If you are a parent and have any input as to the value of this opportunity for your kids, would you please let me know? My husband did this and it was a wonderful experience for him and he got into top tier schools. Our son is considering interviewing for it and I’d like to learn more. Thank you for your thoughts!
I am not a parent, but I attended Girls State 15 years ago. It was a nice opportunity to learn about state gov’t and I did have some fun. However, I recall it being very strict, not to mention extremely hot in an old building without AC. (Heaven forbid if we took off our jacket and had on a tank top to cool off so we didn’t pass out!). From my understanding of my male classmates who attended Boys State, their experience was considerably more fun and they loved it!
My daughter attended Girls State last year and found it worthwhile overall because she is very interested in government and political science. One key thing she learned is that she would like to work in a government position as long as she is not an elected official. 
Whether her participation in Girl State helped her get into Columbia is totally unclear. If your son want to participate, I say go for it!
My daughter is at Girls State this week and really enjoying it. If course I’m only getting small updates right now, but they are hearing from top state elected leaders, forming their own government, learning new skills, and making friends. For her it’s been a worthwhile experience regardless of whether it will help her with admissions.
Too bad about the dress code, @mademoiselle2308 ! In our state the Boys State has a required uniform but Girls State’s dress code is more relaxed. And I believe everything is air conditioned!
My son attended our Boys State last week. In my opinion, it was an outstanding experience for him going into his senior year and the college application season. In one week, I believe he received more focused leadership training and guidance than in three years of high school. Regarding uniforms, the boys were given three t-shirts and they wore those with shorts. I highly recommend attending and think it will be a positive on college applications.
I know that the Service Academies (West Point, Naval Academy, etc) think of B/G State very highly. They get extra “leadership points” for attending.
Various members of my family have a lot of experience with both boys and girls state. My parents have been involved on a staff level in a different state and my children have attended/will attend in our own state. Young adult family members who have graduated the program have returned as interns and then staff as well. I have nothing but positive things to share.
It is a fabulous program and is very valuable to the students. It boosts confidence and provides lots of practice with public speaking. The citizens get a crash course in civics/government and have the opportunity to meet with leaders from businesses as well as local and state government. It introduces the citizens to many other students outside of their own high school bubble. Many have the opportunity to compete for state and national level scholarships. The pool is smaller than most other large scholarships so the odds are much better.
Being away from home outside of any friends so close to college time gives a practice run and first impressions and forming new friend groups. It is different from academic competitions and camps where people all share the same ECs and have that in common. There are not local coaches, advisers, or teammates to help smooth the transition. It is not elementary or middle school camp experiences where the counselors create the community. It really models the first few days of college away from home and all alone to figure out how you will present yourself and make connections. It also gives a little reality check for college competition since it is a diverse group of highly qualified candidates from all over the state.
It is a low level commitment (just one week) for a high level of benefit - connections, information, and experiences.
My son went two years ago and it was a nice to be around nothing but high achieving, intelligent kids for a week. No regrets and I believe it does look good on college applications, too
DS20 attended this year, he really enjoys most of the talks by state legislators and government officials (not all of them, but I guess that’s a learning experience too), and he loves the process of “nominating/electing” various leadership positions even more.
He did have several observations:
- pretty diverse group of boys, liberal-leaning politically
- rules are strict but not unreasonable, and they have pretty good autonomy
- quite a few doing it to “beef up their college app”, as they are not interested in politics/government/history
He has heard that girls state has less funding so it is generally not as “fun” as boy state.
I would say go for it, it is only one week, kid will meet lots of fellow rising seniors.
I went to Girls State and I work in government with Boys and Girls State kids. It’s a great way to be involved in government if you are kid who is interested in politics. It’s an immersion experience just as a ballet intensive is for an aspiring dancer or band camp is for an aspiring musician. That said, I think a lot of people make it a bigger deal than it actually is when it comes to college outcomes. The kids who are selected hold the typical high-school leadership positions already - student government, president of NHS, editor of the school newspaper, etc. As we know, sometimes high-school leadership positions are well deserved and sometimes they are popularity contests. If your child is interested in government, then I would say go for it. If he participates, he’ll learn about more than governors and legislators and he’ll make valuable connections if he makes it through to the final elections, especially if he is elected to one of the highest offices. Personally, I found the behind-the-scenes, lower positions much more fascinating. I was one of the party delegates that got to go to the convention and vote for the candidates we were fronting for governor and such. If your child couldn’t care less about government, they won’t be at a disadvantage for not doing it but they will be totally miserable for a week.
In short, it’s a long week. Don’t do it unless you’re really interested. My D20 didn’t do Girls State and although I was disappointed, I was disappointed by her lack of interest in politics, not that she didn’t want to check a box off for college. There are other things she’ll do to get that checkmark.
It is an intense week that will challenge your son. The enthusiasm of the participants is remarkable, they will learn so much in a short time, assume leadership roles, learn to work together to pass bills, and make new friends. Admission counselors view it quite favorably.
Both my sons attended Boys State. My daughter had no desire for Girls State.
Absolutely no bearing on college acceptances.
Definitely weighed positively on S2 ROTC scholarship.
S1 got nothing out of it accept to learn looking at dorms was a high priority for college.
S2 really enjoyed it and got much out of it.
My daughter did Girls State and had an extremely good time. As one of the top students in her school, she had never been immersed with such a large group of equally motivated and talented young women.
For one, it was a great way to “practice college” and for her to get some sense what dorm life and starting a new/freshman social circle would feel like. On the other hand, it may have opened her mind to considering an all-female college for the first time. It also might have put her mind at ease, that she’d be able to find sociable/compassionate peers no matter how “selective” a college might be, because not everyone is going to “cut-throat”.
While I don’t think attending Girls State changed her admission chances, I do believe it might have had an influence where she ultimately applied, and which college she eventually accepted. Looking back, it was an added opportunity for her to make an “better informed” decision down the road.
PS: Long after the program had ended, she was still talking about how inspired she felt to have been surrounded by all these female leaders-to-be.