<p>I had only read good things about this trip. </p>
<p>When the NYLC flyer first came to our house my daughter had a little bit of burnout going on. Between AP classes, 6a.m. swimming practice, community service hours, various offices in three different extracurricular activities, college apps, and a job, she just wasn't interested in the trip at all. </p>
<p>Then swimming season ended and the college apps were over and she changed her mind about wanting to go. Now she's enthusiastically looking forward to it. So I worked a few extra shifts and we're making it happen. I'm a little jealous, I wish I could have done something like this in high school.</p>
<p>And gotten a brand new wardrobe too.</p>
<p>Hey MotherOfTwo and Alumother- Kohl's and Target sure make having kids more affordable :) Two of my favorite stores.</p>
<p>As far as d being lucky to have us as parents.... it's really the other way around. We really lucked out. It'll be hard to let this child go in the fall.</p>
<p>I'm not in D.C., but not too far either. It was gorgeous on Monday, and went downhill yesterday, 20F, and whipping winds, that made it feel like 0.
They are probably warm and toasty inside buildings, don't fret.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, chocoholic. I just got an email from her and she didn't even mention the weather so I guess you're right and she's just fine. I'm glad I made her buy the coat and gloves. </p>
<p>She says she's enjoying the experience. She's the acting Secretary of State for her group.</p>
<p>We received a letter today that my son was nominated to attend the "National Young Leaders Conference". What is this? Is it worthwhile? Has anyone sent their children?</p>
<p>What other programs are similar but perhaps better? What other summer programs are interesting and useful. His interests are Math, Economics and Politics.</p>
<p>from what i heard, it's not much use in college admissions, as it is sent to most kids that take the psats etc. however, it can be a very meaningful type of summer program for a week if you're son is interested, he could try applying to rsi for math/science, really hard to get into maybe 100 kids per year... or tasp if he gets a high psat score (invite only)... there's also ssp, another science program, nasa sharp another sciency thing... i know some states have governor's school's which are pretty intense (here in jersey anyway) which specialize in subjects like international relations, science, engineering, arts etc. best of look with your son! btw i am a junior so i've been looking this stuff up too... personally applied to gov's school of science... 23% acceptance rate, just another week till i get my decision!!!! even if i don't get in i can always brag i'm a state finalist... lol... hope this helped</p>
<p>Islandmom's daughter just went to DC for one of the NYLC conferences. You might want to send her a PM for information about her daughter's experience. See also her thread "Clothes for D to take to Washington".</p>
<p>I went to this program when I was in high school. For educational purposes, it was a waste of time. But I did enjoy visiting several of the govt buildings in Washington D.C. The people running the conference tried to make it seem serious but most of the students were they just visit DC and take some time off from school. Was it worthwhile? Not for me. I could have done without it. I spent a lot of time sending out letters to raise money for the $965 tuition. I ended up raising $1400, in addition to a $765 scholarship that I got from the conference. So I was able to buy some nice dress clothes. So it was worth it in that respect.</p>
<p>I'm sorry the above poster felt this trip was a waste of time. I have two kids who did it (BTW do not confuse it with other similarly named programs) and they both had really fantastic times - one is still friends with people from the group years later; the other went this year and said it was one of the best experiences ever (and this girl is no slouch in the experiences department, having been on many exciting trips, including overseas, that I could only dream of at her age!), and she already has plans for reunions with a truly awesome bunch of kids.</p>
<p>It is NOT sent to everyone who takes the PSATs. Our school nominates two or three a year. That said, it is not one of the prestigious trips, if prestige matters (it matters not one iota to us).</p>
<p>It IS true that it is not especially useful for college apps, other than possibly sparking an essay, etc. As for cost, that is a completely relative concept - what's a week's pay for one family may be a day's pay to another - I felt the cost was extremely reasonable (one kid went for the ll-day trip, which covered a lot more ground than the 6-day one) and both kids learned a lot. It was infinitely more fun for them to go to Congress and the various agencies - and things like the National Press Club breakfast, etc. etc. - with their peers, than on a family vacation! Plus I doubt our family would have been able to get an appointment with our congressman.</p>
<p>Hey everyone:
I go to a school that offers IB, and basically everyone in IB was invited, which isn't saying a whole lot. The main idea (I think) of these summer programs is
1) For kids to be able to learn about a subject that is their passion, and that they may not have the time/opportunity for during the school year
2) To be away from home, be independent, experience what college will be like, and to be social with other kids
3) To put something on the part of the college app that says "what did you do over the past two summers?"</p>
<p>So with that in mind, there are a lot of better programs your son could go to. Many universities offer summer schools. If finances are an issue I would still encourage an application, because many of these summer programs have great financial aid. For the NYLC, it isn't academically rigorous at all, and it isn't selective either. It's more of a vacation. I would encourage you to talk to your child look at the variety of programs available : SHARP, YESS, SSP just to name a few. Deadlines for some of the more hardcore summer programs (RSI) have passed, but plenty more are still out there. Jsut search around these boards for more help. A nice one is "what summer programs are you applying to?"
