This post was deleted on the official YRI fellowship subreddit. Someone needs to say this out loud for the high schoolers and parents browsing this sub trying to figure out if YRI is "legit."

I am not saying you won't get matched with a PhD student or write a paper. You will. But calling this an "elite fellowship" or a "merit prize" is one of the biggest marketing illusions targeting ambitious students right now.

Here is how the machine actually works:

1. The Hackathon "Prize" Marketing Funnel If you won a "YRI Fellowship Voucher" or "Full Scholarship" at a student hackathon, congrats, you were used as a sales lead.

• Pay-to-play prep companies offer organizers "$10,000+ in prize value" for $0 out of pocket.
• The hackathon gets to parade a massive prize pool, and the program gets direct access to hundreds of ambitious students.
• The "runner-up $1,000 vouchers" aren't prizes; they are discount codes designed to lower your parents' price barrier for a $3,000 program.

2. Look at the Comments in Every Thread Notice a pattern on literally every post asking if the program is worth it? Scroll down. Look at every single account commenting "Interested!" or dropping a glowing testimonial about how it got them into an Ivy.

• Account created: 3 days ago.
• Total Karma: 1.
• Post history: Only comments on YRI threads. Every single person replying "interested" or defending this program with the exact same scripted lines is a brand-new alt account created purely to pad the numbers and manufacture fake hype. It is astroturfing in broad daylight.

3. "Guaranteed Publication" & Pay-to-Play Academia In real research, peer review has high rejection rates. When a program heavily implies guaranteed publication, they aren't placing you based on raw scientific breakthroughs.

• Most of these papers end up in low-tier open-access journals or preprint servers where the fee is baked right into your tuition.
• Admissions readers at top universities know exactly how these $3K pipeline programs work. Paying thousands of dollars for a mentor shows financial privilege, not raw academic initiative.

The Bottom Line If your family has $3,000 to burn and you literally cannot figure out how to cold-email a local professor or build an open-source project on your own, fine. You’ll get structure.

But stop dressing this up as a prestigious, hyper-selective achievement. It’s a paid tutoring service with a shiny marketing team and a fleet of brand-new Reddit alts. Downvote away.

Edit 1: The YRI drones got here, big suprise

Been building this solo for a while and finally close to release, figured I'd post here since a lot of you have probably felt the same thing I have: modern factions servers either lean hard into pay-to-win, or they've drifted so far from the old combat feel that it doesn't scratch the itch anymore.

What Vanguard is:

• 1.8-style combat: no attack cooldown, sword blocking, old knockback. Feels like the era most of us miss.
• No virtual vaults, ever. No /pv, no /vault. Everything you loot lives in a physical chest. If it's not protected, it's actually at risk, and if you protect it well, it's actually safe. No shortcuts either direction.
• Zero pay-to-win. Store (if it exists) will be cosmetics only, no gear, no keys, no boosts for sale. Ever.
• Solo-built, so it's not perfect yet. I'm one person handling dev, admin, and mod work right now. If something breaks, DM me directly and I'll fix it fast. That's genuinely the support model at this stage.

Release: Saturday, 8/15. Doing this as a single release moment rather than a soft trickle-launch, so the first people in aren't playing in an empty server.

If old-school factions is your thing, come help build the first season with us: https://discord.gg/jQd3ggA3j2

Happy to answer questions here too.

Been building this solo for a while and finally close to release, figured I'd post here since a lot of you have probably felt the same thing I have: modern factions servers either lean hard into pay-to-win, or they've drifted so far from the old combat feel that it doesn't scratch the itch anymore.

What Vanguard is:

• 1.8-style combat: no attack cooldown, sword blocking, old knockback. Feels like the era most of us miss.
• No virtual vaults, ever. No /pv, no /vault. Everything you loot lives in a physical chest. If it's not protected, it's actually at risk, and if you protect it well, it's actually safe. No shortcuts either direction.
• Zero pay-to-win. Store (if it exists) will be cosmetics only, no gear, no keys, no boosts for sale. Ever.
• Solo-built, so it's not perfect yet. I'm one person handling dev, admin, and mod work right now. If something breaks, DM me directly and I'll fix it fast. That's genuinely the support model at this stage.

Release: Saturday, 8/15. Doing this as a single release moment rather than a soft trickle-launch, so the first people in aren't playing in an empty server.

If old-school factions is your thing, come help build the first season with us: https://discord.gg/jQd3ggA3j2

Happy to answer questions here too.

