<p>Lderochi, I realize that the OP did not specifically address the issue of being helpful for admissions. The purpose of my answer was to frame the question in the context of PAST POSTS on College Confidential and offer a different yet relevant viewpoint. I believe that is relevant because the programs' sponsors are not shy to market themselves as TOOLS to help in college admissions and make direct references to this in their literature. They do not shy way to (ab)use cheap gimmicks as misrepresenting the nomination process, borrowing prestigious "directors," and using overly impressive looking gold seals and expensive envelopes. </p>
<p>It should be obvious to anyone that the programs should shine by their benefits and not HAVE to use flattery and misrepresentation to find enough candidates to meet their financial objectives. For what it is worth, I do BELIEVE rather strongly that the major "hooK' of the programs is to present themselves as admissions boosts. To illustrate this, I do not believe that you would find many college freshmen or sophomores interested in such programs, nor many parents interested in bankrolling the cost AFTER the admission cycles. Yet, the choices of future careers is usually made in the first years of college, not in high school.</p>
<p>Thanks Iderochi. Not everything has to be listed on the college application. My thinking was that the program would help my s. with determining the direction of his college studies.</p>
<p>FWIW, this is an example of a past post on CC. It dates from March 2004, but the information should be valid. The post was pretty good because a father spent a lot of time checking the organization (BBB and financials). The organization passed the BBB test, but the relation with its for-profit sister company is worth nothing. About $7,000,000 of its 18,000,000 in income are paid to the sister company for management expenses. </p>
<p>Although this is not the same organization as NYLF, it appears to be a similar type of program and my 16 year old D is attending the "Inside the Arts" conference this week. Yes, she received an official looking invitation in the mail, and no, I am not sure if her name was selected because of guidance counselor recommendation (a possiblilty in that she has nominated her for other leadership positions within NY state) or because she took PSAT this year as a sophomore since she is in honors classes, or her name just appeared on some mailing list. Frankly, it doesn't matter to me how they found her, we were happy she was able to attend. She left yesterday, flying from our city to Chicago by herself for the first time. She has already had a double decker bus tour of Chicago with a tour guide stressing the architectural features of the buildings (this is an arts program- although the NSLC has other programs for other interests- we chose the arts one due to my D and her interests). She has been assigned to a group of 15 students whose task is to develop an arts center concept ( they have 1 1/2 hours group time per day to work on this project )and to present their center on the final day of the conference. She has already made new friends, met kids from all over the country, flown by herself and had to meet up with the group at the airport, and called full of excitement and news after only one day! Worth every penny already just in the independence factor! And in the next couple of days they are scheduled to have a private session with jazz musicians, a "talk-back" session with Second City performers after a show, workshop with admissions directors from several Chicago area colleges which have majors in the arts (Northwestern, Chicago Art Institute, etc.) And that's just the tip of the iceburg! Her days in Chicago will be full of exciting opportunities that we couldn't necessarily give her. So do I think this will help in college admissions? No. Do I think she is learning from the experience? Yes! Will I send my younger D next year to a similar program for her interests? Yes, again!</p>
<p>NYLF seems to be one of those programs where you simply take responsibility for what you get out of it. If students get value out of it and parents don't mind paying for it, more power to them. Others (like me) who think it is overpriced for what you get simply shouldn't invest in it or recommend it to others who value my opinion. My opinion is based on what I have observed from NYLF for Technology here in Silicon Valley. Maybe the other NYLF programs around the country are offer more value.</p>
<p>overanxious, I really appreciate what you shared with us, wouldn't hesitate to add your comments to my thoughts about NYLF for balance, and then let people interested in the program make (and take responsibility for) their own decision about participating.</p>
<p>xiggi, thanks for the clarification, which is what I was really trying to bring out anyway. The message you quoted from was talking about "worthwhile" in a way other than regarding admissions, and I wanted to make clear (as you did) that we're really talking about apples and oranges. </p>
<p>Question 1 is whether the program helps in admissions. Answer: No. </p>
<p>Question 2 is whether the program is worthwhile in other ways (enlightenting, interesting, making friends with people sharing similar interests, travel and culture, etc.). Answer: Some participants say they have gotten a lot out of the programs in these areas, but it is pricey. Families really need to discuss whether it's worth the cost. </p>
<p>I confess to not having a strong opinon about whether NYLF's marketing is shady or outright deceptive. FWIW, my S received an invite (didn't go) and I honestly don't remember thinking that there was a strong message about helping college apps.</p>
<p>I did the medicine one. I found most of the kids were just spoiled and there to socialize, only a handful really took advantage of what was there. it was definitely informative, I came out of there knowing a lot more about what being a doctor is all about and how to get there. though im not sure that it was worth the price. but if you have the means then id suggest it. </p>
<p>I lucked out and me and two other guys who had been assigned a random field trip together got to see a ACL repair surgery right up close.</p>
<p>Is anyone familiar with the NYLF on law? Is this a worthwhile program to go to and spend $1290? Is this a legitimate organization? I know they have been around for ten years and that an "invitation" is sent to the prospective student with a GPA of at least 3.3/4.0 and decent PSAT/SAT scores.
