. As a mom, I guess that makes me feel safer that random pedophiles aren't allowed to visit the rooms to see the kids; but as a parent who just put down a chunk of money, I would have been more prepared for what I was getting had they given me a welcome tour or posted images on the website. I mean, I had already paid and was bringing my son to the campus so he would get a feel for the camp, but was denied. What parent doesn't want to see a school or camp location prior to dropping off their child (especially after paying so much for a day camp)?! So, this is a net-net for Roki and me. 4) Finally, when Roki asked me if my son had fun, I had to admit that he did.... eventually.... once he got the hang of the program and stopped teaching the other kids around him. Did he have fun? - yes. All week? - no. But, I gave the point to Roki b/c he was so nice about explaining all the other parts of the camp that make the camp what it is. Look, I'm not saying this camp is right for everyone. It wasn't right for us. And maybe the set-up at UCLA is much smaller than the other univeristies, but I still feel it's a lot of money for what you get. It's not a traditional class where the kids get a step-by-step training of how to do a program (but that's not how it's promoted in the brochure either); and regarless of what they say, its not small class sizes (that's Marketing spin - and I'm a Marketing professional!) So, for Roki and his efforts to dissuade me from my negative rating, I give him 2 big thumbs up -- and will change my rating from 2 stars to 3 (from "ehh" to neutral). Not b/c I changed my mind about the camp, but b/c their customer service to better understand how to improve their camp feels right. But, my facts are true and remain the same. The 8:1 ratio and small class size marketing is misleading and the environment is one big computer lab with lots of kids. If you're comfortable with that, then ID Tech camps could be right for you and your child. Just know what you're paying for and really look at those videos! read more

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My 10 year old son loved this camp! He's been working with a tutor learning Python, so we were worried that the camp would feel too elementary, but he loved using the software to create a game in the space of a week. He definitely wants to return! As parent I really appreciated how organized the camp was, how good and well though-out the communication with me was, and the quality of the counselors (college kids who seemed to be great role models for being smart AND cool.) It was double the price of any camp we've ever done, so my expectations were high, and iD Tech Camp really delivered. If we can afford it next summer, I'd definitely let my son do another iD Tech camp (or two!) We're planning to check out the online offerings as well. One more thing - I expected my son would get the hard-sell on the last day about how cool the rest of the camps are and how great the year-round online stuff (which you pay for) is, and that didn't happen. We received info on other offerings, but I didn't feel like the staff made any effort to sell my son as a way of getting me to sign up for more things, and I really appreciated that. Overall, we had a great experience and plan to return to iD Tech Camps next year. read more

Such a great, fun experience. I can tell the kids are all having such a great time and genuinely enthusiastic about their computer projects!

I've been meaning to write a review for iD Tech Camps since last summer when my 11 year old son completed his second summer at this awesome camp. We have had trouble finding a summer program for him and had heard great things about iD Tech and their caliber and quality of instruction/experience. I've never known our child to not only remain completely engaged and excited about being anywhere for 8 hours at a stretch, but really excited about the people he was meeting and the friends he was making (who has remained his best buddy over the year). We will be back for another 2 sessions this summer and wouldn't be surprised if he took what he has learned about gaming and technology on into his future. HE LOVES ID TECH CAMP! read more

My 9 year old son attended one day of iD Tech's Minecraft camp at Amherst College yesterday. He came home in tears, sobbing that his day was "'miserable". He claimed that the counsellors sped through instructions on the computers, and he could not keep up. Loud music was played throughout the day, and kids had to yell over it to get the attention of the counsellors to ask for help. For shy kids on the first day of camp, this is a lot to ask. He said the music also made it hard to concentrate on the difficult material he was trying to keep up with. Lunch is served in the Amherst College cafeteria. My son said that 30+ kids were herded into the cafeteria, which was already full of other camp groups. It is a large cafeteria, with different offerings arranged throughout, more complicated than the simple line and lunch server situation he is used to at school. Nobody explained how the process worked. He ate one piece of pizza, and had nothing to drink because he didn't know where the glasses were located. When they returned from lunch the kids resumed their seats at the computers, and my son's computer crashed. He said the counsellor fixed it, then walked away, and it crashed again. Counsellor did not come back to help him again. He sat in from of a black computer screen and did nothing for the remainder of that lesson. I emailed the main office, explained how his day had gone, and politely asked for a refund (partial would have been fine) for the exorbitant $900 I had spent on a day that had him in tears for at least an hour afterwards. I was told that he was welcome to return to camp, but since they had done nothing wrong, (according to them) there would be no refund. I cannot express strongly enough how much you should stay away fro this camp!! read more

