Wha?! GYLC??!?!?

Student Lounge International Students
61

<p>hi i’m dickson from HK
juz looked up to the post abt GYLC
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/295895-wha-gylc-3.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/international-students/295895-wha-gylc-3.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>i saw u’ve got a reply on it and u are suggesting the Harvard Model Congress over GYLC as GYLC is more like scam, costing 4000 US
so how’s the Harvard Model Congress was like and were the ppl over here relly smart?? coz i’m a foreigner and not fluent in English and not that experienced in the MUN things</p>

<p>so any other recommendations other than GYLC and Harvard MOdel Congress btw i’ve heard abt HOBY WLC b4 </p>

<p>replying Santino’s post on page 3
GUYS, can anyone help me?? not only Santino but someone who knows wat’s up there</p>

62

<p>hi,
i’ve just signed up for GYLC 2010, and im scared by all these posts saying it is a scam when i’ve already paid :frowning:
is it really?</p>

63

<p>It’s not a scam. I know people who attended it. It’s perfectly legit, and while it blows a hole in your wallet, it’s supposed to be fun :).</p>

64

<p>Well it’s fun, not a real scam and you’ll probably learn something. But,</p>

<p>1st
It doesn’t really look good on apps for top schools. It’s open invitation and doesn’t require any real skill or potential.</p>

<p>2nd
It’s damn well not worth 4000 bucks. For that money I could travel right around the globe at least once and learn sooo much more. If you have that kind of money to burn, send me 2000 bucks and I’ll take you on a real learning tour. Or start up a nonprofit or something.</p>

<p>If you want to boost your record on international issues and want to attend conferences, then do the real thing: Participate in MUNs, get invites from real stuff (Cop15, davos etc always have lots of nonprofit reps) or become youth representative at summits (nobel peace laureates, petersburg dialogue, UN etc.). All that can be done if you really are a leader in your field and invest the time to find out about such programs. They usually are for free or even paid.</p>

<p>That would be then the kind of stuff that will make adcoms go: ‘Wow this kid knows his politics’ instead of: ‘Wow this kid has enough money to buy himself into politics’.</p>

65

<p>hi tobiz.int
yea…u got ur point
actually anymore meaningfull events that are similar to GYLC…i mean those non-profits one</p>

<p>i reli wanna expose more and learn more but in a worthwile way</p>

<p>any suggestions?? thz</p>

66

<p>Since I don’t want to be just *****ing around, here are some examples on what you could do.</p>

<p>“A worthwile way”. That is always defined by you. The most worthwile activities are those that you start or limit by yourself. For example: This autumn holidays i packed two close friends (both soooo far from politics) and we traveled half way around the world to and through southern China for a month. We ate and had fun with migrant workers (really the poorest guys) in Shenzhen and were clubbing in HK (btw all for below 2k$). That doesn’t go on your CV, but it will shape your view of this very planet. And you dont need to be rich for this (i work as a supermarket cashier to finance all i do), you need to be passionate.</p>

<p>But i guess you are looking for stuff that is both cool and good in applications. And here it is: Be passionate about what you already do. Take responsibility and be a driving, not a driven, force.
I did not only participate in XY MUNs, but I became a leader. I founded the first national model ICJ, developed the whole set of rules and so on and chaired it. I did not only believe in a united Europe, but i joined the Yound Euriopean Federalists and became an activist. I headed my own MUN (of which there arent that many) and was an organizer for college-level peace conferences. I was invited to Nobel peace laureate summits, the UN and a whole numer of high level meetings, where i was even able to influence real global legislation.</p>

<p>The point is: If you love your work, you won’t be working for a single day of your life.
All you invest will be returned to you. When I first went into youth policy, I never imagined it to take off as it did. The moment you devote yourself to something, new doors will open up. Door by door, step by step. </p>

<p>So yes: Apply for Harvard WorldMUN (Taipeh is awesome, will be there), be open, be genuine and be passionate. Things will work out.
Nobody is going to show your your paved way. You’ll have to pave it yourself. If it’s already there, you’re on the wrong track baby. </p>

<p>Colleges aren’t looking for those who have great feelings, but for those who make these feelings a reality. So go on, I’ll meet you along the way. </p>

<p>(PS: Just noted this was over the top, but I’m drunk as **** so dont be judgemental :D)</p>

67

<p>a million thx to ur reply!!</p>

<p>actually, i consider applying colleges in US, are there specific activites that can boost my CVs, of coz i have to further elaborate it when doing the college essay</p>

<p>i noe HOBY WLC and i noe GYLC, so anymore?? i have done MUN once, is that enought or they juz consider the name “MUN”??? and that’s is??</p>

