cami22

I'm applying next year, but I'd like to know how competitive cd 5 is. No one seems to know haha

Skrunch

Does anyone know if there are any "perks" for getting admitted to NCSSM anymore? It used to be you got one or more years "free" of NC public college tuition. I heard that ended a few years ago. Is there guaranteed admission to NC public college---or is everyone on their own. A neighbor told me that several kids at NCSSM did not get into UNC-Ch this year. I can't verify this statement, but I wanted to throw it out there. Anyone have any facts?

Skrunch

Bumping this up b/c I have to have 15 posts to respond to a message.---So you will see couple bumps as I fill my quota.

StanfordOneDay

Perks?

Being admitted.

Getting access to the myriad of oppurtunities that are offered.

Gaining a sense of autonomy.

Challenge.

More class choices.

Benetoite

Hey! I'll be applying to NCSSM this year as well! I believe that I have a decent chance of getting in, but I think that my extracurriculars/awards section is a bit lacking. Does anyone have any ideas of independent things I can do? I'm already doing every club I can possibly do at school; so it would have to be something I could do on my own. Oh, and the application is up on the website now, so everyone should create an account and take a look at it (I already have mine halfway done and its only been out for a day ^.^')

(*Bumpity Bump*)

taben1112

Skrunch: The biggest perk my daughter has found is being surrounded by bright, motivated, interesting, talented, diverse students 24/7. The student body is even better than she anticipated...on many levels. Other perks have included interesting course selections, strong extracurr. opportunities and the NCSSM name recognition. It is amazing how jaws drop when one states that they attend NCSSM. Whether this will transfer to opportunities for college or post graduation, who knows?

Biggest 'hit' has been dealing with the lack or privacy and difficulty finding quiet study space as LutherS warns of. The actual amount of work and rigour can be brutal, but she finds it worth it and the teachers and other students supportive. Being away from home has been great for independence and growth, but challenging. We are close enough that she can come home some weekends if she really needs to. If you are not in that situation, really think about whether you want to 'board' vs. perhaps doing the online program.

unimom

My daughter is a current student from district 9. After the initial adjustment which included bouts of severe homesickness and questioning if NCSSM was the right choice. She is really starting to find her stride. The classes are definitely more challenging than your typical AP classes, and she has to study for the first time in her life; but she is also more excited about her classes than she has been in years. NCSSM was really the best choice for her as she topped out on all of her previous schools' science and math classes.
That being said, scrunch, I would not recommend attending NCSSM if your main purpose for doing so would be admission to a specific university. It is true that some students do not get admitted to Chapel Hill, or Duke or a myriad of other schools. The colleges can't take everyone from NCSSM who applies; however, we heard from an MIT admissions counselor during a recent college fair. He told us that the national average for acceptance into MIT is 8% of applicants, whereas the NCSSM MIT admissions rate is 14%. Not everyone will get their number one choice; but, with hard work and a challenging course load, they can increase their chances.
In addition, even though NCSSM students are no longer given a free ride to state public universities, many of those schools still offer credit for NCSSM courses. A large number of students enter college with the equivalent of 1 to 2 years of matriculation completed and enter university as second semester sophomores or juniors.

yerhs52

I heard some people saying that this one kid left after his junior year from NCSSM because he thought it was really hard. I think that this is just not right because there was probably a motivated person wanting to go there that could not go.

taben1112

Unimom: One thing we have found is that the articulation agreement is VERY limitted and includes only a handful of schools. UNC Chapel Hill and Duke, for instance, have no articulation agreement with NCSSM. I don't think Davidson does either. So the question that comes up is: Why are top schools in the state not accepting some NCSSM courses? Hmmm...
I would agree, therefore, that it is not the school to go to if you are trying for a specific school. In fact, some have told us that had they stayed at their homeschool where they were top in their class, they may have ended up with more college options and scholarships than they did at NCSSM.
Our child is very happy there and the environment was one of the main reasons she wanted to attend.
Evaluate EVERYTHING (environment, academics, scholarships, boarding environment, etc.) befor you make the choice. It is not for everyone...but most seem quite happy!
T

CannedPeaches

Hello! I am a current 10th grader in CD 9, and I was wondering if anyone could give me a honest opinion of my chances of getting into NCSSM?

