<p>I was invited to this...got an official looking letter from Harvard with it etc. What is the scoop? Is this a scam? Look good for college? Thanks!</p>
<p><a href=“Congratulations! You Are Nominated. It’s an Honor. (It’s a Sales Pitch.) - The New York Times”>Congratulations! You Are Nominated. It’s an Honor. (It’s a Sales Pitch.) - The New York Times;
<p>I want you to know my son and I just traveled from the West Coast to be a part of the conference that was held this past weekend. In every way possible it exceeded my expectations, literally speakers in the top of their field from NASA from the White House, A player from the San Francisco 49ers, from the national Institute of Health. We watched and were able to ask questions during a live surgery that was projected onto massive big screens we heard from some of the top doctors surgeons and neurosurgeons in the US from the top hospitals like Duke John Hopkins and many more. We heard from 3 Nobel prize winners in medicine & list just goes on…this was one of the most beneficial and influential places I could’ve ever taken my son so that he could continue to pursue his dreams in the medical profession. He is a high school senior and this conference not only gave him the tools but the confidence to know there will be obstacles and mountains to climb but every single step is worth going forward to be a part of that amazing medical community. You have my word it was worth every penny and more to motivate your child in the career of any medical area he chooses to pursue. They have a great Facebook page that you can see many pictures and comments posted. </p>
<p>It’s not a scam at all. My son just attended last weekend in DC and learned a lot. It does cost a lot but my son wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Go to futuredocs.com and check it out. The information and inspiration the scholars receive is amazing!</p>
<p>My daughter is a high school freshman, and attended the Future Physicians & Medical Leaders congress last week in DC as well. I can’t begin to tell you the world of good it did her to invest in this event!! While being a doctor was something she had talked about from 4th grade on, she had begun to lose confidence in middle school when she was bullied for being a smart kid in a school where that wasn’t valued. Seeing the spark return over those 4 days was MAGIC! Now, she is excitedly working on her thesis for the scholarship competition, and I have no doubt that will be a valuable experience for her regardless of whether it produces one of the scholarships that will be awarded to attendees of this conference. She has her dreams back, and now that she is in a high school that can support them, I am sure she will pursue them.</p>
<p>Additionally, I am an AP Biology teacher. I try to stay on top of the science for my students, but I even came away from this weekend with new things to share with my classes. I was able to share the agenda and notes with my principal and get my attendance with my daughter counted for professional development. I have invaluable insights into the future of medicine to share with my own students who will also be pursuing medical & research careers. And, reading the article linked above, all I can say is that for this congress, they verified GPA. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!
Lisa</p>
<p>This is not a scam. My son went for the November 2014 congress and said it was one of the best things he’s ever done in his life! If you can possibly go you definitely should!</p>
<p>My daughter just went to this conference this past weekend in DC. She was able to watch a live surgery via Skype, ask questions of the surgeon, heard Nobel prize winners, educators, learned about new and innovative technology used in the medical field, heard speakers from across the country including White House physicians, top neurosurgeons and motivational speakers. She loved every minute of it! I would highly recommend this if your child is looking to go into the medical field, either as a physician or a scientist/researcher! </p>
<p>My HS senior just returned from Washington. It was truly a memorable experience you won’t find anywhere else. Never have i seen 4000 students packed into a stadium all silent and taking notes from 8am til 11pm!! They did that because they were all so fascinated with every single speaker. They had lots of fun mixed in as well such as 2 min dance parties. You will never be able to see so many prestigious people speak at one event. GO it is life changing. </p>
<p>Is it suspicious that nearly everyone who responded positively has one post, or are they true?</p>
<p>It definetly is not a scam we just got back Monday from the congress this weekend in Washington our daughter is a senior in high school and was so amazed by all the young adults she met who share the same interest as she does for medicine and not to mention the amazing speakers who she heard and met there were Nobel peace prize winners,the attorney general of the United States and so many more </p>
<p>@ArachnoMe, feel free to contact me if you have other questions.</p>
<p>To the extent that a scam is something that does not deliver what it promised and never intended to in the first place, these programs definitely do not seem to be scams. With the apparent exception of the issues with the inauguration mentioned in the NYT article, these programs seems to provide exactly what they claim. Obviously there is a lot of marketing hype associated with the sales pitch. Of course, people say many colleges do exactly the same thing. ;)</p>
<p>I think it is up to each family to take all this info and decide if it is worth the money. What won’t be allowed on here is for people to assume that it is a scam without evidence to support that position, nor will we allow the disparaging of other members that support the programs. If you can prove any of these people were paid or otherwise are “shills” for these programs, send us the info. Otherwise state your opinions about the programs, not the other members.</p>
<p>I don’t think the issue here is with the credibility of the program. It seems to have raked in a majority of positive reviews. However, I think the problem is how the company marketed itself, slathering praise and making the student appear like he/she is one of the best in the nation (I hope this isn’t interpreted as snobby; the students invited are very academically qualified and intelligent, but the wording in the letters are misleading). It looks too good to be true, to be honest. Although it is a sales pitch, you are getting a product in return, and like fallenchemist, it is up to to the family and student whether to buy. </p>
<p>If you want more information there was a very recent thread on a similar program: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1709718-national-academy-of-future-science-and-technology-leaders-award-of-excellence.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1709718-national-academy-of-future-science-and-technology-leaders-award-of-excellence.html#latest</a> </p>
<p>@ArachnoMe, exactly right! Every poster that is saying how great this is joined the day of their post just to extol the greatness of this program! Hooey! My daughter is in med school, and this is NOT anything needed and definitely won’t do anything to enhance your future medical education. </p>
<p>
I hadn’t even noticed. Yeah, that’s super sketchy. Also is the fact that we haven’t heard any opinions from students themselves who have participated in the program, only their parents. Generally it’s the opposite, since this is the High School Life section of College Confidential. The conference could be the most life-changing experience in the world, but their marketing, quite frankly, disgusts me. </p>
My son just received a letter. I am considering sending him
I received letters from the Congress thingy and the Future Medical people gathering thing. It did seem way too good to be true. Something that hasn’t been mentioned (or I missed it…) is the cost of these - not hundreds, but a couple thousand dollars to attend! I threw them in the trash.
Wouldn’t do it. Super sketchy and obviously just to make money.