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: Smath
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.
Sorry
Hey guys. I’m sorry that I haven’t blogged in a very very very long time. I just never seemed to have the time or energy to write and I honestly wouldn’t have known what to say. I had a few lows this year and I didn’t want to write about them because I didn’t want to scare you off, but now I have a lot to talk about so I will definitely keep you guys updated and sorry if I repeat things that I (or another blogger) has already said in the past.
[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.
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?
Self-Enrollment
I thought self-enrollment would be crazy, but it wasn’t that bad for me. However, students are responsible for scheduling their classes. On Focus, there is an option to view course meeting patterns. This basically tells you when each class is offered (what block and how many times a week). It is relatively simple if you take the time to plan out each trimester. The difficulty comes in when it is time to enter courses into Focus. Here are a few problems people faced (I faced none of them!Yay!):
1. Seniors pick classes 2 days before juniors. Due to this a lot of classes fill up and then are no longer available to the juniors.
2.Every person is given a time as to when they can log into Focus to start entering courses. Time slots are randomly selected. Those who get times later in the day (11 or 12 o’clock) are lucky if they can get their basic classes in. This year there was a shortage of Chemistry and Physics classes. I was lucky and I got 8 AM. I did notice that most of the classes were almost filled to capacity even though the only time slot before mine was 7 AM.
3. At around 8 AM students started posting to Facebook that Focus had crashed. The school was working on this problem and a solution was found.
A few tips about the process:
1. Sometimes students are willing to trade classes or even sell them. Although, I’m not sure if the sale of classes really happens or the students were joking.
2. When you enter course requests, there is a teacher code for each class. This is helpful if you want to make sure that you have the same teacher all 3 trimesters. If you are really interested in having (or avoiding) a teacher, you can log into your family Focus account and instead of teacher codes there will be teacher names.
3.If some classes are really popular, the school will add additional classes. If a class conflicts with a lot of schedules, the school may move that class to a different block.
All in all, it wasn’t a horrible experience for me. It may have been for SeeTheDawn because he was blessed (note sarcasm) with a late time slot. For those of you that are currently entering courses, good luck!
The Welcome Day Experience
For those of you attending Welcome Day II (or maybe you’ll be someone reading this next year), don’t stress. It honestly isn’t bad. Good luck!
For the math placement tests, there are 3 groups: Precalculus, Calculus, and Advanced Math. Precalculus is for those currently in Algebra 2 who are looking to place into Precalculus next year. Calculus is for those in Precalculus looking to place into Calculus. Advanced Math is for those who have already taken Calculus. There are only Precalculus and Calculus tests. Those in Advanced Math had to fill out forms about their math background. I took the Calculus placement test. It was 45 minutes long with 15 questions. They are all short answer. It was actually very easy. Bring a calculator and a pencil!
For the science placement tests, there are 2 groups: those who have taken chemistry and those who have not. For those who have not taken chemistry, there is one 30 minute general science quiz with 34 questions. For those who have taken chemistry there are 2 tests. One is physical science the other is chemistry. The chemistry test is 45 minutes long with around 30 questions. The physical science is easy, but the chemistry one is really hard. Bring a pencil, but you CANNOT use your calculator.
Make sure that you bring all of your forms with you. However, if you don’t bring your forms they have extras. All of the forms are included in the Welcome Day packet. It is around 35 pages.
Welcome Day was a fun experience! I made many friends (I guess I can call them friends). Some kids were weird, but for the most part they are just like normal kids (except for being way smarter). The current students were so nice. They were friendly and willing to help. For example, I was in the PFM (Perkin’s Food Management or the cafeteria) eating lunch when this random junior sat down with me and starting giving me advice and answering my questions. They are really lovely people and I’m so excited to have the opportunity to go to school with them next year.
On Welcome Day, you can take tours of the residential halls (Beall, Bryan, Reynolds, and Royall are for girls. Hill and Hunt are for guys.) and there is a club fair. The clubs were really interesting and there were so many of them! Although I didn’t see it, one of the teachers told me that there was a robot that the students had made that was capable of throwing frisbees.
Welcome Day is the day when it all becomes real, but don’t let it intimidate you. Meet new people and don’t be afraid to open up. In a way, you have a chance to start high school again. Do it the right way.
A NCSSM Journey 