Did you receive "elite" and "prestigious" offers in the mail for student leadership conferences?

Applying to College
1

It’s that time of year again! A public servant announcement for your high schoolers out there…

These commonly go out through “Envision” and they are marked “National Student Leadership Conference” and other branches of the same company that will identify “National Student Leaders: Medicine/Government/Fine Arts/STEM”. Often in a fancy embossed folder, offering summer programs at Yale/Berkeley/Northwestern, etc.

I’ve had several students receive this, thinking it’s a tremendous honor…when in reality it’s a $3,000 summer conference that will likely have 0 effect on your college admissions process.

A must read on this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/education/edlife/leadership-t.html

2

Yes. Those are annoying. I do know one kid who did one and then got into Harvard a few years later, although I doubt the summer camp had anything to do with it.