My son is interested in the NSHSS two day CIA Stem Camp. The email says it’s free and an application is necessary. It’s a day camp and a hotel group rate is available. Has anyone seen this or applied? It sounds good, but I’m not sure.
The info is as follows: The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) has an amazing opportunity for NSHSS members who are interested in STEM Careers. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is inviting a limited number of NSHSS scholars to participate in a 2-day CIA STEM Camp.
Participants will learn firsthand about the inner workings of the Agency and the Intelligence Community through engaging workshops, Directorate Briefings, hands-on STEM challenges, a HQS Museum Tour, a visit to the CIA Store and more.
To be eligible to apply for the CIA STEM Camp, members MUST be:
A U.S. Citizen (with a current and valid government issued ID or passport)
A rising junior or senior in high school
Interested in pursuing a career in STEM
This is a highly-selective opportunity. Participants will be selected based on applications (personal statement, resumé and transcript). To access the application, log in to the member dashboard and click “RSVP for Events”. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, June 22, 2018. All applicants will be notified of their selection status on Friday, June 29, 2018.
NSHSS will provide all transportation via shuttle bus to and from the CIA Headquarters from one locale in Washington, D.C. Attendees are responsible for transportation to the meeting spot that NSHSS determines. Due to limited space, parents, guardians, and guests of members selected for the tour will not be permitted to join. More information regarding transportation, meeting points, a detailed agenda, and background checks for security purposes will be provided to the selected participants.
Location: CIA Headquarters at Langley (Langley, Virginia)
Date: Thursday, August 2, 2018, and Friday, August 3, 2018
On behalf of NSHSS, I look forward to experiencing this amazing opportunity
I am certain this camp is of the variety of:
-They make you feel like it is an exclusive opportunity
-You do get to do the things mentioned in the brochure
-This is not something that would have any sway with college admissions (other than you did something that summer)
-Your child will meet other peers
-Your child might be interested in the topic
-This camp is free but you have to pay to be a member of NSHSS + hotel
My DD went to a Junior National Leadership Conference which is the same type of thing…but we went into it knowing it was an opportunity for a little independence (this was in 7th grade), the chance to see some places in Washington, to gain some leadership. But we also know it was a camp you paid for.
Preying on parietal vanity is the MO. Look at it like you look at the credit card offers you get. Vulnerable parents are the target audience. If your kid was selected due to some criteria, you should ask what that criteria was and just how did this company obtained that info?
Thank you. I do know NSHSS isn’t something to add to a resume or Common App.I do believe the mailers go out to a large number of students who score above a certain level on standardized tests. I was keeping on eye on the emails for more of the opportunities, for example this Stem CIA event.
I was hoping someone else noticed this opportunity and had either been OR was going. Thank you for any feedback.
NSHSS is a scam. They have no access to your child’s grades. They ask you to pay $60 to be included in their honor society, they give you a bumper sticker that promotes their organization, and honor you for paying the $60. They get no data on your child from your child’s school.
I would be very dubious of any thing they run. I can’t imagine that the CIA- -the real one-- would actually choose that particular organization for anything. If they were looking for top kids, why not take the top kids from a Bronx Science or Stuyvesant or other top schools in the nation? Why would they turn to the NSHSS? And in a post-9/11 world, they’re giving high school kids a look at the “inner workings of the agency and the intelligence community”?? Seriously?
There are so many wonderful opportunities for STEM kids. In your shoes, I would be looking at Space Camp or one of the other incredible opportunities for kids.
Assuming it’s real, there’s a lot of marketing exaggerations in there. Since CIA classifies almost everything about their agency, even mundane information like the number of employees, I’m sure your kid won’t find out anything not available from Google or public CIA memoirs.
I don’t know about the CIA camp, but I do know that at least some FBI field offices offer something similar. So if you don’t want to trek to DC, call your local FBI for something closer to home.
^^ on the local FBI. I met two agents at a special luncheon last year and they said that they, and the department of Homeland Security, offer internships for students as young as 16.