As part of the YYGS Media Team, I documented my experience through scribbles in my notebook. Yet my mind always wondered, “How do my peers feel about their experience?” On the final night at YYGS, I interviewed 33 scholars representing every continent except Antarctica.

I want to share their collective experience through the numbers — and the stories behind them.

For each category except peer-impact, I asked scholars to rate their overall experience from 0 (“very poor”) to 10 (“phenomenal”).

A Seminar for Every Question

With an average rating of 9.45, seminars undeniably exemplify on YYGS’s mission to support global and niche interests in creative ways. My roommate, and an interviewee, highlighted his seminar on “Theaters in Political Expression”, laughing as he recalled having the opportunity to act out the concepts he was learning. It’s moments like these that illustrate the immersiveness and breadth of learning that YYGS fosters.

Familiar Flavors

It’s hard to talk about the YYGS experience without mentioning the food, and it is without a doubt that the dining hall hit the spot for many interviewees, as the average dining experience was an 8.61. Scholars lauded not just the quality of the food, but also the variety and authenticity of the meals. Each day, the dining hall would have a new menu, not limited to standard American cuisine. There were always dishes that resonated deeply with many scholars, reminding them of home despite being thousands of miles away. Several interviewees, unprompted, mentioned their appreciation for the fish tacos, so shoutout to the kitchen staff.

Changemakers in Every Classroom

I asked scholars to rate how inspiring their peers were on a scale from 0, meaning “not meaningful”, to 10, meaning “very inspiring”.

It’s amazing how YYGS can bring together so many student leaders, each becoming an inspiration to the peers around them within such a short period, reflected by an average impact rating of 9.45. As I interviewed, a pattern emerged: scholars spoke highly of and expressed their admiration for the initiatives their peers led back home. The interviewees explained how clear it was that all of their peers thrived in an environment of addressing complex issues, which had no definitive solution, through experience gained from tackling challenges in their local communities. One interviewee in the Solving Global Challenges track went into detail about his capstone project team, emphasizing how his teammates each brought valuable expertise in a specific subsection of sustainability and clean energy. Their difference in background yet uniformity in driving change ultimately resulted in a final product they took pride in.

The Unofficial YYGS Experience Index:

It’s easy to say scholars felt that their time at YYGS was exceptionally unforgettable, rating the experience an average of 9.31. They justified their score by referencing activities such as playing spikeball in the Pierson courtyard, dancing to music in the Johnson Edward buttery, and listening to lectures ranging from public health to Taylor Swift.

As you can see from the numbers in figures 1-4, each category received impressively high scores, re-iterating YYGS’s unrivaled ability to support the intellectual curiosities of young leaders throughout the world. These numbers mirror my own time at YYGS — one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

David, United States (MD), YYGS 2025