Hey everyone, I got an email that I was accepted to the NSCL, and although they had a legit website and exceptional colleges participating, something felt fishy about it, anyways has anyone had experiences with it or knows if it is real or not, also please let me know if there are any other programs like this or better.
P.S. I’m a Sophomore, and Thanks again!
Please read this: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/education/edlife/leadership-t.html
It’s a very, very expensive camp experience. They market it so you think it is elite and selective and will look great on your college apps.
I can think of far better ways to spend $3K…
Thanks a lot, I’ll be skipping that and saving my $3 grand for disneyworld ~:>
I’m always leery of any program with Leadership in the title. They are almost always a waste of money. The only exception that I’ve found is Notre Dame’s leadership seminars. But as a rule, if it says Leadership on it, we don’t consider it.
My D did a medical NSLC a few years ago and it was very worthwhile. It is indeed a pay-to-participate, but it has a good reputation. It exposed her to many health professions and helped her hone her interest in pre-med. She learned many different aspects of the health sciences fields and did a lot in hospitals, classrooms, cancer research center, etc. Drilled eyeballs in the surgery section. Kids from all over the country and from overseas were in her section (at Univ of Washington). She stays in touch with many of them. It was very worthwhile for her. So if there is a program that is in alignment with your interests, take a look (if you can afford it). Other kids from our high school have done the same program and every single one loved it. This program (medical & health sciences) was a real deal.
NSLC was an absolutely amazing program for any prospective college student. Although it is not directly applicable to college apps, it can more than certainly provide beneficial essay content. NSLC is far better for preparing for life in college compared to Disneyland. Give it a serious look if price permits.
Our D17 did the engineering program a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, even though she has opted not to pursue that major. S19 just got invited and is thinking Law and Advocacy.
NSLC is not cheap but it seemed to us that you get what you pay for. D was pretty busy with site visits, lectures, and projects. She enjoyed staying in the dorms and experiencing a bit of “college life” that way, although it’s not the same as real college because they keep you on a definite schedule the entire time. She was surrounded by other bright and inquisitive kids from all over the place who were really into what they were doing - they weren’t just there because it looked good on their college apps. So it’s a great experience, based on what we saw and the overall program was very well run. A question or two I had about scheduling was answered immediately by someone at HQ and one of the local directors who was overseeing the specific program. We never felt it was a rip off or a waste of money (and my husband is pretty opposed to the idea of pre-college in general LOL).
It’s no surprise that something would appear “fishy”. Our kids have gotten a TON of invites to special leadership conferences, etc. over the years - it seems there are many organizations out there willing to capitalized on anxious families wanting to improve their kids’ chances for a top college - and the top colleges themselves are hardly less culpable! (just google what the typical elite college offers for summer pre-college . . ). NSLC is just one of many programs, but it seems more reputable. Of our 4 children who took the PSAT, only two have been invited to NSLC and they were in the top 1% of the distribution (the other two were in top 10% so not exactly slouches . . . ). Could be wrong but I think you have to hit a certain percentile for College Board to give them your name via Student Search (assuming you allowed that) and/or you need your school to nominate you. It’s a bit more selective.
You won’t “need” NSLC to get into a good college. It won’t substitute for poor grades or a sloppy application. But if you think it sounds interesting, consider this a recommendation to look into it further. Especially if you were considering an interesting pre-college experience for the summer.
Thank you for this explanation. My D15 got an invite and really wants to do the Mastering Leadership one this summer. I read many things that said it’s marketing and not prestigious and doesn’t look any better on college applications then other extra curricula activities, but I still think it will be a good experience that she can take some value away from. Your post confirmed that to me, yes it’s expensive, but we can manage it and I think D will like it.
My son did the engineering program at Berkeley. We live in Chicago so doing the program at Northwestern was not an option for him. He flew to California by himself. He did other engineering programs at Michigan State University and Milwaukee School of engineering but he said this program was far and away the best one he did. It gave him a chance to see Berkeley up close and they visited Stanford also. They went to the Intel museum and other fun stuff. He loved the daily engineering programs and competitions.
It is well worth the money if you can afford it. He was with top students from around the United States. He came home with a renewed sense of confidence that yes, he could do engineering.
Also note that this company has their program at some of the leading schools in the United States. A good way to test out the campuses also. The company was extremely organized and helpful.
It won’t help get you into a. College but colleges like to see your doing something with your summers also especially if it’s in your field of interest.
They do go by grade point and most likely the reason you got a letter. It’s not a con company.
NSLC is not a scam. My D attended the Acting Intensive at Yale and it was a tremendously worthwhile experience, she got a lot out of it. It was money well spent and we are glad she did it.