I know that I don’t post often and that really sucks for those of you out there. However, if you’re a current smath student, you should be too busy living your life to have time to read this.
I graduated. I did it. It doesn’t feel real and it felt so odd not to come back from extended yesterday. I’m not afraid to go to college or anything. I’m afraid to leave everything behind. Yes, I was not a straight ‘A’ student. I made some bad choices. I lost sleep. I cried a lot. The food was crap. The work was hard. But, the people were worth it. If I could do it over again, I would choose science and math. This school has given me the chance to grow and find myself. Additionally, I found life long friends. They were people that allowed me to truly be myself. They were people that I could communicate with in just noises. I’m not worried about never seeing my best friends. I’m worried about never seeing those random kids in the hallway who brightened my day with just one look, that one dude who was in my calc pod, or my physics partner that I used to cry with. I will never be able to sit in Dr. Miller’s office to contemplate life. Nor will I be able to sled down the soccer field on a trash can lid.
Science and math was a struggle, but it has been the most rewarding experience of my lifetime. I could go on and on, but no words can truly express the gratitude that I feel (also, I’m very lazy). Part of me wanted to stay forever, but part of me couldn’t wait to come home. I’m not sure what I want, but I’m glad that smath happened. Sitting there on Watt’s Lawn, getting that diploma from JTodd, and moving out still seem surreal. Those last few days at smath were some of the best days of my life. They are days you tell your juniors about all year, but they come and go very quickly. If you are lucky enough to be accepted to smath, you should go. If you go, never take it for granted. It often feels so normal that you forget that you are at one of the best high schools in the country. Smath is a truly unique experience.
I’m sorry for the bad writing and all, but I just felt as though I needed to give closure to this blog. I know that a lot of you are wondering who we (the bloggers) are, but we decided to add our identities to the countless secrets that smath holds.
Tag Archives: NCSSM
A Place with a Different Sense of Time
I have come to learn that NCSSM is a place where things occur at a different speed. Time actually flies. I mean there are times when class gets boring or there’s a night when there is nothing to do. For most of the time, though, time moves at a warp speed. I believe it is because each and every day is a new day. There are different activities (food runs, hall meetings, sporting events, club meetings, discussions, MLK activities, sustainable events, etc.) each day and your schedule varies each day of the week. It is very different from my life back home where everything was constant. In addition to all of that, relationships also move very fast. People who haven’t known each other for very long begin to date, best friends are made in the matter of a few hours, and these relationships can fall apart just as fast as they formed. This is because all the students live together; people are always surrounded by each other and it is hard to get a break from your peers. Students have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with each other and then can easily get fed up with each other. Everyday at smath is a totally new experience and you never know what you are in for. I can’t believe that half my smath career is already over and sooner than I want, smath will no longer be my home.
Senior Leadership Positions
I know this doesn’t really relate to the incoming class at this point, but I’d rather talk about it now before I forget!
Sometime in February we (juniors) received an email about Senior Leadership positions. These are positions that seniors hold all year and they count as work service. As you know, work service is 3 hours a week, but these seniors tend to put in more than that (especially RLAs).
The positions are: SPL, RLA, Attache, Student Ambassador, MPC, PCC, Smart Bar, and Library Liaison. As you can see, many of these positions use TLAs (three letter acronyms) because it becomes tedious to use the full title. Here is an explanation of every position:
SPL: Sustainability Project Leaders work with Dr. Warshaw. They promote sustainability around campus and host a variety of activities throughout the year. There are usually 4 of them.
RLA: Residential Life Assistants are like RAs in college. There are around 2-4 of them per hall. They plan hall activities, check housekeeping, and take check. This is one of the most competitive positions.
Attache: Attaches work in the Institutional Advancement department. They can deal with anything from fundraising (the Annual Fund), alumni, and legislature. The biggest event that they host is the Fund Run which is a competition among halls that culminates in the eating of a Vermonster. This is another competitive leadership position. There are usually around 20 of them. This upcoming year (2015-2016) there are only around 15. Ms. Carr and Ms. Shephard are the adults in charge of this.
Student Ambassador: Student Ambassadors work with incoming students. They are best known for giving tours of campus. In addition to this, they also work in the Admissions department. Their biggest events are open houses and Discovery Days. Rob Andrews and Mattie Gaddy are in charge of this position. This is another competitive position that holds about 20 students a year.
MPC: Multicultural Peer Counselors break the “Smath Bubble”. When students are on campus they are pretty sheltered from what goes on around the world. MPCs write the “Toilet Paper” that hangs in stalls and keeps students updated with news. They also hold monthly Tea Topics for discussion.
PCC: Peer College Counselors help students with college, scholarships and summer research opportunities. They work with the counseling department to send out newsletters.