If you’re looking for a server that prioritizes complex automation and massive-scale engineering, Create: Lift & Logic is designed for exactly that. We’ve moved past basic survival to focus on heavy industry, programmable computers, and physics-based aeronautics.

Engineering & Aeronautics

The core of the server revolves around the Create ecosystem. This isn't just about spinning gears; with Create Aeronautics, you can build functional airships and moving fortresses. Combined with The Factory Must Grow and Big Cannons, the scale of what you can construct—and defend—is unmatched.

Advanced Automation & Logic

We provide multiple paths for resource management and power. Whether you prefer the digital storage of Applied Energistics 2 and Refined Storage or the programmable depth of CC: Tweaked (ComputerCraft), you have the tools to build a fully autonomous empire. For high-tier energy and chemical processing, Mekanism and Industrial Foregoing are fully integrated into the progression.

Exploration & Warfare

The world is built to be lived in. We use the full suite of YUNG’s structure overhauls to make dungeoneering feel earned, while Northstar Redux allows you to take your engineering prowess into space. Combat is overhauled with Timeless & Classics Guns: Zero, providing a more tactical experience for base defense or exploration.

Key Features

• Logistics: Flux Networks, Pipez, and Sophisticated Storage for streamlined resource handling.
• Performance: Optimized with Sodium, Lithium, and Distant Horizons for high-fidelity visuals without the typical modded lag.
• Social: Proximity Voice Chat and FTB Teams for easy coordination and land protection.
• Atmosphere: Immersive Aircraft, Waystones, and Farmer’s Delight to round out the world-building.

Join the Project

We are looking for players who want to build something permanent and complex. Whether you’re a programmer, a master architect, or a factory manager, there’s a place for you.

https://discord.gg/8EdwRD6Km

If you’re looking for a server that prioritizes complex automation and massive-scale engineering, Create: Lift & Logic is designed for exactly that. We’ve moved past basic survival to focus on heavy industry, programmable computers, and physics-based aeronautics.

Engineering & Aeronautics

The core of the server revolves around the Create ecosystem. This isn't just about spinning gears; with Create Aeronautics, you can build functional airships and moving fortresses. Combined with The Factory Must Grow and Big Cannons, the scale of what you can construct—and defend—is unmatched.

Advanced Automation & Logic

We provide multiple paths for resource management and power. Whether you prefer the digital storage of Applied Energistics 2 and Refined Storage or the programmable depth of CC: Tweaked (ComputerCraft), you have the tools to build a fully autonomous empire. For high-tier energy and chemical processing, Mekanism and Industrial Foregoing are fully integrated into the progression.

Exploration & Warfare

The world is built to be lived in. We use the full suite of YUNG’s structure overhauls to make dungeoneering feel earned, while Northstar Redux allows you to take your engineering prowess into space. Combat is overhauled with Timeless & Classics Guns: Zero, providing a more tactical experience for base defense or exploration.

Key Features

• Logistics: Flux Networks, Pipez, and Sophisticated Storage for streamlined resource handling.
• Performance: Optimized with Sodium, Lithium, and Distant Horizons for high-fidelity visuals without the typical modded lag.
• Social: Proximity Voice Chat and FTB Teams for easy coordination and land protection.
• Atmosphere: Immersive Aircraft, Waystones, and Farmer’s Delight to round out the world-building.

Join the Project

We are looking for players who want to build something permanent and complex. Whether you’re a programmer, a master architect, or a factory manager, there’s a place for you.

https://discord.gg/8EdwRD6Km

If you’re looking for a server that prioritizes complex automation and massive-scale engineering, Create: Lift & Logic is designed for exactly that. We’ve moved past basic survival to focus on heavy industry, programmable computers, and physics-based aeronautics.

Engineering & Aeronautics

The core of the server revolves around the Create ecosystem. This isn't just about spinning gears; with Create Aeronautics, you can build functional airships and moving fortresses. Combined with The Factory Must Grow and Big Cannons, the scale of what you can construct—and defend—is unmatched.

Advanced Automation & Logic

We provide multiple paths for resource management and power. Whether you prefer the digital storage of Applied Energistics 2 and Refined Storage or the programmable depth of CC: Tweaked (ComputerCraft), you have the tools to build a fully autonomous empire. For high-tier energy and chemical processing, Mekanism and Industrial Foregoing are fully integrated into the progression.

