<p>anyone have any idea what this is/have attended it?</p>
<p>Rule of thumb, generally, if it costs anything( especially exborbant rates those leadership conferences often charge) pricey for a relatively short duration( 5 to 12 days), then it’s not worth it. There are so many “national” (be wary of anything with the word ‘national’ and ‘leader’ in the title) leadership programs out there- ones that exclaim they foster deeper appreciation and insight even into business, medicine, law, politics,etc. But most are simply a weeks worth of fun, speakers, and some workshops- that are fun but in no way worthy of ‘admissions acknowledgement’ because most of the people who speak are paid to do so and why should you have to pay a couple thousand to learn how to be a leader( something you could do so on your own) but not receive any material benefit from paying such a hefty price?</p>
<p>However, if your program, which by its name is not distinguishable enough for me to recognize it or come up with a conclusive search, is not of the calibar I just described and you don’t have to pay a lot of money and there seems to be a challenging, unique itinerary, then go for it! You can judge the merits of the program using logic- was there any selective admissions process? How many students are selected? On what merits? What did the application consist of? Is the curriculum geared towards your interests and passions( although the whole ambiguity of the ‘leader’ thereof seems to indicate no specific area)…I’m assuming, however, that your program isn’t distinguished and it’s one of the NSLC or NCLS or all those acronym heavy programs that are really just inflated jargon, in my opinion. You’ll make friends, you’ll have fun, you may even learn a lot- but should you put it on your application? Not if you want to run the highly probably risk of sounding a fool. The only benefit I can forsee from attending one of these leadership seminar type programs is that the content and atmosphere would motivate you to do something great and contribute to your community- and that is something so entirely intangible and unreliable that to pay 2000 or so so you could hope to achieve that attitude is unrealistic. Find leadership on your own-that’s my best advice. If you are applying to a selective school, they don’t want to know that you attended a leadership program- that says nothing. However, it is what you do with that knowledge and support that is of interest- did you lead a campaign? Revolutionize school policies? If such a seminar precipitated your passions and invovlement- then that may be a way to note that. But be warned- colleges are increasingly getting wary of such high priced programs that cater to those who can afford it.</p>
<p>Yeah. Don’t be like me. I attended NSLC and I think I got ripped off like a mother.</p>
<p>I did NYLF-Medicine and it helped me, not my college applications persay.
Yeah, I was there for the speakers/med. experience. It was cool though. I got to go “visit” the salvation army/halfway house and a hospital or two… ah Houston Medical Center. </p>
<p>The only foreseeable perk is now I get to go see the presidential inauguration because I’m an alumni. Inaugural ball, speakers, Inaugural speech, oath of office, inaugural parade. Here’s to my candidate winning.</p>
<p>In short, experience + alumni perks = :).</p>
<p>thanks guys</p>
<p>These people have been hounding my daughter relentlessly to go to the conferences in D.C. and other places. Yesterday they threw in a new twist: a personalized letter saying she had been nominated by a teacher (who happens to be this highly esteemed incredibly smart person). Very clever approach, but it’s still ridiculously expensive (even though it’s local), so we’ll be saying no. I’d love to hear from anyone else who actually thought it was worthwhile for the price paid.</p>
<p>“nominated by a teacher” Given that this is a big money making business, I wonder what that teacher got to endorse the conference? Makes one wonder…</p>
<p>Ok, I’ll agree that MOST of these random acronym programs are probably worth avoiding. HOWEVER, I actually attended the 1-week NYLC conference in D.C. (last summer, before my senior year) and it was some of the most fun I’ve had in recent years. The people you meet, the places you go, and the things you do all contribute to what I thought was a fantastic experience. To give a few examples, we were able to privately tour the Senate, The House of Representatives, listen to a professional panel at The National Press Club, and host a plethora of speakers at the main hotel we stayed at… all in addition to some pretty awesome touring we did around the cool parts of the city (downtown, art galleries, etc). I went during the July 4th recess, but I know that typically, you get to meet with your state’s senators and representatives. Even without that, though, my experience was hardly blemished.</p>
<p>In the end, I suppose, it’s what you make it…and I was, like many, apprehensive going into the program, but it was all proven wrong. It was the people that made it for me, hands down, if I had to narrow it down to a single factor. Sure you’ll meet your share of funny, laid back kids, but there are also some amazingly impressive students who you will WANT to know a few years down the road. I know at least good friend I met during NYLC who I’ll see at Johns Hopkins this fall. The cost could be an issue, but if it’s not, I’d say you should really consider it :D</p>
<p>YEP!
and NYLF/CYLC are run by the same umbrella company, they just specialize in different interest areas. C-Congressional = government which runs NYLC and other specialized programs (Junior NYLC, NYSLC- state conference). NYLF = medicine, law, national security. They also do the Inaugural Conferences, every 4 years.</p>
<p>I’d trust these groups for a good experience; they’re organized quite well and actually offer a lot to the participant.
They also have scholarships available if one registers/knows about it way early, usually before they send out notification of nomination… the only thing that’s a little lame.</p>