Smart Bar: This is an area in the library that deals with tech issues. You can take your computer to the students who work there and they can usually help you out. This is also a junior work service position.
Library Liaison: Library Liaisons work in the library. They shelve books, clean up, and host activities. The librarians include Anthony Myles, and Robin Boltz. There is not a large number of liaisons.
Out of all the positions, RLA is the most coveted. However, each position is important to the function of the school. I do hold a leadership position and the application process was quite stressful. The process included interviews and a common application. I did not get the position that I wanted most. At the time, I was devastated, but now I am really happy with my position (I’m also and alternate for my #1 position). If you don’t get a leadership position, it is not the end of the world. Many teachers take TAs and there are other work service opportunities around campus. Leadership students do get to move in early as well as get the opportunity to be in the drawing for Junior Marshal (Random drawing among leadership students after the leadership results are released. It’s unfair, I know. It has nothing to do with being at the top of your class like it does at traditional high schools).
Everyone has their own opinions when it comes to each position and who should be selected for them. I know of students wanting to move halls for the sole reason that they don’t agree with the choice of RLAs. I know kids who were alternates and ended up getting the position. I know kids who got RLA on a different hall and took it because of the prestige in the position. But, I also know kids who gave up RLA on a different hall because they were too committed to their own hall. I know kids who gave up RLA because their roommate got it (RLAs can’t be roommates). I know of RLAs that worked well together. But, I also know of RLAs who were quarrelsome. I know of student ambassadors who hated waking up to go to open houses. I know of people who took PCC instead of attache. I know of people who were offered every position. I also know many people who weren’t offered any position. The leadership process isn’t considered fair. It’s said that if you’re a softball player or in NIA you get ambassador because Rob coaches and Mattie Gaddy is in charge of NIA. It’s said that if you are in DECA you get attache because Anna is the sponsor. Of course, there are many speculations, but in the end it comes down to the kind of student that you portray yourself to be. Interviews are important, but so are daily interactions with adults on campus. Take time to meet Anna Shephard, Lauren Carr, Rob Andrews, Dr. Warshaw, etc. Even if you aren’t applying for a position it is interesting getting to know the adults that work on campus (many of them attended smath!).
So that was long and rambly. As you can see, I’m a terrible writer and I got off track a lot (explains my AmStud grade).Hopefully, I explained positions pretty well.
The wait-listing begins
fluffnpuffnpstuff asked:
Hi! I’m sorry, but I have no idea what the appeals essay is like and what the process is like. I’m not sure if it would be too forward to email the admissions committee and if you did, I’m not sure that there would be anyone to respond to it.
Hi fluff!
Sounds like you didn’t get accepted yesterday. I’m sorry to hear about that. But, not all hope is lost! I was rejected at first but got accepted through the waitlist. You write your appeal essay about why you firmly believe you should go to the school (more like a paragraph, since you’re limited on space) and they’ll announce whether or not you made waitlist finalist a few weeks later. It isn’t until late May/early June that they start notifying those on the waitlist about being accepted. They fill in the spots immediately from people who decided to decline the residential offer, and slowly fill in the rest as others decide to leave. This continues all the way until the first extended weekend of school.
I didn’t email the admissions committee because personally, I didn’t think pleading to them would really make a good impression. Also, they generally respond quite slowly, and I probably wouldn’t have time to hear a response. Maybe I’m wrong. Nonetheless, I think the test of patience I had to deal with during the waitlist period was something that might have helped me. Maybe. Even if it wasn’t, it taught me a lot, like how much the acceptance really meant to me. (oh, the nostalgia.)
I had to publish this publicly because, unfortunately, your email is invalid. If you read through the archives there’s some personal and statistical blog posts about being a waitlist finalist. Feel free to email me for any other questions you might have, and we wish you the best of luck!
Admin Auriee
[Guest Blog Entry] Early Morning SSM Musings
I suppose that at 1:06 AM, everyone gets a little self reflective. It’s true for me, at least. Don’t judge.
And really, I’m writing this because Smath is all that’s been on my mind recently, especially with the sophmore notification date ominously looming on the horizon. So soon, yet so far…At this point, I’m not even sure if I want to know. How is it that I can imagine both the crushing disappointment of rejection and the frenzied elation of acceptance equally vividly?
I grew up with Smath as a constant presence. It’s always been lurking in the shadow of my mind, waiting until sophmore year to jump out and grab me. I’ve never not thought (apologies for the double negatives) about applying for NCSSM. As soon as I hit middle school, I was already planning my extracurriculars; trying to choose things that would further my application. That’s right, I’ve been obsessed since birth. It’s just that I can see myself there so clearly and I’ve imagined myself there so many times that it just seems to fit. I guess that’s the case with anyone, though. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Smath has been a huge part of my life. When I was in elementary school, it was one of my biggest dreams. When I was in middle school, it was the dream to aim for. Now that I’m an applicant, it’s a source of both boundless joy and endless anxiety. If I don’t get into NCSSM, it sounds ridiculously silly, but, I know I’ll lose some direction in life. For me it’s just always been something to aim for. If this was a cliche 90’s teen movie, I would be the sad nerd girl hopelessly crushing on NCSSM, the star quarterback.
