swimgirl61

I'm really not sure. I've been swimming year-round for over 5 years. I assumed that everyone who tries out makes the team, since it is a 1A school. I didn't know about the Duke swim team thing, but I think I'm just going to stay in shape by running and doing other exercises by myself or with friends.

supernova127

Hey, if u don't mind I will jump in also.

I'm from CD 4(I understand it's very competitive)

Classes I took last year:

Honors Biology: A
Honors English 1: A
Honors World History: A
Honors Pre-Calc: AC
Honors Chem: A+
Healthful Living: A
Spanish 1: A+

Sophomore Classes:

AP Bio
AP Physics B
AP Calc AB
AP Gov't/Pol
Spanish 2
Honors English 2

GPA: 4.713(weighted), 4.0(unweighted)

I'm pretty sure I should be able to get all A's next year

SAT: 2300......Is this adequate or are there a lot of people that score higher from CD 4?

EC's: Key Club, Math Competition Club, MathCounts for 3 years, Quiz Bowl, Science Olympiad(only medaled in one event, not as well as I would've liked), Band(All County selection for sax.), Toastmasters club(public speaking), Tutoring in algebra and geometry, Doctor shadowing on Ortho. surgeon, Volunteering at American Red Cross, Played on high school tennis team for the NC State Championship, USTA Tennis Tournaments for 5

I'm an asian male. Do you guys think I have a chance to get in to NCSSM?

supernova127

Alright I will do this and see how the schedules stack up against each other. Btw, I saw your alec smart interviews on youtube and that gave an interesting perspective into the positives and negatives. Thanks.

taben1112

Our child attended a leadership and research week at NCSSM this summer, for entering juniors. She said there were sessions to help address the new life students would face as borders and the adjustment to moving from a block schedule to the NCSSM more demanding schedule (in terms of not only the type of work, but the number of classes required). This is a BIG adjustment for some students, who have had only 4 course per semester and often 1-2 of those are electives that do not require much outside work.
In our case, our daughter has always had 7 courses a semester...since 6th grade. No block scheduling. So having 5-6 homework assignments per night and 2-3 tests on any given day will not be unusual...but the TYPE of work will be new and more challenging.
I agree that you need to factor this all in.
However, also factor in commuting. For kids in magnet or charter or private schools, sometimes the commute each way to school can reach over 1hour. That is 2 hours a day in a car or on a bus...more than that on days you have to return to school for activities in the evenings or on weekends. There is a lot of time spent also, outside of school, commuting just to see friends (who live sometimes in different counties!). This time you will 'get back' by being at a residential school (and I believe of LutherS's schedule comparison he does address this). But be sure you want NCSSM...it is a different type of residential school for sure.
Our daughter is excited to attend and learned a lot of pros and cons via this very board. It think it is wise to think it all through as LutherS suggests. For some, after additional consideration, it is not the right choice. For others ncssm turns out to be a great experience.
Apparently while the school's motto is 'Accept the Great Challenge', the student motto seems to be: 'Sleep, Study, Socialize...Pick Two'.
T

supernova127

Thanks for the insights guys

sillystring

@supernova127: If you don't mind me asking, how did you score so high on the SAT's? I haven't formally taken the test since I was 12 through Duke TIP, so I am not sure at this point in time how much I would score, but I definitely don't think it would be 2300. Did you take a SAT prep course or something? I was thinking about taking one but they are so expensive lol.

supernova127

Buy the official sat study guide made by college board. Those practice tests are pretty close to the actual SAT. I was pretty good at math and writing without practicing, but reading was pretty tough for me. I just studied vocab and did multiple reading sections in the book.

taben1112

What amazes me most about NCSSM is the number of students who manage to participate in sports and the arts...or both. There are many competitive athletic teams and it seems that many students are involved in at least one varsity sport. Some play a sport each season. This takes up weekday afternoons with practices and games.
In addition, we have met several students who are very active in music and theater. With orchestra and band, those same students sometimes also squeeze in other electives and private music lessons. Theater students manage to find time to be involved in major productions each trimester. Visual arts students are equally committed.

Somehow, with the workload they have on their shoulders, these kids find time for many other interests. Clubs are numerous and active. Perhaps being involved in things is what keeps some students loving the school and balanced mentally and physically.

One piece of advice we (parents) received again and again was to encourage our kids to get OUT of their dorm room and library...join clubs, play sports, help with the play. Find something, outside of studying and worrying about grades, to help you engage with students with similar interests and relieve stress. The general statement was the students who seemed the most stressed and had the least positive initial experiences were students who did little other than study.

