but I do not think I will be able to afford or attend the minicamp

If you want to attend but can't afford the fees, please do apply anyhow, and check the "need scholarship" box. Even if it turns out that we can't admit you this year, we'll at least know there are people out there who want to attend but can't afford it, and we can possibly take this information to potential donors as the Center for Modern Rationality gets on its own non-profit feet.

The particular changes I've made (like changing my advisor) have been very personalized for me, by me... but they have been fueled by a few root adjustments:

1) More curiosity about my life choices. Caused in part by being surrounded by a group of smart similar people doing very different things with their lives.

2) More willingness and desire to make up my mind more quickly and effectively about Big Life Decisions. Caused in part by Anna Salamon generating, on the spot, a steady stream of helpful questions for me that I could ask and answer to myself about career choices. I never came to any conclusions that she suggested (which I consider a good sign; I wouldn't expect someone else to know what I should do with my life from a few conversations), but she gave me a sense that more is possible in terms of how quickly a person can generate important, answerable questions.

3) More curiosity / motivation to experiment with productivity hacks, until I found some that work for me (Getting Things Done system + Pomodoro technique). Caused by being surrounded by productivity-obsessed people for a week with lots of cool ideas that helped me internalize a belief in the existence of popular productivity hacks that would work for me.

4) More desire to Be Successful (which I'd had very little of throughout most of my life), caused by feeling like I was part of a community that I cared about and who might benefit in some small way from my success.