NHD National Contest

<p>heheh...i was in a club for NHD and was all ready to do it, my paper was almost done and everything, but the teacher never told me and a few others when they were due to the competition (until the day after, when she yelled at us as if we somehow should have magically known) so i was kicked out of the club. i was pretty mad at first but now i'm just amused/oddly proud that i got kicked out of something.</p>

<p>I've never participated in NHD. In the last year, I've wanted to do this, but I didn't know where to start. My school or anyone I know don't participate in the contest. Gradually, I'm learning more about it, though. I hope that next year I'll get involved. It's really cool to read all of your posts. I picture myself someday having those experience as all of you have had or will have.</p>

<p>this is a mad dash to the finish line...this is crazy. i hope i feel better real soon because this is the most crucial, most intense week before nationals. i've been feeling lightheaded for the past two days, and i've never felt like this before. i feel like i'm not myself. does anyone know a possible remedy? the weird thing is i got ample sleep, 9 hours last night, and about 6-7 the previous night. why am i like this? this is scaring me...</p>

<p>all i know is i should keep working and never look back, never think about how much work all of this is.</p>

<p>i'm feeling so much better now. i've been drinking plenty of water, since it has come to my attention that dehydration can cause lightheadedness. i just realized i've been drinking too much of soda, juice, and tea. caffeinated drinks cause dehydration, i think. </p>

<p>after watching ellen degenere, i'm all energized to get started on my project.</p>

<p>6 more days until nationals!!</p>

<p>I'm leaving for college park in five days (saturday). I'm so excited!</p>

<p>i leave on saturday too, but i counted today as one additional day since i posted in the morning. also, i desperately need all the time i have before nationals.</p>

<p>Well ryan, I can't wait to see your documentary!</p>

<p>3 more days!! this is incredible...i'm so excited to be nearly finished with my project. i'm shipping it tomorrow 2nd day air.</p>

<p>1 more day... have a safe trip everyone! i heard there are gonna be 40 something kids from seattle on my flight to baltimore (united connects in chicago). i shall be the first to get washington pins.</p>

<p>i got everything for my project done at 10:30. that was the best feeling in the world, because i'd been working extremely hard all year to reach that moment. an hour later, i just finished packing!! i leave for the airport in 6-7 hours. </p>

<p>like i said, have a safe trip. see you in college park.</p>

<p>hey guys!
I'm disappointed NHD is over. I had such a great time at nationals!</p>

<p>Vegangirl, your project was AMAZING!!! I have never seen an NHD project as good as yours! How many interviews did you have?</p>

<p>Wow, thank you!! You came to see me present? That's so awesome of you :) I think what I love best about NHD is how nice and supportive (most of) the people who compete are. It's great. I really liked your project too...I think I took a photo of it. Exhibits always blow me away because I could never do one, and I'm amazed by people who do.</p>

<p>Anyway, I had six personal or telephone interviews, but I also had about 20 people who I corresponded with or interviewed via email. I was lucky that so many people were willing to help me :)</p>

<p>Are you going to compete next year? I'm already excited about my next topic, although I'm still disappointed this year was over. It's been such a great time.</p>

<p>Thanks, vegangirl, but my project was horrible compaired to everyone else's. Now I wish that I had spent more time making changes :(. I will not be able to compete next year because I will be away during my citywide competition, but I'll be back the year after that. Don't compete then, because I want to do an individual doc, too! :)</p>

<p>I did NHD in eighth grade and then went to prep school and got too busy. I wanna do it next year, though, and I'm laying out cunning plans.</p>

<p>As to a correlation between overachievement and NHD finals: I'm sure it's a friggin' fluke, and I'm sure middle school NHD's easier, and I'm also sure I'm an outlier in the data you're collecting, but I think I attended each of my classes about three times a week in eighth grade, and I think I turned in four English papers the whole year, and I ended up at nationals...</p>

<p>OH man! Question! Does anyone know if you're allowed to do a cross-school project? Like, if I'm at private school, and I have some friends at my old public school I want to do a project with, can we do that?</p>

<p>anticatalyst- yes you can do a group project with students from other schools...you just have to be in the same division (grades 9-12). some states have small-scale competitions, but it's hard to make it to nationals from states like CA, MN, CO, WA, NY, TX, PA, IL and many other big states.</p>

<p>ryan- i had such a great time, too. ahh i can't even begin to apologize why i didn't get to see your documentary, and you went to see my project. i didn't even go to the dance... i have such pathetic excuses. don't bother telling me it's okay...it's not okay that i didn't see docs/performances at all except the ones presenting last in the afternoon. first, it just so happened that for first round judging, you presented at 10:40 (so did kara) and amanda presented at 11:20. i was interviewed at 11. and then on wednesday, i woke up and by the time we finished breakfast, it was already 9 something. ughh i was about to kill my friend aruj. her teacher signed a slip saying they won't let me go anywhere alone, so i had to sit there the whole time. (crazy, because i commuted all the way from the airport to college park by myself and the same was true on the way back). they got there at 8:30 when i finished breakfast at 7:30...they woke up late and ate slowly. we later went to DC and didn't come back until 11:30 at night. i know it sounds pathetic and made up and that if i really wanted to go see it, i would've found a way...but that's what happened. it's inexcusable. ughh...the friggin chaperone had to tag along. we missed the illinois party as well. i feel terrible...don't try to condone my behavior. it's not okay at all. every year, it happens that i don't get to see anything else...i feel bad this year because you went to see my exhibit and left a nice note. at least i got to meet you and most of the nhd forum people. that was really important.</p>

<p>I did it during seventh grade on Medical Ethics...im from jersey...Junior Division ...Individual Exhibit.. i didnt win in states but i won the Siemens Science and American History Innovation award....and i did one on UNESCO in 8th grade...didnt win...im gonna do it next year (sophmore year) as well</p>

<p>what is the most competitive category for individual projects in NHD?</p>

<p>anyone? .</p>

<p>For most states, the exhibit category is most competitive due the sheer number of projects submitted. I would say that the level of competition is the same at the national level.</p>

<p>exhibits or papers.
But Gian is right, at nationals it equals out considerably.</p>