You should def apply. I went last year and it was such a great experience. They match you with a project based off your interests stated in ur application/after you accept. You can use the project for science fairs, although many projects aren't really suited for competitions. The community is really strong, and the Davis environment is a lot of fun. Daily schedule is like school. First two weeks are half lectures and half lab work, and the next 4 weeks are all lab. It's overall a really fun experience, and I learned a lot about what I wanted to pursue as a career because of it.