DofE was one of my best memories in high school. I have always loved walking/hiking in nature, and the DofE award really encouraged that passion and stretched me to be better.
One of my biggest regrets was never finishing to Gold Award. I got half way through the silver award but never completed it. One of the main reasons for this regret was that I really wanted to meet the Duke of Edinburgh himself.
I really enjoyed the opportunities that this scheme gave me - the walk and camping was what brought me to the award, but the skills and service were what challenged me and helped me to grow as a teenager.
I would highly recommend it to any teen/young adult. It helps build friendships, understand our impacts on nature (clean camping was encouraged by our group leader!) and gives you an opportunity to try new skills and service to not just round out your university application, but you as a person too.