Good luck, and please om me if you'd like to talk. btw, I took a philosophy course (my favorite subject) at Stanford for 3 weeks over the summer, and I still cry tears of joy at how awesome it was.</p>
<p>And please do get NYLC confused with other similarly named programs. One visit to the web site, and you see that they're all linked.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And please do get NYLC confused with other similarly named programs. One visit to the web site, and you see that they're all linked.
[/quote]
Then you went to the wrong website!</p>
<p>Ashveer seems to be confusing this with another program - you don't "learn about a subject that is your passion" - I think you are referring to that program that does law, medicine, etc. It is not the same. He/she may be referring to the Young Leaders FORUM (I've forgotten if that is a THIRD program, distinct from the law/medicine one).</p>
<p>That is SPECIFICALLY what I meant when I said not to confuse the NYLC (part of the CYLC) with the others.</p>
<p>Secondly, of course there are "better programs" if you are comparing apples and oranges! This program is NOT "academically rigorous," as you say above, because it is NOT an academic program! It is a Model Congress.</p>
<p>Summer school is an entirely different thing. Two of my kids attended Ivy summer schools for science courses (and got full college credit). This is not an "either/or" - one can go to the nonacademic NYLC duing the school year and still take a full load of summer school courses if one desires.</p>
<p>voronwe* everything you said is very, true, not sure if the summer school thing was in response to my post, but governor's schools and summer schools for the ivy schools are quite different</p>
<p>I meant that summer programs in general are good places to pursue your passions. </p>
<p>To put it bluntly, I feel that this would be a waste of time and money for your son. If you look at what justinmeche says, it sums it up. If you want your son to go on a a nice vacation, send him. But I would save to cost and put it towards a nice summer program. If your son is into model congress and all that jazz, send him, and have him join model UN.</p>
<p>I went to the National Young Leaders Conference last spring as a high school junior. It's basically a 5 or 11 day program (5 day if in the winter/spring; 11 day program if in the summer) held in Washington D.C. dedicated to educating high school students about the American government. Over the course of the days at the conference, I participated in various simulations, such as a mock Congress, mock judicial interpretation, and executive branch simulation. I also had the opportunity to tour various monuments and historic sites around the D.C./MD/VA area (Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetary, Smithsonians, etc.), as well as to hear some very interesting speakers related to politics.</p>
<p>I can only speak for myself -- that I had the best experience of my life when I attended NYLC. The simulations were great, but what made it such an incredible experience was the people that I met. I had the opportunity to meet people my own age from all across the country, coming from a variety of different religions, backgrounds, ethnicities, etc. They were all extremely bright individuals that had a genuine passion for learning. In fact, even a year later, two of my closest friends are ones that I made at NYLC. And I'm actually planning on going on GYLC (a sister conference to NYLC) this summer.</p>
<p>So while the conference is extremely expensive, I would definitely encourage you to send your son on it. Given that he has an interest in politics and that is where NYLC has its base, I'm fairly sure that he'd enjoy it. Granted, it won't help substantially in the college admissions process, but it's definitely worth the experience in my book :)</p>
<p>Here's another parent who agrees with Voronwe and jrose and disagrees with Ashveer. "A waste of time and money" is his opinion and he is entitled to it, but I have have three top achieving kids now in or graduated from elite schools who did this program, and had the time of their lives, made awesome friends whom they are still close to, enjoyed not only the congressional visits and meeting other people in government and the press - but have corresponded with some of those people, which in one case has led to a fantastic summer job, and in another, a recommendation (that apparently worked :) for grad school).</p>
<p>One can't say that what justinmeche says "sums it up." Justinmeche sounds like he or she got stuck with a bad group - kids who just wanted a "vacation." Among my three and three others from our school, there was no such feeling. The kids worked hard (often til eleven at night) and played hard, and they all said it was a joy to be a group of such vibrant, intelligent, passionate kids. My daughter is going to a reunion with her group next weekend.</p>
