I agree with Sweet Feet on this issue. I have toured IMG (the soccer portion, anyway)and it is very much like a boarding school, with half day school and the afternoons for training. I also think what the player gets out of IMG will depend on what they put into it, and what their motives are for wanting to go there. If a player is absolutely obsessed about soccer playing/training then that player will be given the opportunity to thrive in that type of environment. My daughter has wanted to attend IMG every since she found out last summer at ODP camp that they also train girls. She will attend IMG next Fall, her Senior year, and believes that she is sacrificing nothing on the social level and has everything to gain by making the change. That is not to say that she won't miss her club and Wando High school teammates, because she will, but her drive to work on her game is so strong that she is sure she is making the right choice. She has already verbally committed to a D1 SEC school, so her focus is more on working on her individual weak areas than on exposure to colleges, etc., There is also something to be said for the mental training (especially for the GK position) and the fact that all training is contained in one area instead of running up and down the road several hours weekly, as we have done year after year for club training. Last fall she spent an average of 5-6 hours of week driving to and from club training, which she felt was "dead time". Again, I am not advocating that IMG would be a good "fit" for every soccer player - in fact, that is why you have to pass an interview before you are accepted - but for some it may be the best environment.
