<p>This morning, I was pelted with mail from all of these acronyms that sound practically the same (Congressional Youth Leadership Council, National Young Leaders Conference, National Student Leadership Conference), all resembling wedding invitations rather than regular mail. They all go on about how its an honor and how I've qualified the high standards set... so on so forth. </p>
<p>So are any of these worth going to? (Like the actual quality of the program, as well as if it's something worth putting on those dreadful college apps)</p>
<p>Nope, a lot of students receive them. Only go if
a) Your parents have a buttload of money that’s burning a hole in their pockets or
b) You have nothing else to do that summer. (eg. SAT prep, community service, etc)</p>
<p>I don’t know about the other programs but I did the global (GYLC) one last summer and I had a lot of fun. The program itself wasn’t spectacular but there were cool speakers as I went to the World Bank, UN, and the Belgian Embassy. The coolest part was meeting with people from around the world as I met people from Mauritius, Trinidad, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. For me, the program was somewhat interesting but the people were awesome.</p>
<p>Toss it immediately in the trash. Google any of these organizations and you’ll find horrible reviews. There’s one article on the New York Times about NYLC and how they are dishonest and are for-profit but are allowed to keep their .org domain. It’s all a sales pitch really.</p>
<p>Hold on… people are quick to put these down, but take a chance to hear it from someone you actually went to one. Here’s my $.02:</p>
<p>I went to NSLC Policy and Politics as well as Lead America’s PYLC at the Inauguration.</p>
<p>-Price, no way hiding this one. However, put into perspective what you get for 10 or so days. They pay for all necessities plus the experience. I’ve found most other programs are not much cheaper when you break down price per day. Still a good idea to research other related programs to find a better price.</p>
<p>-Great chance to explore your interests before college. They have a variety of opportunities including college style lectures, simulations, many notable guest speakers, and other leadership activities. Believe or not, I actually continue to use what I learned and the Politics program sparked my interests to pursue it later.</p>
<p>-These programs have a perfect balance of educational and social activities.</p>
<p>-Choose a program thats held at a college your interested in attending. Although not run by the university, you still get to experience living there and studying there.</p>
<p>-Meet new people and practice social skills. I think that a lot of people take for granted that when they go off to college, they will instantly be comfortable meeting new people. Sure some teens can do this with no problem, but I’ve found that by going away each summer and meeting new people, I’ve become more confident and easy going in a new environment.</p>
<p>This all I thought about now. I’ll post again if I think of anything. Post any questions too. Overall, I think it was well worth going. It’s a good idea to look for cheaper programs as well, but keep in mind these are definitely not scams.</p>
<p>Take a look at this. CYLC gave up its nonprofit status and lost its certification from the better business bureau. I mean it sounds like a bit of a scam to me.</p>
<p>I would consider a scam something you pay a lot for and get little to nothing in return.</p>
<p>Are this programs selective: No, but neither are most summer college programs.
Will they get you into college: No, but it shows you are doing something over the summer.
Are they expensive: Yes, but read my previous post.</p>
<p>Do students learn about a possible career and leadership skills, as promised: YES
Do students hear from qualified and prestigious speakers: YES</p>
<p>I agree they try to mislead about their prestige and that no one should feel honored by being “nominated”. However if you see past this, the activities and experiences that students have are exactly as advertised.</p>
<p>I’ve done four NSLC programs, and two of their middle school ones.
It’s not remotely an “honor”.
I think their GPA cut off is a 3.5… but I’m not even sure about that.
It’s stupidly expensive. And the intellectual stimulation is somewhat minimal.</p>
<p>That being said: I absolutely loved all the programs I did.
It you’re an underclassmen and have little direction as to what you want to do, I think it’s a really good experience to see what a field is like, and dabble in your interests.
Even if you’re not. You get to live on campus for 10 days and do something you enjoy.
I got to earn some college credit, and a much clearer understanding of what I want to do. And of course, some awesome friends.</p>
<p>What school is the college credit from? Will any college actually accept that credit? I really think people should read the NYT article above, it fills you in all of this scamish work like offering college credit that really isn’t too legit.</p>
<p>I have done jrnylc, cylc, pylc (the inauguration), and a state conference</p>
<p>I have learned that they are not very selective but do have some smart kids. The intellectual stuff is dull but you meet fun people and go to cool places.</p>
<p>At the inauguration they had around fifteen thousand (no typo) kids there so it was a mess. However I did get to see the ceremony (they dropped us off like 10 blocks away and said meet back in eight hours on the other side of town) and i saw a lot of good speakers (al gore, desmund tutu, etc.). In the end I would definitely go back even though it cost a ton.</p>
<p>I have not done any of the medicine or law programs so i cannot say if they are more academic.</p>