How can I increase my chances of getting accepted to NCSSM, amidst the pandemic?

Prep School Admissions Prep School Chances
1

Hi! I’m a sophomore in North Carolina CD2 and plan on applying to NCSSM this year. I visited the school for a state-level MathCOUNTS competition in eighth grade and have been set on attending it ever since. I’m a very good student, among the top of my class, and want to know how I can increase my chances of getting in now that the pandemic has derailed my sophomore year. The following is a summary of my high school performance.

Freshman Year, Semester 1: I took Honors Earth and Environmental Science, Honors English I, Vocal Music I, and Health and PE. I received straight As with my lowest semester grade being a 98.

Freshman Year, Semester 2: I took Honors Math 2, Theatre Arts, Vocal Music, and Honors Word History. I received straight As and my lowest semester grade was a 97.

I was also a Freshman SGA Representative, Drama Club Ambassador, and I participated in Mock Trial. Unfortunately, a lot of my plans were cut short due to the pandemic. My school has no Science Olympiad or Math team. When I inquired about starting one, I was told that they didn’t exist already because no teacher would take on the task of supervising and not enough students were willing to join.

Sophomore Year: I am currently taking Honors English II, Vocal Music, Peer Tutoring I, and Honors Civics. I’m schooling online, and it’s only been a few weeks, but I can already see my grades suffering. I have trouble focusing and completing my work. My lowest grade right now is an 89.
Next semester, I will take Honors Biology, Honors Math 3, Peer Tutoring, and AP U.S. Government.

I am also SGA Sophomore Class President. I had plans to join Mock Trial, Key Club, C.H.A.N.G.E. Club, Drama Club, Cross Country and Track this year, as well as to do some MathCOUNTS tutoring at my local middle school, but all of this is no longer and option due to the pandemic.

I cannot take the SAT; which is okay, as the NCSSM website says they’ve waived it and won’t be considering it as part of the application process for the Class of 2023

Every core class I have taken so far has been the highest level course available to me at my school. I fear that Vocal Music and Theatre Arts may have been a misstep- I enjoy them and chose them to pursue my passion, but I worry that it would have been a better choice to take an elective with and Honors option, like agriculture or business classes. I’m told Peer Tutoring looks good on transcripts; I chose it because I like to teach.

My GPA is a weighted 4.25, which looks low only because of the way my school weighs things: Standard classes receive a 4 for an A, Honors classes get a 4.5, and AP classes get a 5, as opposed to the standard 4:5:6 weighing scale. Unweighted it is a 4.0

I guess my question is- what are my chances of getting in, and how can I make them better? How can I pursue extracurriculars and activities when almost everything has been suspended due to the pandemic? How can I stand out among the other hundred or so applicants from my district? Most importantly, how can I stop my grades from slipping whilst I school online?

Any and all input is welcome, I’d love some advice.

2

Hey! I am also applying this year, I don’t know whether I should apply for residential or online, however, considering I live in CD 3 (the coastal one), I probably will apply for their online school. During my Freshman year I took Visual Arts and Concert Band, which may have been a mistake as well. NCSSM does, however, look for independent and different people, which I think you represent. Also, our districts are not that competitive according to my research.

3

Here is my “chance resume.”

GENERAL INFO
Congressional District: 3
Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
School Size (number of students): Around 1,000 students.
Size of Your Grade (number of students): Around 250 students.
Your Rank (if any): I believe I am in rank 8, but considering my AP classes I might be higher on the list, so at least top 10.
How would you describe the academic opportunities at your school? Poor, unfortunately.
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TESTING
Any SAT, AP, and ACT tests you have taken (explain which ones and what you have earned)
Other: Since the test is not required this year (because of SARS-Cov-2), I will not be taking it.
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COURSES/TRANSCRIPT/GPA
Courses from Middle School (if any): Earth and Environmental Science (8th), Math 1 (8th).
Unweighted GPA (include scale and how GPA is calculated at your school): 4.0
Weighted GPA (include scale and how GPA is calculated at your school): 4.5 (Around there?)

9th Grade Courses:
Engligh 1 Honors
Math 2 Honors
Math 3 Honors (Summer)
Biology Honors
World History Honors
Visual Art
Concert Band
PE/Health
Spanish 1

All-As
_
10th Grade Courses:
English 2 Honors
English 3 Honors (Plan to do over Summer)
Math: Pre-Calc Honors
Chemistry Honors
Civics Honors
AP Human Geo (It is year-long… unfortunately)
Microsoft Word
Spanish 2

Hopefully will be All-As
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AWARDS/HONORS
List below and state level of recognition (district, state, national, international).
I made it to State level Science Olympiad in my 8th grade year, my 9th grade year was foiled by the pandemic. I participated in a Math Competition which I got 5th (I believe) in during 8th grade, I was going to participate in another during 9th grade, but again it was foiled due to Covid-19. I have gotten All-As since 6th grade. I will have my Microsoft Word certificate by the end of the first semester (10th grade).
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EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
List below (Clubs, volunteering, leadership roles, sports/martial arts, etc.).
I meet criteria for BETA Club this year, but again, due to Covid-19 I don’t know it will be occurring this year. 20+ hours of community service (mainly for BETA club). Science Olympiad, I participated in multiple events including Road Scholar, Geographical Mapping, Potions and Poisons, and more. I was going to do Student Government, but I decided not to because of the pandemic. Band throughout middle school and 9th grade (I play the Saxophone). Throughout middle school I was in Junior BETA Club.
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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Use this section to explain anything from your “resume” that needs to be addressed and/or anything not included in this “resume”:

I love learning about Linguistics, Psychology, Geography, Astronomy, Chemistry, Biology, and Math.

I enjoy solving Rubik’s Cubes and other Puzzles, Composing villainous music, Sketching, Creative-Writing, as well as playing Video Games.
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Do you think I have a good chance of getting in? I want to apply for online, I don’t know about residential yet.

4

Also, unfortunately my AP Classes are year-long, so I can only take a small amount per year if I want to get my Associates Degree and complete highschool with the necessary credits. It seems that both of our highschools don’t really offer many educational opportunities.

5

I think the best way to stand out at the moment is the essay questions. You need to make yourself look powerful and happy, but within your work contain something you overcome. Of course, this is all dependent on the essay questions themselves. Overall, you probably have a pretty good chance. Do you know anyone else that is applying in your area. At the moment, I know three people in my county who are applying. Two of them are applying for Resedential and one of them, and myself, are applying for online.

6

Also, it could be a good idea to review eachother’s essay answers once we’re done.

7

hi! I think reviewing each other’s essays is a great idea. I’m applying residentially. I think you have a pretty great chance of getting in if you’re only applying online, since there isn’t the same housing restriction. I don’t know of anybody who’s applying, but the top 20% of students in my grade received an email invitation to an interest meeting. Does ethnicity matter? I’m Mexican and Latino/Hispanic. I didn’t know middle school achievements would be considered- I placed in 2 events at my regional Science Olympiad, 2019 (Disease detectives and circuit lab). I was also the captain of a MathCOUNTS team that competed statewide. I’m attending a virtual information session for NCSSM tomorrow, and application details have been posted on the website. Good luck!

8

Ok, cool, can we exchange emails? I don’t know if Middle School activities matter, but with the Pandemic, they are probably weighed more than before considering many things were canceled. I placed in Potions and Poisons and Road Scholar, during 8th grade. Ethnicity might matter, they could potentially have an encouraging diversity program, or something like that, but I do not know for sure. The top 20% of students in my grade also got a similar E-Mail.