Have you heard of the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF)? They have probably sent you mail in hopes that you register. Perhaps you've heard that attending the NYLF is a great way to improve your chances of getting into top colleges, and you're wondering if that's true or not.
If you're considering NYLF because you think it's prestigious, you'd be dead wrong. Keep reading to find out why.
This guide will explain what NYLF is, what its benefits and drawbacks are, and how you can decide whether or not you should participate in it.
The National Youth Leadership Forum is a group of summer programs designed to introduce select high school students to different careers and help prepare them for college and future jobs.
NYLF Medicine
NYLF medicine programs are 9 days long.
They include lectures and meetings with prominent doctors, visits to a medical school campus, hands-on practice with diagnostic tools, and lectures on health care careers.
Offered at nine schools: UCLA, UC Berkeley, Emory University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Maryland, St. John's University, Rice University, and Tufts University.
Costs $3,495 to $3,695
NYLF Advanced Medicine & Health Care
NYLF advanced medicine programs are 10 days long.
They cover the same information as regular NYLF Medicine programs but are a day longer and therefore go into some subjects in more depth.
Offered at Johns Hopkins University.
Costs $4,045
NYLF National Security
NYLF programs in national security are 6 days long.
They help prepare participants for careers in defense, intelligence, and the diplomatic corps. Participants meet with members of the military and federal agencies, visit places such as the Pentagon and U.S. Naval Academy, and learn how to employ a crisis decision-making process.
Offered at the University of Maryland.
Costs $2,795
NYLF Law and CSI
Programs are 6 days long.
Students are taught about careers in legal and forensic science fields. They'll hear lectures from prominent lawyers and members of the FBI, visit a courthouse or laboratory and interact with professionals, and take part in a Supreme Court Simulation where they learn about the judicial process and how to argue effectively.
Students stay at a hotel in Washington DC.
Costs $2,695