<p>I've looked at some old threads here on CC about this competition, but I wanted to post a new thread and see if anyone has entered this competition within the past year or two. I was hoping you might share your thoughts about the competition, specifically, your overall impression, time commitment, and general tips for prospective applicants.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Surely someone here on CC has participated in this competition?</p>
<p>I remember that my D considered it when she was going into her junior year but felt she didn’t have enough time. As I recall, quite a bit of info was on their website including the actual reports of previous winners. I thought it was a great opportunity for someone interested in healthcare and epidemiology - my D was considering this til she did a shadowing experience with public health. But, honestly, I didn’t find info on here then and haven’t seen any since. You could use the search function though!</p>
<p>My advice would be to talk it over with your parents and with a couple of potential mentors. Brainstorm for some potential topics, and do a little preliminary planning. I think that’ll give you an idea of the time involved.</p>
<p>I appreciate the feedback.</p>
<p>I did check out the YES Competition website, and browsed through former winners’ profiles and projects, but I felt like some of the projects would have taken far more time than others. Some talked about how they had conducted university-based laboratory research since sophomore year (and submitted the project senior year), some did it in a matter of months with seemingly less dedication. I was hoping to find some testimonials here, but we’ll see.</p>
<p>As an 11th grader, I was selected as a 2009 regional finalist in YES and got to compete in DC. Much as Siemens is “natural science oriented,” YES is “public health oriented” (and both are, in fact, run by the same people). And like Siemens, STS and ISEF, YES is a prestigious national-level research competition. It has great prize money, you get to see some fantastic projects, and you get to meet some great people (including many “big-shot” experts in public health). True, there are a small number of somewhat “mediocre” projects that get selected to compete in DC. But most people who make it to DC put a lot of time into research all year long. Just keep in mind that epidemiology/health psychology are “practical” sciences. To do well in YES, you really need to make it clear that your project has implications for society and WILL make a difference.</p>