@aash598 I was waitlisted and never called to NCSSM, but I did attend SVSM, and what it does is that it basically lets you choose your own real world topic, and utilize the tools given to you to present a presentation on that topic. The award last year for one girl, I remember, was for doing a project on air pollution and using jelly packets to collect particles in the air. I guess what they want to know is that SVSM was a program that let you combine your knowledge on math and science and apply it to the real world, and see how it all connected together.
Im from CD 13 and applying for c/o 2017, I want to know if you got accepted, and also how competitive our distrivt is.
@foxh8er I’m in district 13 too, and im applying for next fall. It must not be a very competitive district! I hope I get in!!
@arnavg544 hey just wondering id you get acceoted?? I’m applying this year from cd 13
@loltired what is on the math test on discovery day?
The math test tests algebra and geometry concepts, and I heard that it is similar to the math section of the SAT. @volleyball247
What is a CD? And do you know which CD durham county falls into? Also how competitive it is?
How’s that 100% chance of yours? I’m typing this from NCSSM.
Hi,
I’m a freshmen in district 6 (or 12, I heard it depends on the zipcode for Greensboro) and I really, really want to get into NCSSM next year.
I’m taking Math 3 Honors, PE, Spanish 3 Honors, English 1 Honors, Biology Honors, and Band. I’ve accomplished a lot with my instrument back at my hometown (I recently moved to this state). I’ve been in District Honor Band for 3 years, placed 2nd at competitions, completed 7 levels for music and theory testing (out of 10 levels), and I’m always either 1st or 2nd chair in the school advanced bands.
Next year I will be taking Honors Chem, APES, AP World, AP Stats, English 2 Honors, and Spanish 4 Honors. I’ll be taking Civics over the summer ('cause of my transfer) and PreCalc over the summer also (Honors Chem and PreCalc is required in order to take AP Chem or Calc AB later).
I created a club outside of school - a volunteering club where we teach music, art, and other extracurriculars at elementary schools, or online.
I’m also planning to join SciOly and an international science competition club. I’m still adjusting to this new school and environment. I’m starting to discover clubs. I’m also planning to join a math club.
I always get straight A’s. Some high and some lows.
As for my SATs- I have to work on them. They aren’t as high as yours, and I have quite a room for improvement. I lack scores on critical reading.
Do you have any advice for me on what else I should do?
And also - what kind of essays do you have to write for your application?
Hi @ramen01,
With regards to your transcript, your schedule looks more or less exactly like mine did (although I took AP Calc BC instead of Precalculus sophomore year), and I was accepted from CD4! Make sure you get straight As, though. The main difference between those who were accepted vs. those who were rejected from my school was straight As vs. mixed As and Bs.
To be honest, your ECs sound like they could use some work solely based off of your description in this thread, but as long as you flesh them out and explain their relevance in your applications, I think you should be okay! Keep in mind that NCSSM is not just looking for explicitly STEM-related ECs; join whatever clubs interest you and excel in them.
For reference, I scored 2300+ on my NCSSM SAT, but many from my district and equally competitive districts scored lower and were still admitted.
And finally, to answer your question about applications: I’d advise you to try to find some kind of interest/specialty that your resumé shows you are interested/excel in. For example, I wrote my essays about how I used STEM to help the community, which linked the volunteering and club participation on my resumé. (This is a tip I’ve also heard about college apps!) Don’t sweat it too much. I don’t know the exact acceptance rate, but I’d guess it’s around 30% or so – not super selective.
Best of luck!
@ncssmstudent123 Thanks so much for your advice!
I’ve made some changes to my classes for next year - AP Spanish (spanish 4 over the summer), APES, AP World, Honors Chem, and English 2 Honors.
However, I probably won’t be finishing sophomore year with Civics completed. Does NCSSM require you to have certain courses taken before applying?
I’ll be volunteering at a local hospital in the summer and the science center later this year. I’m also entering more music competitions and will be joining a local symphony also, to add on to my EC’s.
Hopefully that’ll increase my chances 
Congratulations on your acceptance! And thank you for your feedback.