This year, I am taking the following classes:
Honors Civics and Economics
Honors English II
AP Chemistry(Year Round)
AP Statistics(Year Round)
French II
Honors Physics

Freshman Year I took:
Honors World History
AP Calc BC(AP test score of a 5)
Honors Computer Programming
Honors English I
French I

I have also taken Cal III over the summer at UNC Charlotte, and I also took the APES test and passed with a 3. I have gotten a more than one "B" in high school. I am the vice president of my school's Mu Alpha Theta club, and i volunteer at my local library two hours a week.

Thank You!

taben1112

CannedPeaches:
Your SAT score will matter. Where do you stand in that regard?
Also, are you taking the most challenging courses your school offers? If so, than that is good.
Finally, do you have any sports or arts to point out? I am a parent of a child from CD9. Who knows how they pick students but we 'think' being well rounded (sports, arts, clubs etc.) helped.
CD9 is full of bright kids from top schools. She has met people from everywhere from Providence High School and Phillip O Berry to private schools in the area like Davidson Day or Charlotte Catholic. The background of the students, academically, is varied. But most of them have one outstanding 'thing': Great SAT score or underserved school that could not meet their needs or incredibly well rounded or #1 in their class, etc. It is not the same 'thing' for each...but something that made NCSSM be what they need along with showing NCSSM what they can offer. CD9 is pretty tough...but NOT impossible!

T

sbarnett33

Hey, I think i am going to jump into this thread as well.
I will also be applying to ncssm for the class of 2015 but i am in a bit of a different situation. I'm a nc resident applying from CD9 but I currently live in Belgium because of my dads job so all of my ecs, grades, classes, and what-not are a bit different.
Anyway...
I am taking the SAT this weekend so I'm not sure what I will score on it but I think I will retake it in december just in hopes of improving my score.

9th Grade classes:
Honours Geometry 9: 85%
English 9: 87%
Pre- IB Social Studies Foundation: 90%
Pre- IB Biology: 95%
Combined Science 9: 88%
French 3: 84%
Native Spanish: 80%
Religion 9: 90%

10th Grade classes:
Extended Integrated Maths 10
Pre- IB English
Pre- IB Modern History
Pre- IB Chemistry
Pre- IB Physics
French 4
Native Spanish
Religion

ECs:
Cross Country, Winter Running Club, MUN, Red Cross Organization, Track and Field, Young Life, Piano, Ballet, Bonze Award (9th), Silver Award (10th) Wyldlife (leadership for the middle school)
I was a member of the high honour roll during both of my ninth grade semesters

I know that considering my grades and my small number of extra curriculars, my chances of getting in are slim to none... but the worst thing they can do is say no right? (:

Considering the fact that I go to an I.B. international school, the work is far more demanding so and 85% average would be considered more of a ninety in the united states. One thing that I am really lacking in though are my ecs. Because of the language barrier here (Belgians only speak french) I am limited to the things that my school provides and since there are only 1,200 students pre-k to grade 12, there are few options. At my school we dont have GPA's or rankings which is really frustrating but I am definitely in the top percent of my grade (even though there are only 74 kids).

I still dont know if coming from a different country would be an advantage (like me being diverse and culturally aware and all) or a disadvantage (like how different my transcript and classes would look from everyone else's).

tell me what y'all think?

StanfordOneDay

^^ Interesting Stats.

I'm from CD 9 (Mecklenburg County/Charlotte)

Freshman Year

Honors English - A
Honors Geometry - A
Honors Alg 2 - A
Gym- A
Spanish 2 - A
Honors PLTW Human Body Systems - A
Honors Biology - A
Honors World History - A

Sophomore Year

Honors English 2 - A
Honors PreCalc - A
Honors Civ and Econ - A
AP Psychology - A
AP Earth and Enviro - A
AP Human Geography - A
Honors Chem -
Honors Spanish 3 -
Honors PLTW Human Body Systems -

Currently ranked #1

Activities:
Vice President and Secretary in HOSA Club
STE(A)M Scholar Scholarship Recipient
Mentor at Local Hospital
Help tutor my peers

Projected SAT Score ( 2100 - 2200 )

I'm so excited to apply!

StanfordOneDay

How do you think you guys did on the November SAT?

I'm realllly not sure hahaha . . . my dad said if I don't break 2000, I can't even apply -__-

oh yeah . . . btw . . if it matters to anyone . . . i'm an african american female (:

StanfordOneDay

i think your worldliness lends an advantage to your application . . .

if you make it do so.

It is definitely something that sets your application appart from the rest, so you should connect why your experiences in Belgium make you an excellent NCSSM candidate.

What have you learned? etcc