<p>Hi, I'm considering applying for Girls State in Massachusetts (a program designed to teach high school students about government), but the website was kind of confusing for me, and I'm having trouble finding more information on it. Does anyone on here know about Girls State (in any state)? Has anyone participated in this?</p>
<p>If anyone knows more, I have a few questions:
1. the website made it seem really conservative and christian- is that true, and if so, what's it like? when they're picking people for girls nation, do they only consider people who agree with them, or will they consider a leader who advocated a different point of view?
2. how is the experience? what exactly happens there?
3. how competitive is the selection for girls nation at the end? how many girls are they deciding between, and how much would you need to stand out to be selected?</p>
<p>Basically, I'm trying to decide whether or not to apply, since going would mean missing the final week of school and rescheduling everything around it, which would be a pain. I love politics, but since I don't know much about the program, I don't know if it's worth it. I recently did Harvard Model Congress and loved it, so I'm wondering if this would be a similar experience.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input! :)</p>
<p>Hi! I participated in the CA Girls State, where it seems the process for selection was slightly different (HS selected 4 junior girls; girls were interviewed by American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) members and then selected as delegate/alternate/second alternate).</p>
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<li>At least for Cali, the program was (thankfully) neither particularly conservative nor Christian. I wasn’t picked to attend Girls Nation, but I imagine it’s a process very particular to your state. I was told that it was ALA members who supposedly decided who went.</li>
<li>I really enjoyed my experience! I was an assemblywomen, which meant a lot of my week was spent in the assembly debating and discussing some of the most interesting bills (everyone wrote a bill before arriving at the campus) with 31 other passionate and knowledgeable women. What happens there is up to you. You can choose to run for city, county, or state positions, or simply be involved in a little bit of everything without holding a position. I would strongly recommend you talk to girls who previously attended Massachusetts Girls State so you have more specific information.</li>
<li>In Cali, because there were over 500 girls that attended and only 2 spots for Girls Nation, the selection was, of course, competitive. They (supposedly) decide between all of the girls and I know the girls that were selected from my state to attend GN stood out a ton! I definitely think ALA made the right choices :)</li>
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<p>Since CA Girls State is a free, weeklong program that didn’t conflict with any of my summer plans, the decision was easy for me. Missing the final week of school might be too much of a pain to justify going to a normal summer program. I had fun, greatly enjoyed the experience, and was glad that I went (I don’t know much about Model Congress, but I imagine being in assembly is a lot like that…). Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions, but talk to some girls who attend Massachusetts Girls State first!</p>
<p>sweetsmiles :)</p>