<p>Suncoast: My friend’s dad called the head guy who does room assignments and requested both the dorm and floor for his son…and got it. His dad also went to the school to meet with his counselor about colleges at the start of junior year and each trimester. They TOTALLY ignored their advisor (who they said was useless) and had a former student help him do his schedule…right down to figuring out teacher codes to pick classes. They are VERY clear with us that unless you can play this game for your kid then NCSSM is not worth it (unless you are the rare true superstar).</p>
<p>I have said before that I think this board is great to get the viewpoint. Sorry if the word ‘bitter’ offended you…but some folks told me in person that they were BITTER about AP courses specifically. They were very honest about what they did not like about NCSSM (and mirror some of your statements), but could also say what they liked…sometimes it was just one thing.</p>
<p>I know this…if the person I know wants to apply my possibly useless but requested opinion would be to accept the spot if he gets it ONLY if they understand the negatives and if the parents will do all the things behind the scenes some of these folks did. They were lucky to know to do it and have the time and ability to do so. My parents and I beat the bushes to get info. about boarding schools when I headed away and I thank God we did. </p>
<p>So, as betrayed, incredulous and outraged you are…well, your opinions are still very helpful. Registration opens in two weeks and our buddies who just graduated are sitting with the two from our high school going and doing their schedules with them. For the one that wants mentorship, they said it is crucial that he take classes he can do really WELL in 1st and 2nd tri to have the shot…save the challenge for after he gets what he wants. They already went over dorm parents with them and helped them, based on where rising seniors will be and the dorm parent info., helped them request specific floors. One of the moms is calling at the end of the month to press for what these guys say they should shoot for. They also are planning on wrestling or track…two sports that they were told rarely make cuts (and as such these non athletes will be varisity athletes at application time). Fair to have these advantages going in? Maybe not…but these parents are on it and trying to avoid the horror stories of NCSSM. Will it work? Only time will tell. For the two who just graduated and loved it, playing the game worked for them. But it is a complicated game to play for sure.</p>
<p>I was planning to stop posting on this site, but I feel that it is important to respond to your last post. I realize that you have done a lot of research on NCSSM. You know people who go to the school or are thinking about going there and it seems that you have read a lot of opinions from current and graduated students. However, I would like to underscore the fact that you have not attended NCCSM nor have you ever been affiliated with this school in any significant way. Because of this you do not have the ability to write a fair representation of the school, whether it be a positive or negative one. Though my view of the school is limited to my unique experiences and interactions with other students and staff, your opinions have been formed exclusively by the students that you have talked to and read about on the internet. Assuming that you have probably only spoken to and read about a handful of people out of the thousands of current students and alumni of the school, your view of the school is and will always be statistically biased because of the insignificant number of people you have interacted with. I appreciate the fact that you have taken the time to learn about our school, but your input on these issues is certainly less valuable than any student, such as myself, or any parent, such as suncoast, who has spent thousands of hours living at or being affected by NCSSM. Every single one of the countless hours I spent at the school was time for me to take in and analyze what I was experiencing. If, after all of these hours, I still cannot give definite and helpful answers to someone like Skrunch, it would na</p>
<p>I graduated two weeks ago from NCSSM and am heading to a top-tier college in the fall. I attribute all of my success to the opportunities and support NCSSM has provided me. While I understand that the school isn’t for everyone, I just wanted to let prospectives know that I would not have traded my experience there for the world. Borrowing an acronym from MIT, NCSSM truly embodies IHTFP, which can either mean I Have Truly Found Paradise or I Hate This eFfing Place. There are people on every point on that spectrum, and only you can determine whether NCSSM is worth the risk. </p>
<p>PM me if you have any questions about my experience!</p>
