<p>I have a high achieving daughter who is completing her 10th grade year. That leaves this summer and next to fit in any advantageous conferences. I have looked at cylc, which is how I found this site. My question is this… are there really any legitimate conferences that will benefit her and her resume’ and are there any legitimate honor societies out there anymore? She has been invited to cylc and national society of high school scholars… more reading on this site suggests there is little merit in this. Then I read more about how kids with great numbers are not getting into schools of their choice. How really does one make their student more attractive to colleges and enrich their lives with every question having starkly diverse responses? We are feeling lost and confused and are still two years help. Any advice for the right path?</p>
<p>I don’t know that going to a certain conference will help with college admissions.</p>
<p>I think that being a leader at her own school or community through school and civic organizations would be more valuable than attendance at a conference.</p>
<p>Taking a college class in the summer?</p>
<p>I believe that the Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP) for hs juniors is recognized as a legitimately prestigious activity. Just going by what I’ve read here on CC - my kids never went. I’m inclined to think it’s truly an honor to be selected because the programs themselves are free - students only pay transportation and incidentals.</p>
<p>The National Society of High School Scholars is NOT a legitimate honor and is not worth the cost.</p>
<p>Instead of looking for honors and activities that will appeal to colleges, why not foster your d’s existing interests, talents, and passions? The honors will follow. If she’s a dancer, a summer intensive at a good school will impress adcoms as much as or more than an expensive travel abroad program. If she’s enthusiastic about community service, you can support her in setting up a new program, or have her check out existing programs where she can pitch in. If she wants a job, she may be able to work her way up to a supervisory position or take on other additional responsibilities, which will impress adcoms as well.</p>
<p>I agree- my D spent summers at debate camps (her passion) at Emory and U Mich. Also gave her a great feel for college life. Invest the $ in something she has an interest in.</p>
<p>I recommend going fishing with grandpa, writing a family memoir, and getting a nice sun tan. (not joking) She will likely never have this opportunity again in her entire life.</p>
<p>Go to the summer program forum and you’ll find many interesting summer programs. Many states have Governor Schools, one needs to apply and they are often very competitive. D1 was selected for our state’s Governor school dance program. They only selected 12 students from the whole state. Due to lack of funding, the Governor School was eliminated, but we found another program (State Scholar Program) for D2 to apply to. D2 is more of a humanities student, and is interested in going to a law school. She was fortunated to be selected for the program. They will be focusing on Human Rights this summer. D2 is extremely excited (not because of prestige) because it is a topic she is very interested in. She will have lectures and discussion groups from 9-3 everyday, with a major paper due at the end. </p>
<p>I did the research for them on what programs were available out there. But they only applied to programs they were interested in, and I think it came through when they auditioned or wrote 5+ essays for their application.</p>