<p>I was accepted to NCSSM this year (2014, so class of 2016), and I'm having a really tough time making a decision about whether I should go or not. My home school has a variety of classes (including APs.)</p>
<p>In high school, I've taken:
Honors English - I and II
Honors Biology, Chemistry, and AP Environmental Science
World History - Honors and AP
Honors Pre-calculus
Latin - I, II, III
Health Science I, Honors Anatomy, Sports Medicine I
Honors Civics & Economics
AP Psychology</p>
<p>I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA, and a 4.8 weighted GPA. </p>
<p>However, I don't think that I did that well on the placement tests on welcome day, and I'm not sure that retaking them would help. </p>
<p>Do you feel like NCSSM is worth it? How would your transcript look to colleges (like Duke, State, even Ivies) if you had to repeat a class?</p>
<p>Please share your experiences/input.</p>
<p>I’m not really familiar with NCSSM, so I can’t answer any specific questions, but I can answer the one about elite colleges and their reactions towards retaking courses.</p>
<p>Let me say that, chances are, it doesn’t matter. If you failed a class and so had to retake it again, that might be different. But getting an A at one school and needing to retake it? Probably not. It would also most likely depend on what the course is. Plenty of schools cover different things in their math courses or English departments, so retaking a class where curricula can be different would make sense. Additionally, if it concerns you, just let the admissions offices and interviewers know what your situation was. I’m sure coming out of NCSSM, if you choose to attend, will look great and that you’ll do well no matter what.</p>
<p>The classes that I would probably have to retake would be Chemistry and Pre-calculus. Does that make a difference? </p>
<p>Thanks for your help! </p>
<p>I really can’t see having to take Precalc again as being an issue, particularly if you’re on an advanced track to begin with (which I think you are because most people take it junior year). Plenty of schools cover different material in different classes and departments, so there can be minor gaps that contribute to relatively major problems. Chemistry would concern me a little bit but not a whole lot, just because it is more of a defined curriculum. You’ve done well in the past in it though, so I wouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is that both of those courses are math/science courses, which NCSSM specializes in. By definition, their math/science courses are going to be more difficult than most schools’. That means plenty of kids will most likely need to repeat a class or just take a quarter or semester to get acclimated and caught up. Don’t worry too much about it. Just excel at your current school and be placed where you need to be at NCSSM- you will do much better if you are truthful about how comfortable you are with the subject matter and on the placement exams. </p>
<p>About the college thing, I really wouldn’t worry about it. It’s best to get the right education for you in high school and let the rest fall into place. If it bothers a school, then that’s unfortunate, but you needed to retake it. Having a strong background in the basic or required math and science courses will be better in the long run than not. If a college seems confused or unsure of why you retook it, just explain. Tell the school that NCSSM had more difficult courses and you just needed to make sure you completely understood the class. It’ll all work out.</p>
<p>So you feel that going to NCSSM would be a better decision than staying? I’m trying to weigh whether the experience that I could have there would be worth leaving home. The fact that I’m not exactly limited at home makes it harder. For example, I currently take part in a program that allows me to take EMT training classes and he help work on an ambulance during actual 12 hour shifts. However, a lot of people have been telling me that NCSSM will help me to develop as a person as well as a student. </p>
<p>Just curious for your input. </p>
<p>Take three deep breaths, and try to remember why you applied to NCSSM in the first place. </p>
<p>Taking placement tests is daunting, but don’t let the fear that you didn’t do well cause you to question whether you want to attend NCSSM. Precalculus and chemistry are so fundamental to your future that it is well worth retaking them now so that you will have mastery over the material and be ready for the challenging classes coming down the line. </p>
<p>Colleges will not be put off if you have to retake those classes. Many students repeat an entire year of school when they go off to elite boarding schools, and colleges never hold that against them. Admissions officers will be impressed that you have the drive and determination to accept the greater challenge of NCSSM, and they know that you will be well prepared for what is in store at college.</p>
<p>It may be that NCSSM will not require you to retake those classes; it may be that they will use the results to place you in the next class. I remember being told that they have 8 different levels of calculus and that they are careful to place students in the level that will challenge but not overwhelm them. Honestly, chemistry covers so much material in such depth and so quickly that most students need to cover the material more than once to really get it. </p>
<p>I think NCSSM will be a good experience for you, even if you have to retake precalculus and chemistry. Under their system of merging history and english into a single class, you will still have time to cover the math and science courses you want, and the advantage is that you will really know what you are doing by the time you apply to college.</p>
<p>Persevere!</p>
<p>NCSSM is a really, really great opportunity, accepting the best and the brightest students from all of North Carolina. If you went, you would be exposed to and learning from some of the best faculty nationwide, in school with a guaranteed group of gifted and motivated kids, and really involved and immersed in specialized math and science learning. Of course, all that comes at a cost. Think about where you want to be in ten years, or in twenty, or in thirty. What would help you get there? Make a pros and cons list. Debate positives and negatives of leaving home two years earlier than most. </p>
<p>This is a really personal decision. It’s about what’s best for you and your family. Going to NCSSM will bring you a wonderful education but staying home might too. You need to have a discussion with your parents about it. You need to think long and hard about it. Imagine possibilities at home and away. I think NCSSM would bring a lot of really great things into your life, but so would staying at home. It’s up to you.</p>
<p>Personally, NCSSM has better opportunities than any school. Do you mind telling us what school you currently attend? Maybe that will help us better assess your decision but in the end, WE cannot and should not influence your decision. Life is about making choices, this is just one of many.</p>
<p>@galaxyunicorn Have you attended NCSSM? If so, could you tell me what you liked and disliked personally? </p>
<p>I was accepted into NCSSM class of 2016 as well!</p>
<p>I currently go to a school that sends ~15 kids to NCSSM every year. It really is a wonderful school with like 25 AP classes or so and it was a really tough decision for me to leave. (but it did help that I have a couple of friends entering NCSSM with me :D)</p>
<p>You and I have taken similar-ish classes and I feel like I bombed those placement exams too 
However it’s important to keep in mind that:</p>
<ol>
<li>We can always retake the placement exams during orientation</li>
<li>that Chem test was insane. My friend, who’s in AP Chem, said it was comparable to her final exam. </li>
</ol>
<p>Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine 
Congrats on getting accepted and PM me if you’d like.</p>
<p>Hi, How did you get accepted?</p>