Pros
There are a handful of good people and good students there that I truly enjoyed being around. I wish there were more.
Cons
“IMG Academy is in the business of trying to be a for-profit school for as much profit as the owners can possibly squeeze out of it. It costs $75K a year to go there. This is the most expensive High School or College in the nation! It’s also the largest boarding school in the nation. You would think this would mean the students would have beautiful dorms, but you would be wrong. The rooms are unbelievably small with one small window. Despite this incredible revenue, we were told in the Campus Life department we could not afford PENS for our front desk. We had to buy our own. The owners wouldn’t even buy us enough ladders for the bunkbeds in the dorms – forcing students to dangerouslyclimb up and down 6 foot high bunk beds without a ladder. Unfortunately there are enough wealthy, gullible parents who are willing to pay this price with the dreams of their kid getting a pro sports contract (Only 2% of IMG grads eventually turn pro). Some parents send their marginally athletic kids there to get them out of their house. "Sport Advisors" will seek out "full pay" kids who will sit on the bench of their teams to pay for scholarships for the great athletes from lesser economic backgrounds who will help them win. Other schools refused to play IMG Football because IMG recruits and pulls the best players from other programs. In summer camps you would see 60 kids on ONE tennis court awaiting their chance to hit a ball. IMG has an iconic (but undeserved) reputation around the country. I was Head of House in the dorm and witnessed an ungodly level of bullying, theft, fighting, vandalism, etc. The sense of entitlement among these wealthy students boggles the mind. Kids would get into trouble for drugs, alcohol, etc. and parents would lie for them to get them out of it - creating an unwinnable battle. During the summer camps they would pack 1,000 kids into a dorm built for 500. (What could possibly go wrong when you put four 13 year old boys in a tiny dorm room behind closed doors?) Often they would take these young campers from Asian countries who didn’t speak any English into these rooms and fights would ensue. The houseparents are great human beings, but the houseparent to student ratio was 1-50 – even with middle school boys who need so much more attention. IMG was recently bought out by WME which means important decisions are made 3,000 miles away in Beverly Hills, CA. All they care about is getting the biggest names in fashion, movies and sports that will make them look better. Do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY from IMG Academy. There are much better ways to develop young athletes with potential.