I want to go to the April 2009 session & i was wondering the following things:
- whats the weather like? what clothes should i pack?
- how much money should i bring?
- will there be someone to meet me at the airport that i can recognize as a NYLC adult?
- how much walking is there?

Hi, I'm going in April on the NYLC trip.
So from what I've learned so far (I've never been) you should have a few different types of clothing.
You should have business stuff for when we're meeting with senators and people. You should have casual stuff for when we're hanging around. And you should have a dress for the farewell dance.

Personally, I plan to bring about $50 per day. I probably won't spend all that but it's just a precaution.

Sorry, but that's all I know.

don't forget to bring a BAG that can hold a 3ring binder (so i've been told). this way you can have all your paper stuff, camera, money and sweaters whatever right at hand when you need it. i will probably carry walking shoes for changing out of my heels. also i read that we need plenty of snacks.

BTW is there anyone from Orlando,FL area that is going to Washington DC and flying back home on Easter Sunday?
thanks M.Amanda

1) I don't what the weather in DC is like in April, but I can tell you that I was dying from humidity (not heat) in July/August.

2) I'd say atleast $300 that way you can always have yourself covered. All in all I think I spent about $150 because I 'lost' the other half in my bag. Good times.

3) Yes, although I had a hard time finding mine. I ran into the JrNYLC before the NYLC - but you can always ask around. Worst case scenario check around the baggage carousels...that's where they'll probably be.

4) Lots and lots and lots and lots of walking. You won't always get the chance to change shoes, so make sure your shoes are COMFORTABLE BEFORE YOU COME. I tried to bandage up the girls from my session and I simply didn't have time to help everyone. If you know your shoes are going to be uncomfortable there's this great invention called 'moleskin' often sold by the shoe inserts - they'll save your feet.

5) Yes your bag needs to be big enough to hold a 3-ring binder, a 1" book, and whatever else you wish to carry. However when you're on the Hill you can't have anything bigger than a clutch on your person at all times (atleast that's how it was for us). Don't bring anything more than you need to.

6) Plan to dress professionally (suits, close-toe shoes (yes ballet flats are fine granted that they're not excessively 'bling')) atleast 7/10 days. Do bring some casual wear though...
As for the Farewell Dance - you can either sport something formal or professional...but most girls wear prom dresses.

Well I'm going to be attending the NYLC on April 7-12.I was wondering about the outfits we have to wear. Do girls have to wear dress pants and a collar shirt? Can you give me an idea of what to take? I would really appreciate it. Pictures would help too.

You can wear...(during professional..)
* Slacks (NOT KHAKIS)
* Skirts reaching BELOW or AT the knee
* Button & Collared shirts
* Other dress shirts that have sleeves and are not revealing
* Dress jacket (aka dinner jacket)
* Dress, provided it falls BELOW or AT the knee and has sleeves. Alternatively you can wear a sleeveless dress with a jacket or (thick) shawl. I don't know if scarves as a cover are acceptable or not.
* Dress shoes may NOT be peep-toed! Ballet flats are perfectly fine (considering that they are not tacky and do match your outfit), and I would actually highly recommend them.

As a rule of thumb, your shoulders, back ( I suspect it is alright as long as your bra isn't showing...don't try to go bra-less either...), cleavage, thighs, and toes should not be showing
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THERE WILL BE TIMES FOR CASUAL DRESS!! Feel free to wear tennis shoes, flip-flops, or whatever else you please during then - even denim is acceptable. But ladies, please don't pop out of your tops or bottoms. I was tired of seeing cleavage and *** during casual dress. ; D

Personally, I wore open-toed shoes basically the whole time...

Well either you cheated or they've updated the manual since then : P

I did see alot of 'manual infractions' during my stay though. It was very frustrating to see other people get away with what they did when I spent so much money trying to come up with clothes that we felt would make the dress code. : /

Really? You weren't allowed to wear open toe shoes? I wore open toed heels half the trip and I don't remember there being anything against them in the dress code. They just had to be professional looking... though a lot of people word shoes that were pretty casual. I thought it was funny that at the beginning of the week everyone followed dress code and looked professional, but as the week went on everybody became a bit more relaxed and started throwing bits of their casual wardrobe into their professional attire.

I remember it saying no peep-toed shoes in my handbook ( maybe if they're all showing it's okay...I'm not sure), so I stuck with some low heeled dress shoes (<1") and nice flats the whole time because I wasn't stupid enough to walk 3 miles a day in some stilettos. It doesn't help that I'm totally inept and have never walked in heels either, although I honestly wouldn't recommend them for the Hill day because it's not always a smooth sidewalk. I saw several girls lose a shoe midstep because the heel got stuck between cracks. (Un)fortunately, nobody faceplanted.

What really got me is that every guy in my group only brought 2-4 dinner jackets (or any kind of dress jacket)...the last two days they were looking pretty ragged - kind of like they'd been permanently pressed into a wad. It's not like the guys were about to break out the irons to look decent or anything decent like that. People didn't seem to think about bringing comfortable shoes very often either. Or buying crappy ones and not breaking them in before coming either.
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MORE ADVICE!!

DO NOT BRING ANY SHOES YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO SPEND AN ENTIRE DAY (12 hours) IN! Sometimes you may not get the chance to change shoes - it depends on how quick you are and how much you're allowed to carry with you sometimes.

Okay...thank u soo much now I have an idea of what is allowed and not. I was clueless when I read the descriptions the packet gives of wardrobe. Thanks.

hey yall. i haven't been to NYLC yet (i'm going in march) but i live in the northern virginia area, about 45 miles from D.C. the weather in march can be hard to determine, so i would bring a range of outfits from sweaters to short sleeve things. you can always layer. knowing NoVa and d.c., you'll prob. be wearing at least a sweater

certain guys didn't care about looking sharp everyday...

HOWEVER...

I have been trained in usage of an iron and know how to hang my clothes up. I looked professional every day

I know exactly the look you're talking about though Cat.

Oh goodness..one of the guys in my group rewore the same three jackets for 10 days and never hung them up after he was done! He always looked like he'd slept in everything!! But he was still pretty awesome on the whole.

To everyone: I highly recommend ROLLING your clothes instead of folding them to prevent wrinkles, because you're not going to have a lot of free time to iron - unless you're as skilled as Brian seems to be. Polyester should not be a main fabric of your wardrobe, but it wouldn't hurt to have one or two pieces that have polyester in them to help prevent wrinkling. You may also want to pack your clothes flat and on their hanger if your suitcase has room. If it doesn't don't fret- you can always call the desk at your hotel for extra hangers during your stay.

Its not the amount of jackets you have, its the amount of following shirt/tie/slack combinations you can pull off if you're a guy. I went with three jackets, but I also had one full suit that I saved until towards the end. As long as you iron and rotate color combination/schemes, you should be alright.

ok so I'm a summer 2009 attendee (the first session) and i haven't received my packet yet... should I be worried by now?

Yes, I would definitely email the NYLC admissions office and tell them that it was never sent to you. Then they'll know to send you a new one.

uummm a little dumb question?

what's the e-mail?

I've used this email before to contact them:
nylc_adm@cylc.org
Also, here is their other contact info that can be found on the NYLC website:
National Young Leaders Conference
1919 Gallows Road, Suite 700
Vienna, VA 22182
Phone: (703) 584-9230

Sorry, I guess I should have given you this information in my first post

Im not sure if I have received my packet yet, what does the bring on arrival day card look like??