Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS)—An Honest Review
Many motivated high school students attend summer programs in the hopes of strengthening their odds in college admissions. These programs generally help students demonstrate the scope of their academic knowledge and desire to keep learning advanced materials over breaks. Due to the substantial number of options available, it can be difficult to understand which ones are worth attending, both in terms of academic rigor and value to college admissions.
In this blog, we’ll review one of the most prestigious and well-known summer programs—Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS)—going through what the program covers, how you can apply, and whether it’s worth attending.
What is YYGS? What would I study?
YYGS is a two-week intensive program hosted at Yale University, where participants complete internationally focused study in disciplines spanning STEM, Social Sciences, and Humanities. There’s a dual emphasis on academic knowledge and applying it to world issues, focusing on how students can use their skills to improve the global community.
YYGS offers four tracks based on participants’ preferred focus:
Innovations in Science & Technology
Literature, Philosophy, & Culture
Politics, Law, & Economics
Solving Global Challenges
Innovations in Science & Technology covers interdisciplinary scientific concepts with a focus on applications to society and the world at large. While this is a STEM-oriented program, you won’t be doing experiments or lab work.
Literature, Philosophy, & Culture focuses on comparative humanistic study of texts ranging from literature to philosophy to music to theater and the arts. Your work will focus not only on understanding the texts you engage with but how you can use humanistic knowledge to understand and improve societal issues.
Politics, Law, & Economics draws from these fields to focus on topics in human rights, international law and policy, and geopolitical issues. The skills you build in these disciplines will directly connect to current social and political issues and conflicts, preparing you to apply your knowledge to the real world.
Solving Global Challenges is potentially the most interdisciplinary program, focused on studying the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and applying interdisciplinary knowledge to understand and propose solutions to the issues these goals address. Students will draw heavily from social science, STEM, arts, and humanities in their learning process.
What does a day at YYGS look like?
YYGS has varied programming throughout the day, including an assortment of both academic and social activities.
You will attend two or three lectures and interactive workshops each day related to your chosen program track. You won’t be in the same class each day; different instructors lead daily lessons to offer diverse perspectives on the overarching field of study. You will also have time every evening to work on your capstone project, as well as a final group discussion before bed.
Other activities include “family time” with a small group of peers and opportunities to present or perform (or watch!) at the student speaker series or talent show.
You can view a sample schedule for YYGS here.
Who is eligible for YYGS?
Eligibility requirements for YYGS are fairly straightforward.
Applicants must be:
Between the ages of 16 and 18
Fluent in English
A current Sophomore or Junior at the time of application (or international equivalent)
A first-time participant in YYGS
Students from non-English speaking countries or whose first language is not English may submit results from an English fluency test, though this is not required. The required application essays will typically demonstrate whether you are sufficiently fluent to successfully complete the program. However, if you’re nervous about this factor impacting your odds, it might be worth submitting a TOEFL or Duolingo English fluency score.
Note that first-time participant means any student who has never attended YYGS; if you’ve unsuccessfully applied in the past or were accepted and did not attend, you are still eligible to apply.
How do I apply to YYGS?
The application process for YYGS includes a lot of moving parts, so it’s important to get started early. You’ll start with basic personal details such as information about your family, where you live, and where you attend school. You’ll also need to submit a transcript from your school showing your most recent grades. Since you’ll be applying in the fall, you don’t need grades for the current school year; only full-year grades are necessary.
The main application components include resume entries for up to three activities you consider most meaningful or significant, one 400-word essay, another 200-word essay, and two “fast take” responses with a limit of 280 characters.
You’ll also need to obtain one letter of recommendation from a teacher, who will submit it through the application portal. Instructions on how to give them access will be provided in your application.
YYGS provides a sample application document for interested students to review before they begin their own.
Applications for Early Action review are due on October 20th. Regular Decision applications must be submitted by January 10th.
For students who are highly interested in attending, applying by the Early Action deadline is strongly encouraged. Spaces fill up quickly, and far fewer students are admitted in the Regular Decision pool.
If you’re rejected from YYGS and want to try again the following year, it’s worth the effort. Students who reapply are given an edge in the admissions process due to their demonstrated interest. Nonetheless, you’ll still need to be a strong applicant who’d have a shot either way.
How much does YYGS cost?
The total cost of attendance for YYGS is $6,500, which includes the two weeks of lessons plus room and board at Yale dorms and dining halls.
YYGS does offer strong financial aid for both domestic and international students, which can cover up to the entire cost of tuition.
However, note that neither the full tuition nor financial aid includes transportation to and from the program. So before applying, make sure to estimate your travel costs to ensure that the program is financially viable for you and your family.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Strong prestige: YYGS is one of the best-known and most highly regarded high school summer programs in the country. While other programs demonstrate motivation to learn specialized material over the summer, YYGS carries an extra level of prestige that will help you bolster your admissions odds at competitive schools.
Generous financial aid: Most summer programs are highly expensive, and those that offer financial aid rarely cover full attendance. It’s even rarer that financial aid is available to international students, so YYGS definitely stands out in this regard.
Cons
Cost if you don’t qualify for aid: While many students will qualify for substantial financial aid, those who do not qualify will need to cover a fee of $6,500 plus transportation costs for the two-week program. Even if your family can afford this cost, it is still a non-negligible amount of money for a relatively short program. For students who do receive aid, it’s important to remember that you’ll still have to cover transportation independently, which could be expensive for those who will be traveling long distances.
Is It Legit?
Put simply, yes. Many pre-college programs at universities are good to have on your resume but won’t add a significant boost to your application. Due to the marked selectivity and reputation of YYGS, this is one of the few programs that makes a significant impact on college applications.
If you want to add extra value to your participation, strategically choose which track you select based on which aligns most closely with your academic profile and goals. While any program will be a great addition to your resume, you don’t want to miss the chance to emphasize your commitment to your preferred field of study.
Looking for other prestigious options to consider? Other programs in this tier include Management & Technology Summer Institute at UPenn, Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC), and Stanford Summer Humanities Institute. Attending YYGS or any other “top tier” college-affiliated summer program is an excellent choice for ambitious students who want to increase their odds at the host school and other top colleges.
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If you’d like to participate in a rigorous research program open to high schoolers, you may want to consider the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students founded by researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Alexej is a graduate of Princeton University, where he studied Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Humanities & Sciences. Alexej works in college admissions consulting, and is passionate about pursuing research at the intersection of humanities, linguistics, and psychology. He enjoys creative writing, hiking, and photography.