<p>I make sure in all I write that I put that I did not attend NCSSM and come solely for information…good and bad, to help my relative. I do not doubt your posts at all (of course we are on the net and you could be someone who flunked out, dropped out, got kicked out or could not find his way at NCSSM…who knows!). If you read mine you will find that the information is not as bias as you seem to think. In fact, I find the negative posts helpful and state so, especially since most from my school who went were glad to have gone (most, NOT all).</p>
<p>As for the dorms, not sure when you went but the roommate form my buddies just filled out allowed them a space for information…they used it to request (not demand) a dorm and hall (or floor?). The two graduates told them about the dynamics of various ones and which to put down based on what they wanted. Then told them to have their parents call and press to get them in there. That is what THEY did…and they got exactly the dorm placement they wanted. Again, maybe it comes down to having the information to get what you want. On another note, someone else suggested they do not put any preference down and just get placed wherever. </p>
<p>NCSSMALUM2…your statement fits more with what FROM THE OUTSIDE looking in I have heard. Love it, Hate it…but those who find success post NCSSM obviously look back on it more fondly. Those who don’t tend to argue the NCSSM robbed them of success. </p>
<p>Finally, I DO agree that my posts are just that…bits of information formed by research not direct experience. No argument there at all. Again, I find this dialogue helpful to meet the goal I have to help another. Glad to have the input from all sides.</p>
<p>“but those who find success post NCSSM obviously look back on it more fondly. Those who don’t tend to argue the NCSSM robbed them of success.”</p>
<p>This quote exemplifies the point I am trying to make. As an outsider, I would really try to avoid these types of general statements. As I said before, you have only met a handful of students and to make this type of statement can potentially be very misleading. </p>
<p>Let me be perfectly clear, I have found a great amount of success after NCSSM. More than I ever imagined I would find. As a rising jr I am being recruited by some of the worlds top firms in my area of study. However, I still do not have a positive view of NCSSM and I do not attribute ANY of my success to this school. I attribute it only to my hard work, my parents help, and very many people who have helped me during the past two years. On top of this, EVERY single person I know (and I mean all of them) who went to NCSSM is now successful, whether they liked the school or not. </p>
<p>I think that because your posts are only formed from bits of information you found from speaking with two students and a few things you have read, it is wrong to try and give advice to prospective students. You have to understand that even though this is the internet (and we could all just be crazy people who never heard of NCSSM before and just decided to spend hours writing about it), people will still take what you say into account at some level. And you are not just influencing people’s high school decisions, but their lives for the next two years. To throw out sweeping, unfounded statements based on a small circle of NCSSM students can be dangerous. One of the reasons that people like suncoast and I feel so betrayed by the school is that recruiters and supporters of NCSSM fed us with information that seemed very reasonable from an outsiders perspective, but turned out not be true for everyone once we got there. They would throw a few key facts about the school at us that sounded nice, but really only applied to the top 5% of the student population. If you insist on giving advice to prospective students on the internet, I would advise you to at least spend some time of your own at the school or find some real and reliable data to base your statements on.</p>
<p>I won’t try to repeat NCSSM Malum as that student’s words are much more eloquent than mine. I will say that we tried to get our student moved after an almost unlivable, and certainly miserable condition in the dorm room, (yes, even after politely requesting we not have the condition we were given). Immediately, I felt like a target had been placed on our student’s back labeled: Non-believer. A kid who had bragged about drug use was picked to be the rla/sli?? I can’t remember what they’re called–the student who manages the cleaning schedule for the dorm–simply because that student brown-nosed. Before senior year started, the kid left due to drug problems. BTW, the parents were crushed.</p>
<p>But, no, unless you are connected, you cannot request a dorm room. And yes, connected people do get things they want at the school at the expense of the average student. </p>
<p>And yes, my student is also very successful, but in no way, not even remotely, because of NCSSM. Full ride in engineering at a highly rated college. NCSSM feeds off of successful kids. It doesn’t create them. Let me repeat: It feeds off of them. I cannot tell you how disgusted I am to think that any success my child achieves…NCSSM will find a way to attach themselves to it, when at evey turn, they pulled the rug out from under our child.</p>