68

<p>GYLC/CYLC was a great experience for my daughter. She met kids from all over the world and it was very well organized. The kids were busy every minute and the exposure (many times to meetings and speakers) they would never have access to otherwise was extremely educational. If your son/daughter has any interest in political science, law or government I highly recommend having them go. It is great exposure and it will give them a true perspective on this area of study. It’s a lot cheaper to send them for 2 weeks in the summer than to have them enroll in a college major only to find out it’s not what they are really interested in. For my daughter, it put her interest in perspective and she was recently accepted to a top college for political communications. It is a very real experience. Not a scam.</p>

69

<p>Gylc is a “legit” group. For the price you pay, you get to go the D.C. or China. I chose to go to the China conference bc I thought it would be one of the only times I would ever get to see China, especially during a time when its undergoing a process of rapid modernization and all. Despite my final recommendation- there were some good sides to the program. For one, the company takes care of the logistics of travelling, including arranging flights, making reservations for hotels, buying park tickets, etc. Also, getting able to meet many kids, both from abroad and from the U.S., was great.</p>

<p>Aside from these things, overall I would not recommend going with/paying for/joining gylc. First of all, as many, many people have already said, the whole thing is way too expensive. For about half the price, some patience and a ***** ton of elbow grease, one could go on the same trip plus some (we only went to the big tourist areas, never anywhere off the beaten path) with friends or family and easily have just as much fun. Second, the “academics” of the conference were joke-worthy. One day, after a full day of sightseeing, we had to meet up in our country groups for two hours to discuss “goal setting” (remember- you’re paying 5k+ for this). All of the things we were “taught”- especially from the paid speakers- were things one can easily learn from books or the internet. And the part about learning of intl. governments working together was a letdown. Within our “LGM”s, we never once discussed intl. relations or current chinese politics/economics. In fact, the only thing related to poly sci/intl. relations/Chinese government was when we visited the Chinese Foreign Ministry. There, we were lectured at on Chinese imperial history (literally about how great China was when paper and gunpowder were invented) and then the representative who spoke to us dodged every single hot topic question we asked her.</p>

<p>If you’d like to go for the cultural experience or to meet new people, I recommend something else, perhaps hosting an exchange student. If you’re interested in going for the academics or anything along those lines, you are likely to be disappointed (see tobiz.int’s recommendations for much better ideas). If you’re already signed up and its too late to cancel, then just go to meet the people and party as much as you can till you get sick, like I did. (The counselors, or “FA”s, don’t really care much about…anything in terms of after hour activities. Unless you go to the Hong Kong add-on, which is a different story. But seriously in Xian my friends just walked out the front door of the hotel and went clubbing for the night.) Oh, and the “pre-conference assignment” doesn’t mean anything. Trust me, I didn’t do it.</p>

70

<p>ive attended the gylc before, im from south africaq. its totaly legit. the most amazing experience ever. very insightfull. the best thing to have on your resemme. in went to the on in washington dc-2006, we went to the white house and all. very lovely experience.</p>

71

<p>^^^
Any conference to which masses of people around the world are invited, and one that costs thousands of dollars, will not be taken terribly seriously by university admission committees. Go ahead and do it for the experience. But don’t do it because you think it will increase your chances of getting into a top school. Oh, and by the way - anyone can go on a white house tour.</p>

72

<p>yep, talked to everyone, who more or less said that thing is a scam.</p>

73

<p>Its not a “scam” per se, since it does give you something for your money, but it certainly will not give you an advantage in college applications. Think of it as an overpriced guided tour/vacation.
The way they get your name/info, is they buy it from the collegeboard, and its based on some of the questions you answered in the questionaire.</p>

74

<p>hence, a scam.</p>

75

<p>Hey. I go to an international school and I’m a junior from the Philippines. Could you explain all this to me? I got a letter from my school which probably means it’s legit, but i just really want to know how you get “nominated” or chosen or whatever. I’m really curious to know how this works. I kind of want to know if i should be proud of myself for being one of the chosen few in school. Haha. Cause if they choose candidates based on grades and leadership skills, then i’d definitely be giving myself a pat on the back, but if it’s just chosen at random, then i don’t think i should be all hyped up for it. xD I just got the letter 2 days ago. :)</p>

76

<p>^^^ read the entire thread and you will discover that you’ve just been nominated to take part in a program YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR. Yes, they “nominate” good students. But they also want to make money off them. </p>

<p>In other words: if you have the money, go for it. You’ll have fun. Just don’t expect this to be a major advantage when applying to American schools.</p>

77

<p>Yes it is real. Although yes it is very expensive. I have been to the version for younger ages (NYLC) and was then asked to go on to the GYLC. It does have some good experiences and useful knowledge, but for $4000 it’s out of my price range. :P</p>