But love does fade, doesn’t it?
I’ve been thinking that maybe getting rejected from Smath won’t crush me, but instead, set me free from this dream that’s followed me my whole life. Maybe I’ll find a new one. But until then, I’ll sit here and wait.
Author: Anonymous
Sorry about the late upload date, anon.
I think you’ve got a good handle on how to take the news, the good or bad. Smath life is very different than what I expected from back when I was applying. It’s not the exactly greatest thing in the world, but of course not all that bad either (why else would I still be here). Sure, some days I’ll miss my old school and wonder what my life would have been like if I stayed, but at other times I’m just so grateful for getting in. The place may seem like some great castle in the sky from the outside, but once you’re here, it’s just life. And you’ll get used to your life with or without it.
In other news, decision day is coming up soon for all you applying sophomores out there, so the bloggers and I would like to wish you all good luck. 🙂
[Guest Blog Entry] Is it Worth it or Not?
Well I’m a member of the class of 2016 just like the other guest blogger, anxiously waiting for applications to open and trying to talk myself into volunteering at the hospital on fridays. To be honest I’m really posing a question more than blogging about what is going on in my life right now, because let’s face it life right now is pretty boring. But on to the point, I have scoured the internet just like many a prospective smather before me has done and have seen about two different main opinions. Half of the reviews (or maybe a little less) say that it it the best place in the world and would give the school an 11 out of 10. This makes the school sound like the best place on earth! Then you come to the other half of the reviews and see that people say it molded them into “better and stronger people” but that they hated their two years there with passion.
I personally want to love my high school years, and right now at my current school it’s just not all that great, not bad, but not great. I want amazing academics (otherwise I wouldn’t be applying to NCSSM in the first place) but I also want to be with a group of people who want to love their high school years as well, not just focused on getting into an ivy school. I’m not a “super nerd” hiding in a corner with a computer, but I love to learn. However I am not willing to sacrifice having a life for some school, no matter how “strong” it will make me. I want to hear it from those who are already there, is the school worth it? Can you have fun and genuinely enjoy life there? Do YOU like it there? Would you do it again? I basically just want to know if I should continue on the road of NCSSM applications or if I should start trying to convince my parents to let me go to Choate or Andover.
Any advice would be great.
-Prospective Applicant
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These guest entries were intended to stand alone, but since you’re asking about things I can help answer, I may as well. Interestingly enough, it’s something I’ve been meaning to write about.
The biggest surprise to me once I came here was that the general make up of the student body is so much different that what I was expecting. I imagined most people here would be the “super nerds” you mentioned, all with some sort of prestigious achievement (going national math competitions, medaling in science fairs, etc.) that got them in. Now, there most certainly are those kinds of exceptionally bright people here, but they don’t make up the entire student body. Based on my perception, I’d call say about 20-30% of the people here are seriously aiming for Ivy Leagues, and only about a handful are exceptional students that have chances to win contests like Siemens and Intel.
One thing to remember is that NCSSM is only a 2A school because it’s only for juniors and seniors. Each class size is about 300 per grade, which is fairly large. But since everyone accepted goes through the application process, the entire student body is rich and diverse: there are your hardworking people always studying and aiming for the big schools, there are your average people who get mostly B’s who want to go to state schools, there are some with mostly C’s who don’t mind because they’re simply enjoying their time here. People don’t fail because, well… the school dismisses you if you fail a class. But usually, guidance and the registrar helps you avoid that.
As for the work load, I would make sure you know what you’re getting into. When choosing your classes, you can put yourself into easier classes. I’ve heard people purposely did worse on certain placement tests so they are placed into an easier class. The same is in vice versa: you can easily stack a few difficult classes and end up studying in your room all the time.
I’ve noticed here that the pressures of college have already affected me. I’m starting to give up parts of social life to keep my grades up and maintain extracurrics. But that’s just me. There’s a lot of people who are the same, and there are many who aren’t.
I’ve also learned not to go by everything you’ve read online. The students here are vastly different from just the impression you get from those online. Also, because people only spend two years here, the general feel of the student body changes quickly. No one really knows what your class will be like.
The main point is, this is still a high school, and you still get people from all social groups of a typical high school, only the bell curve for academics is shifted more towards the higher end. But there’s so many different people here that you’ll definitely find your place where you “fit in.”
