I received a letter of invitation to the fall 2007 forum. I've always been extremely interested in history, geopolitics, and intelligence. However, I've never really done any of this stuff and so there are a few questions I'd like to ask, if you all don't mind.

Is it a unique honor to be invited? Or is it just everyone who is reasonably competent and is interested in this subject? For example, are all kids who took the AP Comparative test, or took the P-Sat and said that they were interested in Political Science, invited?

Is this more of a forum for leadership or more of a course in national security?

And, for those graduates here, exactly what sort of stuff do you learn? Is it more of a get-together for those who might later on join the government service, or does it involve mostly learning practical knowledge?

Finally, how good does this look on a resume? I'm vaguely (haven't really thought it out deeply) considering becoming a professor or involved in government intelligence services. If it would particularly help me, I might put greater importance on it.

BTW- Of the three categories of study, I would most likely choose intelligence while possibly considering diplomacy.

im gonna say they get names form a mailing list since i got the letter too and unlike you im not in AP! ****, i dont even have a 3.0 GPA.... it sounded alot like a scam to me

ever hear of young embassidor? same idea they get your name from a mailing list and ask you to pay for a trip to australia or wtvr and u get a tour and meet some people... same as this except slightly less bcuz its just to VA... guarentee evrything they do is open to the public for slightly less than what they're trying to charge us

munch, i guarantee a lot of what's done is NOT open to the public at all. attending classes at the war college, or touring the CIA building with personal guides, meeting 4-star generals and actually speaking to them; these are things only a handful of people i know have ever even heard of doing - let alone accomplishing them. i managed to do that all within a week, pretty decent i'd say.

some of the things for this program are exclusive to this program. it's not a scam. remember also, you get what you pay for. taking a third-rate "guided" tours of defense/security installations and meetings with P/R stooges from the different departments is not the same as meeting real agents, operatives, movers and shakers in the US defense/intelligence areas...
-Roach

well, none of my friends that I know and get same grade as me and have same interested have the invitation. So I guess they do a pick and draw? I also got the young ambassadors one. I didn't even go to the meeting for that one. I went to Europe already for Orchestra. And now spend another thousand on this. My parents aren't going to pay for another trip, lol. So I didn't even ask.


Funny thing is that, I didn't say anything about liking political. I said I like Aerospace Engineering and stuffs related to technology.

I literally just got back yesterday and I can tell you that it was one of the best experiences of my life. You meet people who share same interests and dont judge one another and the site experiences are awesome! I went to the Naval Academy for mine and instead of a run of the mill boring tour, I got debriefed by Admissions officers, three plebes, and one 1C midshipman. I even got to eat lunch with a midshipman and her squad! The trip definitely affected my life and now I am sure that I want to be involved in NAtional Security when Im older!

Well, being nominated for the forum is an honor. YOur should be very proud of yourself. I was nominated for a med session my self, and I can assure, I am extremely proud. If you are interested in national security, I strongly encourage you to consider attending this program because it you can learn a lot of in-depth information about your field.