My son has taken 2 different camps: 1) ROBLOX coding and 2) YouTube game casting and production. He has loved both camps and thought they were among his favorite. read more

My 13 year old did ID Tech at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles this Summer. After saving up $1,000 for a one week day camp, it was not worth it. If your child has previously attended other computer camps locally like Planet Bravo - this is the exact same thing. Even the games and set-up are identical. The only difference is, it is $500 more at ID Tech. Look this is one of those things that just because it costs more, doesn't mean it's good. Sure, it's fine for the younger kids up to age 10, but not advanced enough for your teen. My son was bored and his camp-mates seemed to have the same experience. At the final wrap-up "parent day" on Friday (exactly same process as Planet Bravo) - the older kids were with the younger kids having to chant silly baby songs and baby games. The older kids were mortified. The kids are mixed in the classroom with young and old together. The counselors are generally sweet and fun and the campus food is good, computers and atmosphere are good, but not $1,000 good. One of the Counselors said to my kid "are you that dumb?, just kidding". My son didn't know how to take it as the guy is very sarcastic, but still inappropriate. Look elsewhere for a camp for any child computer enthusiast.This is not advanced enough and not creative enough to keep your teen engaged for a week. I should have paid more attention to the negative reviews. Don't do it! read more

Unreliable. They cancelled the girls' camps (Alexa Cafe in Pasadena) barely a month before the start date. The only alternative offered was an additional hour away.They said they were unable to make room in any of the 4 nearby camps, and they were unwilling to prioritize the Alexa Cafe girls on any waitlist. They suggested I could constantly monitor my email in case a waitlist spot did come up as it's first-come-first-served on their waitlist. It's difficult to find day camps for teenagers, and with so little notice, they are now full. I wouldn't try the camp again because there is no guarantee that they would actually hold the camp. My kids have been attending camps for over 10 years and this is the first time a camp flat-out cancelled, much less cancelled w/o any realistic alternatives or so close to the start date. read more

I am always impressed by iD's commitment to providing a fun and safe environment for kids to do something productive with their summers. It's a great mixture of hands-on instruction with computer software and various extracurricular activities. Highest recommendations. read more

We traveled for small town Washington to bring our son to the UCLA iD Tech camp. I was very concerned that my 9 year old son would be overwhelmed by the "big city" I was also a bit nervous about leaving him with people he did not know in a place he was not familiar with. I was so pleasantly surprised. The staff are very intelligent, involved and reassuring for both parents , and students. My son doe snot like to put much energy into anything, but every day he was up and ready to go to camp. 8 hours seems like a long time, but every day he came back excited, and ready to go again the next day. he gained confidence in his computer skills, and enjoyed interacting with other kids with the exact same interest. I would recommend this camp to anyone that has Little techies in their home read more

My 16 year old son and his friend went to this camp last Sunday. We paid for an overnight Java programming camp that we thought would be much higher level than it was. The age range for this class was listed as 13-17, but our boys said most of the kids in the class barely looked 13. They said the online program they used to teach Java was very basic and also geared towards a much younger audience. To make matters worse, when they weren't in the programming class, they had to do other activities with campers as young as 7. I'm pretty sure that most 16 year olds don't want to be spending their summer hanging out with 7 year olds. This camp might be great for kids 12 and under, but certainly not geared towards older teens. We ended up taking them home on Tuesday. For us it ended up being a total waste of $1500. Despite our complete dissatisfaction, ID Tech refused to offer any kind of refund. I wouldn't recommend this camp to anyone over 12. read more