<p>It is not prestigious, because it is not very selective (even though they are trying to present it as such). It is very expensive. Nevertheless, some parents pay for it, and some kids find it worthwhile.</p>
<p>DD is going to a National Student Leadership Conference seminar on Health Care and Medicine. It is NOT prestigious. We are NOT doing it to help her with college admissions. We KNOW it is not an honor. AND we know it is expensive. BUT the program sounded interesting to DD and we know others who attended it in the past and very much enjoyed it. DD has gone to music camp the last three summers and wanted to do something different this year. This was perfect for her.</p>
<p>My D went to the one on business/management last summer. We kind of knew what thumper1 posted, but we were looking for activities to fill her summer and it sounded worthwhile. She enjoyed it, but decided she didn't want to be a business major after going through the program. So I guess it served a valuable purpose.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I kind of figured it wasn't prestigious, but I thought it couldn't hurt to get some other peoples opinions.</p>
<p>My daughter did it many years ago and did enjoy it.</p>
<p>I did the Global Young Leaders Conference in Europe last year. No, it isn't prestigious--anyone who can pay can go. That being said, it was definitely worth the money. I had so much fun; I got to see Europe, learn about the European Union, and spend 2 weeks away from my parents. It won't help in college admissions, but it was fun experience that is a lot more educational than just sitting around at the beach.</p>
<p>It is not prestigious as has been said, but I went to Presidential Classroom (a slightly more prestigious but comparable program) and had an absolute BLAST. It is very expensive, and I went on a scholarship, but if your child is into the topic, it is so worthwhile.</p>
<p>Presidential Classroom rocks! I went on the Inaugural program. Unbeatable!</p>
<p>Has your child devoured the morning newspaper for years? Reads the Economist for fun? If so, he/she will probably get more out of the conference than the student just looking for a fun field trip to Washington.
Although all the promotional materials, from the engraved-style invitations to the list of supporters, shriek, "Scam!," I talked to a couple of students and parents from our public high school who attended and decided to send my son; he's also attending the International Relations program at Georgetown and an Economics for Leaders conference. My only reservation was that there is a lot of sightseeing, according to one parent, and my son is already familiar with D.C. (I am a native.) But it will be so much more fun for him seeing these places with peers, and he will have a different perspective now that he is older and more educated. If you wouldn't balk at spending the equivalent amount for camp, think of the program as a sophisticated camp - with no poison ivy worries.</p>
<p>My D (a rising Jr.) is doing the Presidential Classroom Program this summer because she thinks learning about Goverment is fun. She has been working on her debate topics for months!!!<br>
It will be a nice opportunity for her to interact with kids with similar interests. Not many kids write research papers on Human Trafficking for fun....</p>
<p>My daughter did this last winter and absolutely loved it! She loves DC and this conference covered areas of extreme interest for her. While she knew that it was not a great "honor" to be accepted, she wanted to do an extracurricular in her area of interest. It was timely because she is an athlete and as it happens she ended up with an injury that disrupted her season and gave her some downtime right around the conference. It occupied her and kept her from going crazy! She got to meet and work with one of the advisors who was from Rwanda and had experienced the genocide first hand. This had a tremendous impact on her. He was extremely well credentialed and she was inspired by him. She found the scenarios challenging and exciting. She would definitely repeat the experience even though she found some of the people interested in defense to be very gungho and tough to talk to. This was good, though, because this opened discussions about the many types of people she will end up having to work with if she chooses this path for her work. Expensive yes, but not much more than a good athletic camp.</p>
<p>My D did the medicine one and it helped her decide on pursuing allied health vs medical school. She made friends from across the country, had a romance(actually met one guy from her home town) and met friends she corresponded with the past two years. It was a great experience for her and a lot of fun, informational as well. It is expensive however.</p>
<p>
[quote]
as your child devoured the morning newspaper for years? Reads the Economist for fun?
[/quote]
If your kid is this interested in governmental affairs, check out the US Senate Youth Program. It is extremely competitive (they send 2 kids from each state). That said, it was hands-down the best week of my life. Also, it includes a $5000 college scholarship.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who posted for your insightful comments. Now I just need to figure out if I can come up with the major $$$.</p>
<p>Look closely at the paperwork for all of the programs. I know the Presidential Classroom Program has $ available for students who wish to attend. Most programs have sponsors that underwrite scholarships for students who wish to attend but can't come up with the funds on their own.</p>
<p>Thanks. I'll look into it.</p>
<p>My S was nominated to participate in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law. I'm seeking information from prior participants before we enroll, since I'm not familiar with this program. It is held in Washington, DC for 5 days, in October or November. Since it is an expensive program, I'd like more feedback.</p>
<p>if you search on cc, you'll find that most kids who attended really enjoyed the experience. But, the 'nomination' just as likely came off a college search list, so it's not an exclusive program. If you have the money and they have the time, it can be worthwhile.</p>
<p>btw: since it can even be self-nomination, colleges won't count this for any value in the app process.</p>
<p>Hi Ladybug. My son was nominated for two of these during high school and we decided against it for two reasons: (1) it was expensive, and (2) we could find better things for him to do during the summer. I don't want to knock it, because many kids have gone and had a great time. It will just be an expensive time and will do nothing for helping a student get into any particular college. I think there may have been some posts here which have gone into how the organization itself is a non-profit, but a for-profit company (supposedly located at the same address) handles all of the arrangements. (Help, others, am I remembering this correctly?)</p>
<p>I suggest that you look up the thread on recommended summer activities and workshops that your son MIGHT find more interesting and look into some of those. Discussion can be found in these threads:</p>
<p>By the way, in my son's case, the nominations were made by his HS. One of the teachers asked us if our son would be interested in getting the nomination for one of the programs. </p>
<p>-Dig</p>
<p>
[quote]
btw: since it can even be self-nomination, colleges won't count this for any value in the app process
[/quote]
True, it won't count as an academic honor and certainly shouldn't be reported as one. But the programs do have good reputations, so reporting it as an EC or Summer Activity to show interest in a particular area certainly wouldn't hurt. Bottom line, I'd put it in the hopper with all other non-selective summer activities.</p>