<p>As Voronwe say, this does not preclude summer school at an Ivy or whatever. The vast majority of these programs meet during the school year. However, my son went to a summer one and still had plenty of time for TWO Ivy courses. NYLC may meet one or more of Ashveer's three listed demands; summer school may meet others; your kids may have their OWN list of requirements that do not march in lock-step with Ashveer's. </p>
<p>Ashveer may "cry tears of joy" over Stanford, but my kids "cry tears of joy" over BOTH their Yale and Harvard summer courses, AND their AWESOME experience at NYLC. There is room for everyone's opinions here, Ashveer, not just yours.</p>
<p>I suggest that following readers/poster take what Ashveer says with a HUGE grain of salt. I for one will not bother responding a second time to his posts. Apparently s/he has an axe to grind. No one can tell you what, for your kid, is "a waste of time." I define "waste of time" as something that does not challenge you nor have you meet new people from all over nor expand your horizons nor....well, you get the picture.</p>
<p>I think that jrose and nedad have both accurately described my daughter's experience with the NYLC conference she attended two weeks ago. She learned a lot about government, had a wonderful time, met, in her words "22 of my best friends", and came back more enthusiastic than I had seen her in a long time. She enjoyed her visits to the Smithsonian, the senate floor, her congressman's office, and the botanical gardens in particular. She was very sad to leave these newfound friends and is still in touch with them over the internet.</p>
<p>She will not be using this trip on any resumes as her college applications were already in. As for the cost, d said that many of the students attending worked very hard to raise the money and were thus very highly invested in making the trip a good experience. This made it a good experience for all.</p>
<p>I definitely think her horizons were expanded.</p>
<p>Here's how I look at it: If they charge money to attend, it's not an "honor" no matter how they label it. That's just marketing. </p>
<p>That doesn't mean its not worthwhile or that it doesn't have prestige attached-- there are a lot of things worth paying for. But the bottom line is that it is one of many programs that charge money to attend, and the process of selecting paying customers by "nomination" is simply a very effective gimmick for drumming up people willing to pay. </p>
<p>So the question really is: if the process for attending was to initiate an application on your own, would you have chosen this program? If no... then the "nomination" should not make a difference.</p>
<p>Anyway, my daughter has gotten quite a few of those things. We look to see what they expect her to pay. It's not a matter of standing on principal -- some of these programs are quite reasonable. It's just a matter of not getting duped into paying more money than something is worth, or paying for something that you are not particularly interested in doing, simply because it is portrayed as being prestigious.</p>
<p>FWIW, I've done some checking. As far as NYLC -- I did some checking. The conference is sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with annual revenues of $24 million. Half of the CYLC's revenues ($12 million) is income from the NYLC conferences. Administrative expenses are 3% of revenues - the rest of their money is all paid out to support their programs. So basically no one is cheating you if you sign up for this program. But then again, it still costs $220-$250 a day to attend the conference.</p>
<p>I thought that CC was a place for opinion, not fact. I just gave my opinion of this program. Of course people have their own ideas and hopes for various programs. I don't think I came off a a program nazi. Apparently nedad has a program to tout, and in his logic, his post should be taken with the same grain of salt. Have a nice spring break, I'm done.</p>
<p>I didn't know where to post this thread, so I decided I'd ask the parents. Have any of you had any personal experience with the National Young Leaders Conference program (either you went, your kids went, or someone you know went.) Has anyone even heard of this program? I got a letter from them yesterday, and the whole thing seems like an amazing experience. However, some of the statements ("Upon completion of the conference, you will be awarded the prestigious National Leadership Certificate of Merit") make the program sound suspiciously like a scam. My questions are:
1. Is this really a prestigious program, or just on of the many that use this claim to try to get more people to participate?
2. If, as I suspect, the answer to question #1 is that it is not prestigious, is the experience still worthwhile?
Any other input would be greatly appreciated. TIA.</p>