Today is April 2nd, 2015. In five days, 6 hours, and 27 minutes I will know whether or not I will be attending the North Carolina School of Science and Math next year and the year after. I will also know if I will or will not be leaving all of my closest friends, my teachers, my beloved drama program, my National Honor Society and all of the things that matter to me at RTHS. I have wanted to go to NCSSM since the moment I learned about it. When I was little (and to some extent, still today) I read books by british women of middle class backgrounds about orphans. Well, perhaps they weren’t all by british women of middle class backgrounds about orphans, but most of the books I liked were of that sort of genre...you know the type. Anyway, a lot of these little girls go away to boarding school. So obviously, I have always wanted to go away to boarding school. That’s never really been a practical option for my family, and I’d probably never really fit into the prep school atmosphere, but SMath is different. For five years I have dreamed about an environment where I am surrounded by kids with the same passion that I have, not only for math and science but for learning itself.
So this October, I started the application. In November, I finished it. In January, I clicked that fatal “submit” button, had a tiny panic, and then began the wait. I submitted my transcripts, I requested my teacher evaluations, and I waited and waited and waited. Last week, when I opened my application site, it simply stated that the admissions process had begun, and that the site would be closed until 5:00 on Tuesday, April 7th. So I continue to wait.
The truth is, I will probably not get in to NCSSM. I am not the most qualified student applying, and I live near the school, where most applicants come from. The way I look at it, I have tried as hard as I possibly can. I have gotten the best grades I can and participated in every activity that interests me, although I’d be doing that any way. But there are four other equally qualified students competing for the same spot, and it could be any one of them over me. Maybe they scored a few points higher on the SAT, maybe they did one more math club, whatever it is, at this point, it seems extremely futile. But I still want it, and I still care a whole awful lot.
So I will wait.
...pation.
So this October, I started the application. In November, I finished it. In January, I clicked that fatal “submit” button, had a tiny panic, and then began the wait. I submitted my transcripts, I requested my teacher evaluations, and I waited and waited and waited. Last week, when I opened my application site, it simply stated that the admissions process had begun, and that the site would be closed until 5:00 on Tuesday, April 7th. So I continue to wait.
The truth is, I will probably not get in to NCSSM. I am not the most qualified student applying, and I live near the school, where most applicants come from. The way I look at it, I have tried as hard as I possibly can. I have gotten the best grades I can and participated in every activity that interests me, although I’d be doing that any way. But there are four other equally qualified students competing for the same spot, and it could be any one of them over me. Maybe they scored a few points higher on the SAT, maybe they did one more math club, whatever it is, at this point, it seems extremely futile. But I still want it, and I still care a whole awful lot.
So I will wait.
...pation.