Is the National Student Leadership Conference Worth It?

As a high school student hoping to enhance your leadership skills, being nominated to participate in the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) may seem like a natural next step. However, you might still have questions about the program and if it’s right for you. In this article, we discuss the NSLC program, some of its benefits, possible disadvantages, and help you decide whether the National Student Leadership Conference is worth it.

What Is the National Student Leadership Conference?

The National Student Leadership Conference is a selective extracurricular program that helps middle and high school students develop their leadership and independence skills. Established 30 years ago, the NSLC provides high schoolers with on-campus, pre-college programs through affiliated colleges and universities, while middle school students get to experience equally immersive summer enrichment programs.

The NSLC also offers multiple areas of study, including:

• Medicine and Biological Studies
• Government and Law
• Business and Leadership
• Engineering and Computer Science
• Design, Art, and Media

What Are the Benefits of Attending the NSLC?

For many students, the NSLC represents an opportunity to break out of their standard daily classwork with a more hands-on approach. This is particularly beneficial for students who wish to develop a passion or skill, as they can attend a program specific to that field of study. Additionally, students also get other perks from the program, such as:

• Receiving a letter of recommendation at the end of the program
• Preparing for college and getting a feel for college coursework
• Joining an international network of ambitious students
• Learning practical leadership skills
• Experiencing life on a college campus

What Are the Disadvantages of Attending the NSLC?

One of the primary challenges students face is the tuition price of attending the NSLC programs. High school students can expect to pay between $5,495 and $5,795 for the 18-day programs, $2,995 to $3,295 for the nine-day programs, and $2,595 for the six-day programs. While there are scholarship options available for eligible students, this might come as a large price tag for others.

While colleges generally favor students who have a rich background in extracurricular activities, the NSLC (or any other program) won’t guarantee you a spot at your top-choice school.

What Schools Are Affiliated with the NSLC?

Schools that offer an on-campus or course programs include:

• American University
• Columbia University
• Duke University
• Georgetown University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Northwestern University
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of Miami
• UPenn School of Veterinary Medicine
• Virginia Tech
• Yale University

Are There Other Leadership Options for Students?

What are leadership skills? The answer can include multiple definitions, from empathy to motivation. An effective leader almost always has excellent communication skills, along with the ability to negotiate and discover solutions. For this reason, you may want to explore a program that touches on a variety of leadership skills.

Our EdTech company’s Model G20^® program does exactly that. Each year, the weeklong program covers an important topic that’s relevant to all students (such as climate change). Students are assigned roles as delegates from the G20 countries and work together to find joint solutions to the chosen problem.

By taking this collaborative approach to leadership, students can hone skills such as:

• Networking
• Negotiation
• Writing
• Persuasion
• Influence
• Public Speaking
• Teamwork

Students also have the opportunity after the summit to turn their policy ideas into a position paper for the real G20! Click here to reserve your spot!