<p>And as far as people not being who they say they are: I am an NCSSM parent who does sometimes wonder how many positive posts about the school are written by NCSSM staff. Sure, there were some students who loved the school, mainly for the social aspects. My child didn’t leave friends behind because of social reasons. We were 100% after the academics, so we were 100% disappointed. Most of my student’s friends, at the school for the same reason, felt the same way.</p>
<p>I don’t plan on posting anymore either. People will have to decide for themselves whether to risk their child’s future at the school or not. Just please, when you hear incredibly trite and offensive statements like: NCSSM is what you make of it, don’t believe it. These are children against adults (who have very nice jobs on the line). They will crush your child like a bug if they don’t comply with their program and smile while they’re doing it.</p>
<p>@SunCoast & NCSSMAlum,
THis may be a new development, but for my class (Class of 2015), the juniors are able to request a hall on their roommate form. There’s the question:
“Do you have a building or hall preference? (Note that requests are not guaranteed. Assignments are based on available space) *”
I don’t know if this is a recent development, or whether it is at all taken into account, and I don’t mean to contradict any of your other statements since I haven’t attended yet and have only talked to a few students face to face, all of whom liked it, but I wanted to clarify that point for others who may be reading.</p>
<p>Everyone has their own experience, some good, some bad. In case a parent is reading this thread while considering NCSSM, I’ll post. My child just started NCSSM this fall. Working very very hard, but says he is 1000x happier than at his old high school. He is there because he loves to learn. Some parents have real concerns about their kids experiences at smath. Experiences vary tremendously on the child.</p>
<p>Word to future parents: Students are admitted based on academic success, but parents need to also look at their child’s level of independence, internal motivation for learning (not for good grades), and understanding that it won’t be perfect or always fair. As for the advice if you are valedictorian at your high school don’t go, it think that comes from someone who was not valedictorian. Mine was both years and went into NCSSM knowing he wouldn’t come out valedictorian since they don’t rank. Certainly not everything is ideal, but then again life never is. Go for the right reasons, not because you think it will get you into a top school.</p>
<p>Last note: if your high school doesn’t offer many AP classes (some of you mentioned that), check out ncvps.org. It’s offers NC online classes, including most AP classes. It may not be advertised much in your district, but is available (and free to student) to all NC public school kids. My now freshmen in college took AP Chem at high school and AP Physics on NCVPS due to scheduling conflict and felt the labs were more accurate online! Passed both AP tests too… Just thought I’d put that out as an option.</p>
People have always had mixed opinions about NCSSM. However, in my opinion, your experience at NCSSM depends on what you make of it. NCSSM has a ton of resources and opportunities, but it is up to you to pursue them. Many of my friends and I have gotten opportunities we never would have in our home high school, but these opportunities were related to how much we were willing to push ourselves; they were not based on grades. Some of my teachers here have been the best I have ever had, and they actively seek people out for research projects, etc. Also, I have known plenty of people who did not get research and ended up pursuing on their own, which the school eventually supported. Though NCSSM is hard, there is honestly no where else where you can take a class taught by a successful CEO. NCSSM definitely has its issues, but then again every school does. The tough competitive environment at NCSSM taught me invaluable skills, like effective time management (I sleep at least 7 hours a day) and strong independence. NCSSM is like the real world; no one is there to spoonfeed you anymore. If you want opportunities and to be successful, you need to be independent and “accept the greater challenge.” Thus, the NCSSM experience is really what you personally make of it and not based on what others have done/experienced.
Hi, I am currently applying to go to ncssm for next fall. I am definitely NOT valedictorian, but I do consider myself above average, and I certainly have a game plan! I am also enrolled in an Online Academy this year, in which I could be a Junior right now, but I am going to wait to get into ncssm. Do you think it would be better for me to stick with my online academy and become a junior now, or go through high-school two more years at ncssm?