<p>Hi! I'm applying to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics next year, and I thought it would be cool if all the applicants for next year on CC started talking. Here are my stats.</p>
<p>CD 8 (Charlotte)</p>
<p>Freshman Year</p>
<p>Honors English - 99%
Honors Biology - 109%
Honors Algebra 2 - 100%
PLTW Honors Human Body Systems - 100%</p>
<p>Honors Geometry - 102%
Honors World History - 106%
Health/PE - 97%
Spanish 2 - 101%</p>
<p>SOPHOMORE YEAR</p>
<p>Honors English 2
Honors PreCalc
Honors Civics and Econ
AP Human Geo
AP Enviro Sci
Honors Span 3
Honors Chem
Honors PLTW Human Body Systems</p>
<p>AP Psychology NCVPS</p>
<p>What's your story? I can't wait to meet you all :D !</p>
<p>I will also be applying next year! I am from CD6. Please give me your opinion if you would like to! Here are my classes: </p>
<p>9th Grade Classes:
Geometry Honors-A
Biology Honors-B (92)
PE/Health-A
English I Honors-B (92)
World History Honors-A (currently)
Latin I-A (currently)
Algebra II Honors- A (currently)
Biomedical Technology- A (currently)</p>
<p>10th Grade Classes:
AP Statistics
Pre-Calculus Honors
Civics & Economics Honors
English II Honors
Biology II Honors
Physics Honors
AP Biology
Chemistry Honors</p>
<p>Hey! Everyone is doing all these online classes and stuff. I’m not really doing anything over the summer… Do you think that I should change that and try to take Precalculus online?</p>
<p>Well, I guess I will do it! You know what! I am going to take Pre-Calculus over the summer (or at least try to). I am very confident that with my math skills, I can handle it. </p>
<p>I could have been taking Pre-Calculus, but we need a 98 or higher on this test that is supposed to be two grades higher than what we are at now. I got a 97.2 I just wish that I didn’t miss that one question. Lol. Well, I will try to take Pre-Calculus over the summer.</p>
<p>I asked to take Precalculus again and she said again “no.” I even said that I would prove it to her by taking the CLEP. Well, I guess there goes that. Lol. :)</p>
<p>Trying to get D to consider NCSSM—but she thinks she’s not ready to leave, and I somewhat agree. Academic classes (lots of APs) offered at our current school, but general student body not overly focused on education. This is after an excellent K-8 accelerated charter school experience. I worry she will do fine academically at current school, but be lazy for college. (Current school very focused on bubble/scantron assessments; there is almost no writing.) She will end up likely being ready to graduate after 11th grade if she stays, so I have to find some options for senior year if NCSSM is not the choice. She will not go to college early.</p>
<p>10th Grade:</p>
<p>AP Calc
AP 11th Grade Lit
AP Chem
World History/Civics & Econ (Required)
Lang. IV
Art Class</p>
<p>My daughter took Pre-Calc. this year, and 2/3 of the material was stuff from Alg. II. We weren’t confident enough to self study, but I wish we had.</p>
<p>@ Luther—Thanks for the advice. I’ll watch the videos. D has already completed H Physics (9th grade), H Chemistry (9th grade) and H Biology (8th grade). Our school makes us take these as prereqs for AP science classes (which I think is silly). D is a “young” 9th grader—in terms of social savvy and making her way in the world. Our present school is not ideal. There are plenty of AP courses, but it is very focused on knowledge acquisition (bubble tests) versus knowledge synthesis (essay answers, using the knowledge to come up with a new solution vs. spitting out a specific answer etc.) D herself insists she is not ready to leave home, and I just hate the idea of boarding school. But, she doesn’t have a trust fund, so a good education is the only thing I can give her. Just trying to figure out a better option than the status quo. I think they are: i) Certain early colleges (some seem vocationally focused versus options for gifted kids); ii) Present school with supplementary education via tutor/Duke TIP experiences, etc.; or iii) NCSSM. What’s the social side of NCSSM like?</p>
<p>@Skrunch- You and your D should look into the NCSSM online program. I’ll be a senior in the program in the fall, and it’s been a great experience! I applied for just the online program because I wasn’t ready to leave home, and I’m really involved at my school, and I have to say that it’s the best of both worlds. We spend a weekend per semester at the campus in Durham, and do everything else online. Most of the classes are really challenging and college-level and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know other smart people from all across the state without having to give up my current friends or any interaction with my family.
Also, there were about 20 kids at my Discovery Day, and there are 80+ spots in the program, so if you apply online only it’s a real stress reliever, since you are pretty much guaranteed a spot if you would have been competitive in the Residential pool.</p>
<p>Apparently there were a lot of students the last couple of years who struggled some with writing and the high demands in that regard at NCSSM. We were told that the result of this is that there is now American Studies and American Studies with Writing for incoming juniors. The later class is for students who may need more initial help with mastering writing skills while American Studies alone will not spend as much time on teaching writing.
I do not know how they determined placement as there is no writing test on Welcome Day. Perhaps just the SAT score on writing and students’ 9th and 10th grade English grades/levels/teacher recommendations?</p>
<p>In any event, hopefully this will lessen that stressor for those that come to NCSSM in need of some time to acclimate themselves to the required level of writing ability at the school? In a positive note (in my opinion) the classes are given the same amout of credit and quality points, so perhaps there will be minimul ‘fighting’ to get into one class vs. the other and placement will indeed be based on what is best for each student. </p>
<p>Remember that if you go to ncssm you are basically bound to that for life. Like whatever your career is, it’s gonna be based around science or math. Basically all those kids become engineers. So if you want to send her to NCSSM just for harder academics, think twice.
When she applies to colleges, her essays will almost certainly have to be about her love of math and science or else the college will be like "why did she go to a school devoted to math and science if she didn’t even like it…?
My advice, get her in AP classes and start some extracurricular she likes. When she applies to college, they’re gonna want to see lots of AP classes and passion from her extracurriculars. If you say AP classes are too easy (cause some of them are really easy), get her to take harder ones like AP Euro or AP physics! If she’s as smart as you say she is, then she’ll get fives on those easily and that will look really good to colleges!
Most importantly, extracurriculars. She needs some.</p>
<p>I think NCSSM delivers beyond the STEM field. In fact, already our child has met incoming juniors who have a strength in STEM, but are equally strong in the humanities. Some have clearly said that they are going to NCSSM because of the ‘diverse, talented, and capable high school student body’ Luther refers to, above all else. The arts and sports extracurriculars are very strong. There are indeed negatives to attending any residential high school, including NCSSM. But I would not avoid going for fear of being trapped in the STEM field for life.
T</p>
I just wish that I didn’t miss that one question. Lol. Well, I will try to take Pre-Calculus over the summer.</p>