Girls State and SLE advice

northernerr

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Joined
Mar 10, 2019
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14
Hi all!

Just wanted to throw out a question to all who attended Girls/Boys state and SLE. I was recently nominated for Girls state by my school, and was accepted into SLE session 2.

In my state, there is virtually no information about the Girls state program, but I have heard of the congruency of programs between states. Does anyone have any valuable advice or tips to make the most of the experience?

Secondly, for SLE, is there any big dos and don'ts? I have the checklist of items to bring that they suggested (and the daily itinerary and such) but was there anything past attendees really wish they had with them, or experiences which really made the opportunity worthwhile?

Thanks a bunch.
 
In my state, there is virtually no information about the Girls state program, but I have heard of the congruency of programs between states. Does anyone have any valuable advice or tips to make the most of the experience?
Yeah, schools don't always do a TON to advertise it to the student body... I've been finding that out the hard way
 
DD had to lead the school through it. She found a local American Legion Auxiliary leader who was thrilled to help her make it happen. DD reported that many girls had planned their campaigns (for major offices) and prepared materials in advance. She did not and still had a great time.
 
Hi all!

Just wanted to throw out a question to all who attended Girls/Boys state and SLE. I was recently nominated for Girls state by my school, and was accepted into SLE session 2.

In my state, there is virtually no information about the Girls state program, but I have heard of the congruency of programs between states. Does anyone have any valuable advice or tips to make the most of the experience?

Secondly, for SLE, is there any big dos and don'ts? I have the checklist of items to bring that they suggested (and the daily itinerary and such) but was there anything past attendees really wish they had with them, or experiences which really made the opportunity worthwhile?

Thanks a bunch.

Girls State Ambassador here. I'll put the text from my presentation about the program here for anyone to see. I also talked a bit about boys state and SLE on it. I had a lot of personal pictures showing a bit more, but anyone can just PM me for them. This was for MD GS, but as you said every program is sorta the same.
 

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Hi all!

Just wanted to throw out a question to all who attended Girls/Boys state and SLE. I was recently nominated for Girls state by my school, and was accepted into SLE session 2.

In my state, there is virtually no information about the Girls state program, but I have heard of the congruency of programs between states. Does anyone have any valuable advice or tips to make the most of the experience?

Secondly, for SLE, is there any big dos and don'ts? I have the checklist of items to bring that they suggested (and the daily itinerary and such) but was there anything past attendees really wish they had with them, or experiences which really made the opportunity worthwhile?

Thanks a bunch.

Girls State Ambassador here. I'll put the text from my presentation about the program here for anyone to see. I also talked a bit about boys state and SLE on it. I had a lot of personal pictures showing a bit more, but anyone can just PM me for them. This was for MD GS, but as you said every program is sorta the same.


Thank you so so much! This was the most information I’ve seen so far and it was really helpful! Thanks again!
 
Hi all!

Just wanted to throw out a question to all who attended Girls/Boys state and SLE. I was recently nominated for Girls state by my school, and was accepted into SLE session 2.

In my state, there is virtually no information about the Girls state program, but I have heard of the congruency of programs between states. Does anyone have any valuable advice or tips to make the most of the experience?

Secondly, for SLE, is there any big dos and don'ts? I have the checklist of items to bring that they suggested (and the daily itinerary and such) but was there anything past attendees really wish they had with them, or experiences which really made the opportunity worthwhile?

Thanks a bunch.

Girls State Ambassador here. I'll put the text from my presentation about the program here for anyone to see. I also talked a bit about boys state and SLE on it. I had a lot of personal pictures showing a bit more, but anyone can just PM me for them. This was for MD GS, but as you said every program is sorta the same.
I am a Trustee and Staffer for NJ Boys State. We're one of the largest programs in the nation with a little under a thousand statesmen divided up into 10 counties and 20 cities. While many of our slots are filled, I can tell you that I am still interviewing to fill my final slots. We have a lot going on during our week which you can see if you google us but I'll tell you that we generally have both of our US Senators visit and BOTH OF THEM COMPLETED OUR PROGRAM as well as many other speakers and guests. In last fall's US Senatorial election in NJ, BOTH candidates were graduates of our program. We also have a college fair that is supported by the Service Academies as well as many other schools.
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New feature this year is that our graduates will have the opportunity to get 3 college credits from Rider University (our host school) for our program.
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As I have posted on other threads, my advice is to get involved in the campaigns early, socializing is fun but the program is over very quickly and getting in the middle of the action is the best way to get elected to a leadership position.
 
As for SLE,there really isn't much. Ultimately go there prepared to learn and have fun. You'll meet a ton of new people from all over who're just as excited to be there as you are. You may not be the best there, but always do the best that you can and really make connections. You never know where your other Cadet Candidates will go in their life and honestly SLE has been the best time of my life so far. During SLE your SL will be writing a letter of recommendation/evaluation type form that takes place of what your FFR would and I assume (I never had to meet with my FFR) that it's a lot more relaxed. Every one's SLE experience is a little different. There are some CCs who get a SL that's huah and they spend the entire time as if they're at a relaxed version of Beast, then there are others whose SL is more relaxed and aren't doing push-up contests for fun as a platoon. Also! Before you get there, make sure you can identify the difference between a NCO and a CO in White Over Grey's just to have a slightly easier first day. Ultimately though, there's no one person who can tell you all the do's and don'ts of SLE. You will learn a lot, you will meet some of the best people you have ever met, and you will have a lot of fun.
I've known for 6 years that USMA is where I belong but it wasn't until my SLE experience 2 years ago that I actually fell in love with West Point. The moment you step foot on West Point you get this amazing feeling that I haven't felt since I left after that week. Congratulations on being accepted for SLE! It's going to be an amazing experience and I hope that you all will fall in love with USMA the way I did.
 
I attended both Girls State and SLE last year and I am an incoming member of USMA 2023.

Best advice I can give is to go in with a positive and excited mindset to both and to try to meet as many people as possible. I met some great friends at Girls State and SLE that I talk to regularly.

For Girls State—if you are looking to run for positions, do your best to talk to as many people as you can and make a lot of good, lasting first impressions! I was not “governor” or anything but I was the mayor of the largest city at our program. It was a lot of fun and pushed me into some public speaking positions that put me out of my comfort zone, even for someone comfortable in front of a crowd.

Try to meet other girls applying to academies (there will be a lot), it’s fun to keep up with them and seeing where they all end up now six months later.

If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me!
 
I am going to Girls State, but do not plan on running for office will it still help with my WCS?
In my head I hear this as "I'm planning to join the track team but I'm not going to try to run very fast".
I recognize that you might be shy or introverted and don't enjoy putting yourself out there. The best part of the Boys/Girls State program for a potential service academy applicant is the chance to work on those skills as you will need them as a military officer. West Point does not have some magic sauce to make you a leader, the building blocks for becoming a leader are in small group interactions like you'll find at Girls State.
 
When I go to Girls State it is very likely I will change my mind, but as of now, having no experience with a program of this sort, I do not have any solid plans of whether or not I intend on running for an office. That being said, I agree that I will need to expose myself to more activities like this. Thank you for your advice.
 
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