You're a high school student with a billion-dollar idea, or maybe just a really intense curiosity about how startups actually work. You've probably seen the LinkedIn posts. Someone from your school just added "YES Fellow" to their bio, and suddenly, your feed is full of blue-and-white graphics and talk about "disruption." It’s easy to get cynical about these things. Let’s be real: the world of high school "prestigious" programs is often just a bunch of resume-padding fluff. But the Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship hits a bit differently because it isn't actually run by the Yale administration. It's run by students. Specifically, the undergrads at the Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES), which is the oldest student-run entrepreneurship organization in the country.
That distinction matters.
When you strip away the Ivy League branding, you’re looking at a peer-to-peer incubator. It’s basically a high-octane crash course designed to bridge the gap between "I have a cool idea in my garage" and "I actually know how to pitch a VC." But is it actually going to help you build a company, or is it just another gold star for your Common App?
What the Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship actually does
Most people think this is a summer camp where you sit in a lecture hall. It's not. The fellowship is a remote, multi-week program that usually runs during the summer, focusing on the "0 to 1" phase of a startup. If you’re looking for a place to learn deep-tier accounting or the legal minutiae of Series C funding, you’re in the wrong place. This is for the builders.
The core of the experience is the curriculum, which is delivered through workshops led by Yale undergrads, alumni, and actual founders. They cover the stuff that actually breaks businesses early on. We're talking about customer discovery—which is basically a fancy way of saying "stop guessing and go talk to people"—and rapid prototyping. You aren't just reading about Steve Blank’s lean startup methodology; you’re expected to apply it to a project in real-time.
Wait. There's a catch.
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You don't necessarily need an established business to apply, but you do need a "founder mindset." That phrase gets thrown around a lot, doesn't it? In the context of the Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship, it means they want to see evidence that you can actually execute. Have you built a non-profit? Did you code an app that people actually downloaded? Did you run a successful Depop shop that cleared four figures? They want the doers.
The mentorship angle is the real prize
Honestly, the workshops are fine, but you could find half that information on YouTube or Y Combinator’s Startup School. The real value is the access. You get paired with mentors who are usually Yale students or recent grads who are currently in the trenches.
Think about it. A high school junior getting 1-on-1 time with a founder who just raised their first $500k is worth way more than a textbook. These mentors help you refine your pitch deck, but more importantly, they help you avoid the "stupid" mistakes. They’ll tell you that your landing page is confusing or that your value proposition is way too broad. It’s that raw, unpolished feedback that you can’t get from a teacher who’s never sold a product in their life.
Why this fellowship isn't for everyone
Let’s be honest. If you’re just doing this to get into Yale, you might be disappointed. While having "Yale" in the name looks great, the admissions office at Yale University is a separate entity. Doing the fellowship doesn’t give you a "fast pass" into the Class of 2030.
The program is also intensely competitive. We're talking thousands of applicants for a handful of spots. If you don't like ambiguity, you'll hate this. Startups are messy. The fellowship reflects that. There isn't always a "right" answer, and the students who thrive are the ones who can handle a bit of chaos and take initiative without someone holding their hand through every slide deck.
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Also, it’s remote. That’s a pro and a con. You save on travel, sure. But you have to be the kind of person who can actually engage through a screen. If you’re going to keep your camera off and scroll TikTok during a workshop on unit economics, you’re wasting everyone’s time. The "YES" network is only as strong as your willingness to annoy people—politely—for advice.
Breaking down the application process
The application usually drops in the spring. It isn't just about your GPA. In fact, your grades are probably the least interesting thing about you to the YES board. They want to see:
- Evidence of Grit: Did you fail at something and keep going?
- Technical or Creative Skill: Can you build the thing you’re talking about?
- Community Impact: Does your idea actually solve a problem for someone other than yourself?
The essay questions usually lean toward your vision for the future. Don't be boring. Don't say you want to "change the world." Say you want to fix the specific way that local farmers manage their inventory because you saw your uncle struggle with it for ten years. Specificity is the antidote to sounding like an AI bot.
The "Secret Sauce": The YES Network
The Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship is essentially an entry point into a much larger ecosystem. YES has been around since 1999. Its alumni have gone on to lead major VC firms, start unicorns, and hold massive influence in Silicon Valley.
When you finish the fellowship, you don't just get a certificate. You get a Slack channel or a Discord server full of people who are just as ambitious as you are. Ten years from now, the person you sat next to in a virtual breakout room might be the person who writes your first check or becomes your co-founder. That’s the real "Ivy League" benefit—social capital.
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It’s about the "warm intro." In the business world, a cold email gets deleted. An email that starts with "Hey, we were both in the YES HS Fellowship..." actually gets read.
Is it better than other programs?
You might be looking at LaunchX, Wharton’s Global Youth Program, or even local university incubators. Here’s how they stack up. LaunchX is incredibly intense and very expensive (though they have financial aid). Wharton is very "corporate" and academic.
The Yale Entrepreneurial Society program is more "scrappy." Because it’s run by students, it feels more like a startup itself. There’s less red tape. It’s more about the hustle. If you want a polished, professional corporate experience, go to Wharton. If you want to talk to people who are currently building companies in their dorm rooms, YES is the move.
What happens after the program?
Pitch Day. That’s the big finale. You get to present your progress to a panel of judges. Sometimes there are small grants involved, but the real win is the feedback. Even if your idea is totally torn apart, that’s a successful outcome. Why? Because it’s better to find out your business model is broken when you're 17 than when you've spent $50,000 of your own money at 25.
The fellowship forces you to grow up fast. You start looking at the world as a series of problems waiting for solutions, rather than just things to complain about. That shift in perspective is permanent.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Fellows
If you’re serious about applying for the next cohort, stop polishing your resume and start building something. Anything. Here is the move:
- Launch a "Micro-Project": Spend the next two weeks launching something small. A newsletter, a 3D-printed tool, a localized service. Document the process.
- Audit Your Online Presence: Ensure your LinkedIn isn't empty. Follow the Yale Entrepreneurial Society on social media to catch the exact date the application opens. They often post "office hours" or info sessions; attend them.
- Find a Real Problem: Don't invent a problem to fit a cool technology. Look at your school, your town, or your hobby. What is genuinely annoying? How would you fix it with $100?
- Refine Your "Why": Why do you want to be an entrepreneur? If the answer is "to make money," you’ll probably get rejected. If the answer is because you can't stop thinking about a specific inefficiency in the world, you’re on the right track.
- Connect with Alumni: Search LinkedIn for former YES High School Fellows. Send a short, non-annoying message asking for one piece of advice for the application. Most will actually answer.
The Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship isn't a golden ticket, but it is a very powerful compass. It points you toward the people and the mindsets that define the modern economy. Whether you end up at Yale or not, the skills you pick up—pitching, iterating, and networking—are the ones that actually pay the bills in the real world.