Exploration & Warfare

The world is built to be lived in. We use the full suite of YUNG’s structure overhauls to make dungeoneering feel earned, while Northstar Redux allows you to take your engineering prowess into space. Combat is overhauled with Timeless & Classics Guns: Zero, providing a more tactical experience for base defense or exploration.

Key Features

• Logistics: Flux Networks, Pipez, and Sophisticated Storage for streamlined resource handling.
• Performance: Optimized with Sodium, Lithium, and Distant Horizons for high-fidelity visuals without the typical modded lag.
• Social: Proximity Voice Chat and FTB Teams for easy coordination and land protection.
• Atmosphere: Immersive Aircraft, Waystones, and Farmer’s Delight to round out the world-building.

Join the Project

We are looking for players who want to build something permanent and complex. Whether you’re a programmer, a master architect, or a factory manager, there’s a place for you.

https://discord.gg/8EdwRD6Km

If you’re looking for a server that prioritizes complex automation and massive-scale engineering, Create: Lift & Logic is designed for exactly that. We’ve moved past basic survival to focus on heavy industry, programmable computers, and physics-based aeronautics.

Engineering & Aeronautics

The core of the server revolves around the Create ecosystem. This isn't just about spinning gears; with Create Aeronautics, you can build functional airships and moving fortresses. Combined with The Factory Must Grow and Big Cannons, the scale of what you can construct—and defend—is unmatched.

Advanced Automation & Logic

We provide multiple paths for resource management and power. Whether you prefer the digital storage of Applied Energistics 2 and Refined Storage or the programmable depth of CC: Tweaked (ComputerCraft), you have the tools to build a fully autonomous empire. For high-tier energy and chemical processing, Mekanism and Industrial Foregoing are fully integrated into the progression.

Exploration & Warfare

The world is built to be lived in. We use the full suite of YUNG’s structure overhauls to make dungeoneering feel earned, while Northstar Redux allows you to take your engineering prowess into space. Combat is overhauled with Timeless & Classics Guns: Zero, providing a more tactical experience for base defense or exploration.

Key Features

• Logistics: Flux Networks, Pipez, and Sophisticated Storage for streamlined resource handling.
• Performance: Optimized with Sodium, Lithium, and Distant Horizons for high-fidelity visuals without the typical modded lag.
• Social: Proximity Voice Chat and FTB Teams for easy coordination and land protection.
• Atmosphere: Immersive Aircraft, Waystones, and Farmer’s Delight to round out the world-building.

Join the Project

We are looking for players who want to build something permanent and complex. Whether you’re a programmer, a master architect, or a factory manager, there’s a place for you.

If you’re looking for a server that prioritizes complex automation and massive-scale engineering, Create: Lift & Logic is designed for exactly that. We’ve moved past basic survival to focus on heavy industry, programmable computers, and physics-based aeronautics.

Engineering & Aeronautics

The core of the server revolves around the Create ecosystem. This isn't just about spinning gears; with Create Aeronautics, you can build functional airships and moving fortresses. Combined with The Factory Must Grow and Big Cannons, the scale of what you can construct—and defend—is unmatched.

Advanced Automation & Logic

We provide multiple paths for resource management and power. Whether you prefer the digital storage of Applied Energistics 2 and Refined Storage or the programmable depth of CC: Tweaked (ComputerCraft), you have the tools to build a fully autonomous empire. For high-tier energy and chemical processing, Mekanism and Industrial Foregoing are fully integrated into the progression.

Exploration & Warfare

The world is built to be lived in. We use the full suite of YUNG’s structure overhauls to make dungeoneering feel earned, while Northstar Redux allows you to take your engineering prowess into space. Combat is overhauled with Timeless & Classics Guns: Zero, providing a more tactical experience for base defense or exploration.

Key Features

• Logistics: Flux Networks, Pipez, and Sophisticated Storage for streamlined resource handling.
• Performance: Optimized with Sodium, Lithium, and Distant Horizons for high-fidelity visuals without the typical modded lag.
• Social: Proximity Voice Chat and FTB Teams for easy coordination and land protection.
• Atmosphere: Immersive Aircraft, Waystones, and Farmer’s Delight to round out the world-building.

Join the Project

We are looking for players who want to build something permanent and complex. Whether you’re a programmer, a master architect, or a factory manager, there’s a place for you.

Discord: https://discord.gg/vjUP5EsGQw