<p>I have been thinking about it, and whether or not i should allocate my time differently during the summer. What would be the best choice? NSLC, yes or no? And how is it viewed, seeing that many people do NSLC. And one last question, what is the acceptance rate? Is it considered to be particularly demanding, or is it simply a "nice" choice?</p>
<p>What's NSLC?</p>
<p>If it's one of those leadership conference things, there are a lot of threads on whether or not it's prestigious. The general consensus I believe is: not prestigious, but can be fun and productive.</p>
<p>That won't get you in.</p>
<p>For the $$$ I don't see them as worthwhile. They're only a week though, aren't they. So you could do one plus something else.</p>
<p>i went to NSLC, and now that i look back it was kinda a waste of money. there was no real significance. my brother went to NSLF which seems much better because they had a lot more resources and had much more pretigious speakers</p>
<p>I got in with a 1500 financial aid, but i was wondering what i should do. See, I got an internship at the Greek consulate in Boston, and I will spend two months there, but should i go to NSLC first? My program is international relations. If you could share specific info about that, i t would be great. I guess it all boils down to-should i do both or focus solely on my internship.</p>
<p>If you are looking to help your app significantly, it won't do the trick. These programs are not selective enough to distinguish you clearly from the hoards of students that these programs mail brochures to. But if you have the money, time, and energy for it, then go ahead! It would probably be a nice experience, anyway.</p>
<p>See, it is the "extra" thing i will do-plus, i got in, so do you think it would be better than just siting around doing nothing for these 10 days...or at least that is what i think. What else would you recommend, seeing that NSLC (international relations) is close to my major????</p>
<p>Do the NSLC thing if it looks like fun to you. You are interested in the speakers, you think you personally will get something out of it. Don't do it because you are worried about a ten day gap in your summer schedule. It's okay to have a little vacation. The Greek consulate internship sound really interesting to me. I had no idea such opportunities even existed.</p>
<p>Debate_addict, I will tell you about my experience in general. I did a couple last year ( Easter break and Summer ) among some other stuff that I had already planned. I did the conferences one in Medicine ( Boston) and another one in Leadership ( DC). I disagree with some of the posters. They are selective and not everyone gets invited nor accepted after applying. I think it helps to show that you are focused in what you want to pursue and that you have a passion. I loved the experience in DC and learned a lot. It helped me to see how I would function away from home ( dorm situation, a bunch of strangers, etc) I learned a lot too and met some senators, the Vice President, Surgeon General and very interesting people. I did not get as much out from the one in Medicine because it turned out to be less practical and more about listening to med students and residents gripe about med school, etc. I am glad I did both of them and it certainly did not look bad in my application.!</p>
<p>On the other hand, a lot of people are signing up to "build houses" in some desolated area (ie $ 4700.00, meals included, room and board and air fare...) "helping the poor" that way. The adcoms have really caught in to that. It is just some exotic vacation for those who can afford to pay that for a couple of weeks while trying to buff up their resumes... Big difference!</p>
<p>Anyway, my two cents.</p>
<p>One of the admissions officers who posts on this website (I believe it was Admissions Daniel on the JHU forum) said that they viewed these "National Forum" programs as academic enrichment. Any steps you take to enrich yourself outside of the classroom are appreciated by admissions--although obviously NSLC is not the same as going to MIT, WTP, TASP, etc.</p>
<p>interesting and very helpful post MovieBuff
thanx a lot</p>
<p>lol, all those leadership camps will not set you apart at all...if u do it do it cuz u think it'll be fun, not because it will help w/ admissions. especially not Harvard...honestly it just shows ur rich if u put it on ur app. if u wanna do something for college, go to something free (which usually shows that it's prestigious). but there are programs that are prestigious that cost a couple thousand dollars. or you can get a job, do volunteering, and do an internship</p>
<p>my take always was that the leadership camps are largely a sham.</p>
<p>as far as i know, nearly everybody who applies is accepted, and the prices are exorbitant.</p>
<p>they can get away with charging so much by selling it as a prestigious activity thats not offered to everyone, but this is in fact not true.</p>
<p>What we have heard about these events is that they don't add any more than a lot of free activities would add. They may be 'selective' but at the top schools, pretty much all the applicants would qualify to get into them (apart from the cost of the programs, which would leave some students out). So if you find it interesting, go, but there are lots of things you could do for free that would help you just as much.</p>
<p>(And as an unsolicited addition, I would add that the same is true of all the high school summer sessions at the selective colleges - they cost a lot, and don't help you more than a lot of free activities.)</p>
<p>Fundamentally, it's about what you get out of your activity, and how much you put into it, not its name or perceived prestige.</p>
<p>I agree - I guess in order to negate the whole "rich people do NSLC" opinion I should mention that I got merit aid, right?
Also, the reason why I did NSLC was because I want to major in political sciences / international relations. Plus, as an activity it is complementary to others that I do (MUNs, for instance)...</p>
<p>I agree with transferapp; leadership camps are a waste of time.
I keep on getting apps in the mail, telling me that "Your so-and-so teacher has recommended you for this great program! Here is a list of other students who experienced this program and they have loved it!".</p>
<p>... I'd rather keep my money. Thanks.</p>
<p>NSLC is the sort of camp that 95% of harvard applicants automatically qualify for. I'm not actually sure where they get their mailing lists, but my guess is that they buy them from Collegeboard or PSAT, sending mass mails to all students who score decently. I think you could do better with your time at home reading a book, getting a little working experience (and pay!), and hanging out with your friends.</p>