<p>Hey everyone, </p>
<p>I will be a sophomore next year, which means I can apply for the YYYG. I was wondering how difficult is it to get into the program, and what is expected of me if I do get in? Do I need to be really articulate and good at writing, verbal expression, and etc?</p>
<p>Hi jamesx888,</p>
<p>I got back from the PLE section of YYGS, so I can (hopefully) answer some of your questions. </p>
<p>It is difficult to get in (the acceptance rate for domestic students is between 14 and 15 percent, and 23 percent overall). There are two 500 word essays that aren’t too bad; the application isn’t all that extensive. However, the program is not need blind, so take that into consideration if you need financial aid (I needed aid and initially got waitlisted). But it is life-changing and completely worth it in every regard. The diversity is amazing, and it was the best two weeks of my life so far.</p>
<p>If you get in, you will need to do substantial reading. There were about 16 lectures (which had varying amounts of reading) and 8 seminars. The reading for the lectures is dense and long, but it’s not ABSOLUTELY necessary, as the lectures are not interactive. I would recommend doing it anyway, though. It would help to do the reading for the seminars, as they are discussion-based. I printed out all the readings and I filled a 2-inch binder with the lecture readings and a 1-inch binder with the seminar readings. In addition to these readings, we had to buy a couple books and do about 150 pages of reading in them.</p>
<p>At YYGS, communication is central to most of the activities. The PLE session was very low on math, and was quite heavy on Social Sciences and humanities (history, philosophy, economic theory, law, etc.). Thus, being articulate was quite important. There were both introverted and extroverted people there, but everyone was articulate.</p>
<p>I hope I answered your questions! If I were you, I would apply. It was an incredible experience and I would do it again if I wasn’t a senior this year. </p>
<p>Is there debate in the PLE session? Do you debate many historical or current social issues?</p>