Is SLE worth going to?

Your idea makes sense @Cadet2019. I know nothing about Boys State and who schedules it but it makes no sense to me for there to be a schedule conflict if one is so important to the other.
 
DD attended NASS and Coast Guard AIM and enjoyed both and took away the positives and negatives of each SA. She ended up at WP based on an overnight visit and meeting with some of the cadets while she was there. She has maintained friendships with the people she met at NASS and AIM and will be visiting some of her NASS friends when she does a semester at the Naval Academy in the fall. She also attended the USMC Summer Leadership and Character Development Academy the same summer she attended NASS and AIM.
 
My grad did not apply because he did not want the hassle of rescheduling exams, missing classes, and the expense. He got more out of his day visits to West Point, and later his overnight visit, and was satisfied with his decision to apply to WP. One of his friends did SLE because of his interest in a service academy (older brother was USNA grad) and he actually decided that a SA was NOT what he wanted to do after all, so I guess that is useful too.

My grad attended Boys' State and loved it. It's an amazing week.
 
@Dixieland - I was very surprised that SLE (at least this was true last summer) was scheduled so early in June. In our state, school was still in session and I would think that WP would want potential students to be in school rather than missing classes. Just one of many surprises... :)
 
bookreader said:
@Dixieland - I was very surprised that SLE (at least this was true last summer) was scheduled so early in June. In our state, school was still in session and I would think that WP would want potential students to be in school rather than missing classes. Just one of many surprises... :)
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Last year (2014) there was some discussion on the FB Admissions page that the reason why SLE is scheduled early in June, even though a lot of high schools are still in session, is because of the summer training current cadets have. Air Assault and Cadet Field Training are both held at WP (Camp Smith and Buckner). Also I believe last year (for the first time?) there were two sessions of CFT -- one shorter session at the end of May/early June for some athletes (football, etc). The dates of SLE have to do with what works for WP and current cadets, not necessarily what's more convenient for high school students attending.
 
bookreader said:
Your idea makes sense @Cadet2019. I know nothing about Boys State and who schedules it but it makes no sense to me for there to be a schedule conflict if one is so important to the other.
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Boys & Girls State is run by the American Legion. My guess is the vast majority of participants attending the yearly program are not applying to or planning to attend a service academy. It is a leadership program allowing high school students to participate in a mock government (running for office, creating/passing laws, learning about the rights of citizens, etc.). Many of the students my DS met were interested in debate, government, history and politics and knew it also looked good on civilian college applications.

As far as the SA application, it is a leadership checkmark in the same category as Boy/Girl Scouts, captain of the Varsity team, etc. It also sounds like not all high schools know about it or promote it to their students, especially since there is a cost involved if the high school is going to sponsor one or more students.
 
West Point's view on scheduling SLE: it has to begin after graduation when all the cadets leave and be complete before R-Day. That narrows the window significantly right there for scheduling. For the cadets that are the leadership during SLE, it is a summer detail like being a Beast or Buckner squad leader. West Point doesn't just put Cadets in charge and say figure it out. They have to do the planning and pre-training, so before the high school candidates arrive, the cadets are training. It's not a lot, but it adds another week in there.

So yes, it may conflict with school, exams, or other summer activities like Boys/Girls State. If that is the case and you/your DD/DS are having trouble figuring out which to do, ask your RC. They are going to give you the perspective of which is best for gaining admission.
 
So based on what I'm reading here, Boys/Girls State isn't so crucial if you already have plenty of other leadership examples on your transcript. For this student then, it may be more valuable to attend SLE. If you need more leadership on your transcript, then choose Boys State over SLE.

I'm going to guess that my son had enough leadership examples on his transcript (how much is enough?!) for WP to accept him without Boys State. He is homeschooled. I have no idea if our local public school promotes it or not. The cadet who inspired my son to consider WP (also homeschooled) did not go to Boys State either. I don't know anyone who has gone.

I will point out one nice thing about attending SLE that I have not seen mentioned here. During SLE, the WP caded in charge of your group will interview you. He will ask a set of specific questions and will fill out a form based on your conversation with him. This paperwork will be added to your WP application portfolio. My son thoroughly enjoyed this interview and felt that it ultimately was a good addition to his portfolio at WP.
 
Cadet2019 said:
It's definitely hard to say no to SLE if you get accepted. Would be unreasonable to expect USMA to coordinate scheduling SLE around 50 different states' schedule for Boys/Girls state, but you would think the American Legion in each state would be conscious of the SLE schedule when scheduling their weeks for Boys/Girls state.
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The vast majority of attendees at Boys/Girls state are not applying to a service academy.
 
bookreader said:
So based on what I'm reading here, Boys/Girls State isn't so crucial if you already have plenty of other leadership examples on your transcript. For this student then, it may be more valuable to attend SLE. If you need more leadership on your transcript, then choose Boys State over SLE.

I'm going to guess that my son had enough leadership examples on his transcript (how much is enough?!) for WP to accept him without Boys State. He is homeschooled. I have no idea if our local public school promotes it or not. The cadet who inspired my son to consider WP (also homeschooled) did not go to Boys State either. I don't know anyone who has gone.

I will point out one nice thing about attending SLE that I have not seen mentioned here. During SLE, the WP caded in charge of your group will interview you. He will ask a set of specific questions and will fill out a form based on your conversation with him. This paperwork will be added to your WP application portfolio. My son thoroughly enjoyed this interview and felt that it ultimately was a good addition to his portfolio at WP.
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I have no idea what is on your DS resume to guide you on his leadership profile. Being an Eagle Scout is another big help and somewhat equal to Boys/Girls State. Being a club president doesn't carry to much credibility. Admissions looks for a few long term position as opposed to many short term commitments. Being a sport team leader has more credibility as opposed to being lead or first trumpet as example.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
DS was accepted to SLE last year, but did not go, as it conflicted with Boys State He thoroughly enjoyed Boys State and was elected to a very high position. Last fall he met with his RC who reviewed his file. He as asked why he didn't go to SLE and said it was the same week as Boys State. The RC acknowledge that it was a good choice, but proceeded to tell him that he had "Maxed Out" his Leadership Points on the WCS. At the time he was trying to finish up his Eagle Scout Rank to insure it got included in his application file before decision were made. He was told it wouldn't even add any more points to his file if he completed it. I would say that if you have a conflict, contact the RC and layout what you have for Leadership and I'm sure they will advise you if you should choose Boys State over SLE. DS did go to NASS, however, and absolutely loved it.
 
My son did Boys State and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He decided not to apply to SLE due to conflicts with sporting events. He did attend a WP sports camp in July and was able to tour the post and speak to some WP Cadets and live in the barracks. Used youtube and some older DVD's on WP to educated himself some more. All of which allowed him to make an informed decision
 
MO06mom said:
My DS went to both USMA & USNA summer programs. He went to USNA's first and enjoyed it and wasn't sure how USMA could beat it and thought USNA would be his first choice. He had one day back and then headed off to USMA's program. That second week changed his mind and from that point on he knew USMA was where he belonged.
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Same exact experience with DS, but with USAFA as well.

Never questioned the decision since, and will commission in May!
 
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