As long as you’re content with the choices you make, you’ll do fine. I think, because you know exactly what you want and what you are and aren’t willing to lose, you’ll have an easier time adjusting to life here.
~Auriee
[Guest Blog Entry] Utopias and Self-doubt
Hey, all. I’m a random blogger, randomly blogging. Unlike the four awesome bloggers that already write for this blog, I’m in the Class of 2016. Which means I, as most of you were last year, am freaking out now the admissions open up in a couple of weeks.
Sometimes, NCSSM looms over me, and other times I forget it exists. There. I said it. There are times when I don’t remember the possibility of me going to a different school next year. On one side, I can picture myself moving in, laughing with a roommate, poring over my homework, and staying up late to finish that one assignment. (Yes, as much as I want to go to NCSSM, I’m am under no illusion that it will be easy, both applying and actually BEING there). And on the other hand, it is so…EASY to see myself at the same school next year, talking with the same people I’ve known since kindergarten, surrounded by my same friends, most of whom are also applying to NCSSM this year. It’s painful to think that as much as I want to go to Smath, there’s a possibility that one of my friends will, and I won’t.
I’m also ravaged by the ever-present feeling of “not enough”. I was watching a Youtube video yesterday (by one of my favorite Youtubers, iiSuperwomanii. Go watch her, if you’ve never seen her videos), that was titled “Wake up call”. She talks about how if you think you want something, aforementioned video is your wake up call. Meaning you should realize that you might not be doing enough, and that there are others putting ten times more effort into the same thing. And that truly was my wake up call. What if I’m NOT doing enough to get in? What if I don’t get in, merely because I didn’t take up the volunteering opportunity at Hospice? So many questions. On one side, I love my Utopia of NCSSM, and how it’s a goal for me right now. I haven’t had many goals for myself lately, and it’s nice to know I have something to strive for during sophomore year, instead of chilling and doing the same routine as freshman year. And yet, NCSSM is eating away at my self-esteem, because of this feeling that somehow, I’m not good enough. Thanks a lot, Smath, for making me continuously doubt myself.
Smath Update
This is going to be slow and will suck, but eh. So in a nutshell, the first 2 months have been crazy busy. I have so much homework. Classes are hard. There are way to many social activities. I still don’t know anyone’s name. Progress reports come out tomorrow and it’s not going to be pretty. Extended is this weekend. I met some sophomores who are applying at Open House. The PFM is getting worse (I didn’t think it was possible). It is getting cold. There is a lot of stress here. Don’t course overload. My roommate is awesome. My hallmates are amazing. Housekeeping sucks. Room inspection sucks. Supervised study has pros and cons. Last week was I-week. IVIZs are really boring. It gets lonely on the weekends; I don’t know where everyone goes. I’m excited to hear from/ meet all of you that are applying! Feel free to message me with questions!
Move-In Day
I’m going to be completely straightforward. SeeTheDawn will probably give you all the logistics of Move-In Day, so I’m not going to focus on it too much. Today was the best day ever. I love NCSSM. I love my hall. I love my roommate. I love SeeTheDawn (I saw him in a completely awkward encounter during dinner/ice cream social). I love auriee (even though I haven’t seen her yet). Yes, things were crazy today. Yes, the showers were freezing. Yes, it rained on our picnic. Yes, this post is not going to flow. But, I’ve had a great day. I’m so happy to be here. I could not have been paired with better hallmates . I already love them like sisters and I’ve only known them for 13 hours. I’m super tired, so I’m ending this post. I can’t wait for tomorrow even though there are a bunch of boring meetings.
NOTE: It is not that hard to get around campus. If you utilize hill tunnel, you can get pretty much anywhere without having to step outside as long as you are not in Royall. (Don’t completely trust my advice because I’ve only been here for a day.)
Tuesdays
Tuesdays have always been my favorite weekday.
Today is June 25, 2013.
Today is a Tuesday.
Today I woke up, I went to swim practice, and I swam at a meet.
But today, our phone rang.
“Hello, this is […] from North Carolina School of Science and Math,”
….
“and congratulations.”
—
Of course, this is spectacular news. I started tearing up around my friends at the meet when I found out. From March until now, I had the feeling that when I would be called, it’d be an immediate yes.
But now that I’ve thought about it, I’ve been able to see what I’m going to lose for going to the NCSSM. My school rank, a friend or two left behind(most of mine are going to smath), and many hours of sleep. Right now, I’m not sure it’s the right trade-off for my home school.
Can I really handle it? Will my life really get better by coming here? What is it that I really want?
Thinking this over, I’m not sure. But I’ve got two days to figure this out.
Either way, this is a great success. From the initial denial: having the “nonfinalist” title, I’ve come a long way and made it in. I’ve fought so hard to get where I am to turn back now, right?
A NCSSM Journey 