However, given the schedule they have I was left wondering how on earth they make time and have the energy for things beyond class, homework, housekeeping and meetings? I am assuming that they get a lot done in super study???

T

webmage

I am amoung the new hopefuls for the class of 2015, hope to see you all junior year, and I hope to make it in.

(ps, how difficult is it to get into ncssm from the ninth district, thanks in advance)

taben1112

@wemage...District 9 is competitive as it includes many CMS students as well as students from some the the top charter and private schools in the state. Be sure to think about what you can bring to the table to NCSSM, aside from just being a great student (as they have plenty of those applicants). Are you dedicated to martial arts or violin? Are you a strong leader who will start up interesting clubs? Are you a certied climber?
Your package, unless you are simply off the charts brilliant and there is nothing left for you in CMS or your school, needs to have another aspect that helps you stand out.

My understanding is that District 9 and District 4 are the most competitve. That being said, many students get in from both every year...you can too! I also agree that the online program is worth a look. Our daughter really wanted the residential experience and did not want to stay at her home school. But for those mainly seeking solely the academic challenge, the online program might be the better option.

T

webmage

I would pick sleep and study any day, but thats probably because I have no life.

webmage

@wemage...District 9 is competitive as it includes many CMS students as well as students from some the the top charter and private schools in the state. Be sure to think about what you can bring to the table to NCSSM, aside from just being a great student (as they have plenty of those applicants). Are you dedicated to martial arts or violin? Are you a strong leader who will start up interesting clubs? Are you a certied climber?
Your package, unless you are simply off the charts brilliant and there is nothing left for you in CMS or your school, needs to have another aspect that helps you stand out.

My understanding is that District 9 and District 4 are the most competitve. That being said, many students get in from both every year...you can too! I also agree that the online program is worth a look. Our daughter really wanted the residential experience and did not want to stay at her home school. But for those mainly seeking solely the academic challenge, the online program might be the better option.
__________________________________________________ __________________________

@taben1112... I have considered the online program but I think that even with its rigor, being able to go to a school would give me more academic oppourtunities (club related) than the online program.

I have participated in several clubs such as Speech and Debate, Science Olympiads, Future Cities (8th grade), Vex Robotics, Boy Scouts, English Tutoring, Science Olypiad Coaching, Rugby, Rowing Crew, Volunteering with a Political Party (I will not name it because I feel ashamed for doing it since their philosiphy was not the same as mine) AHEC (its a healthcare program), I am currently designing a webpage and writing a book, Model UN, I have won a district writing contest, a Violin contest, and participated in JROTC book study (that one was less voluntary because I was never a fan of JROTC) I have medaled in all of the above except english tutoring, science olympiad tutoring, Political volunteering, and rugby (the first 3 because you couldn't medal in it, the last because it was more of a club than anything.) I have also gotten National Awards in Speech and Debate and Future Cities (2nd and 3rd, respectively). All in all, I feel pretty good about my extra-curriculars, but I got a B in 9th grade gym (stupid finals), so that may hurt my chances. As far as I'm aware, I have about an 1840 on my sat w/o studying, but it has been about 6 months since then so I feel I have around a 2000, which is about 500 points more than my school's average. I'm in IB so I am taking the most rigorus classes. I am in the top 1%-2% at my school as far as class rank, and I have a slew of awards from my teachers at my middle school. I have done over 100 hours of community service and I will be volunteering at a hospital this school year.

By the way, If you guys can chance me, that would be great.

webmage

Also, I was in student council and P-SAB (selected set of students to help give ideas to make the school better, but of course, they never take out advice)

webmage

hey, copy and paste the below and fill it out, just to make it easier to understand where we all are
__________________________________________________
Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown):
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
• Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
• Job/Work Experience:
• Volunteer/Community service:
• Summer Activities:
• Essays:
• Teacher Recommendation:
• Counselor Rec:
  
  

Other

• School Type:
• Ethnicity:
• Gender:
• Income Bracket:
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
  

Reflection

• Strengths:
• Weaknesses:
  

General Comments:

yerhs52

I just wanted to say that everyone should go and look at the new Congressional Districts maps for 2012. Make sure you click the "2012 Districts" button. Here is the link:

North Carolina’s Members of Congress & Congressional District Map - GovTrack.us

(I posted it on the other thread but here it is for those of you who have not seen it.)