Is anyone going to the forum this Novemb8-13, 2005?<br>
Thankx</p>
<p>Legitimate: yes
An honor to put on college apps: not really</p>
<p>Essentially, while it's not really that great of an honor toget invited and some people think it's a scam, most of the people who go to the different programs love them. If you're really interested in the field and have the money to spend, then from what I've heard, it's a worthwhile experience (though some would argue that there are better uses for your money)</p>
<p>This is a very legitimate program. I've had a lot of friends go there, and they come back saying it was the best experience of their life (and some of them are pretty worldly people). But in the end it is up to you.
I got invited to the law one but I didn't have the money or time to go.</p>
<p>DD just came back from a National Student Leadership Conference (which is very similar to the NYLF) on Health Care and Medicine. She had a terrific time. No....we don't expect this to get her into college, but she will put it on her summer activity list. The conference involved a number of seminars related to health care and medicine, and trips to National Institute of Health, Walter Reed Medical Center, and Georgetown School of Medicine. There was some great sight seeing in DC as well. DD was a recipient of a leadership award (10/300 students got these) and received a nice stethoscope as a gift. All in all, we felt it was a good experience for her, and she met a LOT of nice people.</p>
<p>My S has a high-priced, personalized glossy invitation to this $1300 6-day, get-to-know-the government thing in DC. Choices of dates all through the fall, but definitely cuts into school time. They must get their mailing lists off of College Board or some other service. </p>
<p>Anybody know if this is for real or a scam? Schedule of meeting politicos & learning about the DC process certainly seems interesting, but they bill it as a very elite "invitation", referencing high-achieving past students at S's school who have attended........this all sounds a bit much to me, & perhaps a good cover for a good money making operation.</p>
<p>Pros:
1) You really get to see LOTS of DC- definitely helpful for me as I'm living in DC this summer and I still remembered where a lot of people were :)</p>
<p>2) You do learn how the government branches work.</p>
<p>3) YOu get to sit on the floor of the Congress....whoo, in those leather chairs...</p>
<p>Cons:
1) Not worth on that money for such tightly packed days and crappy food.</p>
<p>2) No sleep, really. Or time to do your make-up schoolwork</p>
<p>3) It's really easy to get in so it's not really competitive.</p>
<p>I know the cons are lame- but I'd do it again if the cost had been less.</p>
<p>I know two people who have done it and they really enjoyed it, but I'm not sure what their opinion about cost was. One later got an internship in Tom DeLay's office, but I'm not sure if that was related to his time with the National Young Leaders Conference or not.</p>
<p>Well, I know local papers write articles about kids who end up going, and Congressmen always post photos of themselves with NYLC kids (on their official pages).</p>
<p>It sounds semi-legit. It's probably not as prestegious as it makes itself out to be, but it could definitely be a cool experience for people who are interested in Congress/DC.</p>
<p>I'm a student and I went on the National Young Leaders Conference two Aprils ago. Throughout the course of the five days that I was in DC, I toured the sights (Supreme Court, Arlington Cemetary, the monuments, etc.), participated in simulations about the three branches of government, and heard speakers about politics. The whole experience made me become a lot more politically aware and made me become a better public speaker. But I think that the best part of the experience were the other people on the trip that I met. They were all such incredibly bright and talented individuals who came from all across the U.S.; the group was so diverse and I learned so much from just talking to people coming from different perspectives and backgrounds than my own. Even today, two of greatest friendships were formed at that conference. I would highly recommend it to anyone.</p>
<p>That said, the experience has minimal to no impact on the admissions process. And it is very expensive. It's a great experience to have, no doubt, but definitely not an essential one.</p>