<p>My niece, a HS soph, has been invited/asked/solicited to go to this. Anyone have any insights on it? </p>
<p>She is interested in pursuing math/science in college.</p>
<p>Appreciate any help.</p>
<p>Generally known not to be "selective" nor particularly looked highly upon by colleges. Pretty much pay hefty $ for little return. Some people have had okay experiences with it though.</p>
<p>i have the same problem, i just got three letters from LeadAmerica, CYLC, & NSLC, respectively.
After researching i concluded that LeadAmerica is most helpful to the students' future whereas NSLC is the least helpful. </p>
<p>baisically just like the previous speaker, "hefty $ for little return"</p>
<p>My cousin went to the NSLC medicine/health one a few years ago and he said it was a great experience. I asked him about whether it was worth the money since I also got the same letter, and he said that he thought it was. He said he learned a lot from it and that he had a lot of fun the last few days. Sure, it may not be the MOST SELECTIVE program out there, but if you have the money, and you are interested in it, then it would be good.</p>
<p>I got both NSLC and LeadAmerica too......I thought of attending but I personally believe one can spend that money in a lot stronger program...(may be it's just me...)</p>
<p>Went to NSLC Law and learned a ton about law, leadership and mediation, had a blast.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I don't think she is looking at it for the purposes of padding her portfolio for college, but rather as a good summer experience for the money spent (about $2,200 I think).</p>
<p>Anyone other comments are appreciated.</p>
<p>My son (10th grade) just attended the national young leadership conference Washington DC. I realize this is a different organization from the leadership conference the original poster noted, but CYLC was mentioned in a followup thread. Though perhaps not as selective as some would like, i still think it was great for my son, so here's my take on it:</p>
<p>My son was recommended for this program from his h.s. guidance dept, and I was skeptical of the smooth marketing materials and high price tag. However, I did the research and found the program to be legitimate. Yes, the "selectivity" is questionable, as they 'request' schools to only nominate a certain range of student and they do not appear to validate the candidates credentials. Schools recommend students who are supposed to have a 3.7 and show leadership potential. </p>
<p>This program CYLC::</a> Congressional Youth Leadership Council is a non profit 501(c)(3) org, and is high a caliber leadership / government conference. There are 5 day conferences in the fall and spring and longer in the summer. About 250 HS students from around the country attended my sons fall conference, and they were a bright, outspoken, thoughtful, intelligent, etc. group of students. The week was spent learning about our government through lectures and meetings with DC officials, as well as researching and performing 3 mock scenarios: President; Congress; Supreme Court. They did some touring around DC, but also spent time on the house floor, watched and learned about a vote congress making, met with their state's congressional representatives and senators, met w/ the press corp. etc. </p>
<p>As an example of their group activities, my son was chief lobbyist for a mock congressional task, and had to go to the various caucuses to lobby for his bill. In addition to learning about our government, he truly did have an awesome "leadership" experience. He spoke frequently to the entire group during their exercises. </p>
<p>Probably one of the best benefits to me was his meeting other high caliber students like himself who are passionate about government and politics, and who intelligently debate the issues. He loved loved loved it, and is planning on either going back to this organization for their global conference, or their presidential inauguration week. </p>
<p>do the research on this one..it is a quality experience.
(By the way, I would not say this is a gold star on the college application, just a great experience. I would only recommend it for kids interested in politics and debate, not just something for their resume)</p>
<p>Did anyone happen to go to the CYLC military one. What was it like? No I'm not a huge military buff but I thought it was the most interesting out of the programs offered considering I had already been to NYLC and that was all about politics and I wanted to do something different for this one. I am not so much interested in the college resume impact as I am in the experience. And while im not a military buff I have no problems with the military or even joining the military.</p>
<p>According to an Ivy league admission officer, " It is like buying a good looking resume" It doesn't help you at all, they know only people with money do it. sorry</p>
<p>whyivy -- I think you may be missing the point of the posters who said that they got something out of the program (my son did NYLC -- Law and enjoyed it).</p>
<p>They are doing it for themselves, not to pad a college application.</p>
<p>Not everything you do is done to look good for college (at least I hope not). In the case of these programs, many students do seem to enjoy them and get something out of them.</p>
<p>As I have stated before -- If you already attend a school where you have multiple opportunities to get similiar experiences, then it is probably a waste of money. For those students who are looking for more exposure to the issues (different programs have different issues they focus on) than they can get in their hometown, who lack peers interested in what they are interested in, who haven't had the opportunity for travel that some kids have -- for these kids, it may be well worth the money.</p>
<p>I have done both NYLC and LeadAmerica.</p>
<p>I put both on my apps, but they were in no way a prevalent part.</p>
<p>Now. Were they worth the money? ABSOLUTELY. LeadAmerica was the best 10 days of my life...Often I speak to someone I met there once a day, and one girl drove down from Palm Springs, CA (1 1/2 hours or so) for my brithday. I've made some lifelong friends from these programs.</p>
<p>However, if all you're looking for is something to put on college apps, don't to it.</p>
<p>DD went to the medicine/health one as well. She actually learned a lot, and enjoyed the experience. Hers was at UMD College Park and it was the first time she spent an extended time on a college campus. We felt it was worth the money for that part of the experience too. She was also able to visit with some extended family members both before and after the program. For her, it was worth the money.</p>