Best Summer Programs, and Competitions I should know about

J_Ho
Fri, 24 Dec 2004 22:24:01 +0000

I’d be very careful about applying to the North Carolina School of Science and Math. I almost applied last year, but pulled out at the last moment. NCSSM definitely has its good points, but I think they come at a high price.

Such as: the students don’t call it the North Carolina School of Sex and Marijuana for nothing. The drug problem is very serious, according to two of my friends that went. The kids are smart, but often times don’t show such great judgement.

Also, unless you are ready to swear off humanities, I would not apply. Yea, it’s a school for science and math, but I don’t think most people understand just how much emphasis is put on those subjects, and how little is placed on other academic subjects. If you have any affinity for english or social studies, going to NCSSM would be a major mistake.

My friends also complain a lot about how mismanaged the school is, but I can’t give any sort of examples of that, really. There was some big scandal a couple years ago when several kids got caught with pot and expelled, but then lthe school let back in one for some silly reason. Other than that, I can’t really talk about the mismanagement.

What I’m saying is, be really sure NCSSM is something you want to get into before you commit.

Basically what I’m saying is that you need to really know the school and understand what you are getting into before you apply to NCSSM.