the stentorian | ncssm
opinion
august 2008
I
Seniors Give More Tips for the Class of 2010
BY Hillary Seybold
Incoming juniors will all soon be learning
about the great things NCSSM has to offer each
of them. NCSSM is a small but tight community,
studying under an experienced and devoted teaehing
staff, students get all the perks of living within a dorm
environment, students have the excitement of Durham
right on our front porch, and students get a chanee
to test the waters of independence as young people
endowed with a great opportunity.
However, as with any situation, there is a
negative eounterpart to every positive light—this
is where the stresses associated with NCSSM enter
the scene. Because there are so many great people
to make lifelong memories with, it is easy to get lost
in socializing; it is just as easy to get lost in a sea of
textbooks or submerged under the sheets on our beds.
Dating has the potential to be a wonderful experience
at the same time as it has potential to be a huge stress
factor. Being responsible enough to juggle significant
others, sleep, study, and friends as well as sports,
healthy living, seemingly impossible webassign
deadlines, and all sorts of extracurriculars is the mark of
an NCSSM student. If you’re a junior,
you’re probably wondering what you
got yourself into when you decided
to accept the greater challenge—^but
never fear. Your seasoned and trusty
seniors are chock-full of delightful
tidbits of advice so that all of you may
get a head-start on sueeess.
Jan Jorgenson:
“Study harder than you think you need
to first trimester, then you can have the
rest of the year to lay off a little if you
work too hard”
Gagan Vaseer
Ed.: Super study (dadadaDUN) is a great opportunity
to get homework done without distractions. And, yes,
it will end eventually, we promise.
Ashwin Peres-da-Silva:
“FOLLOW THE TWO WEEK RULE!!! I actually
think that it should be a one month rule at least.. .you
need to meet as many people as possible early on
because once school gets tough it gets harder
to meet people...don’t narrow yourself to a few
people. [As for the] three S’s (sleeping, studying,
socializing)—^you can have all of them! Howevej-,
you need to have extreme self-discipline and know
when it is time to do what, and you will have to
learn how to say no.”
Ed.: The two-week rule is essentially a student-
established “guideline” for juniors regarding
significant others; in the interest of building
lasting friendships (and therefore in your interest),
it is generally good practice not to begin dating
anyone within thefirst two weeks of school, though
this rule has been broken with fervor, it seems. (I
know there are lots of cool sci ’mothers here, but
whoa, buddy.)
Holly Campbell:
“I regret not jumping in and making
a junkload of friends first thing, so I
would advise [juniors] to just get out
there and do it, even if it’s not really their
element.”
Ed.: Holly’s right: even if you ’re not
exactly a “social butterfly, ’’ you should
still be outgoing. After all, everyone else
is starting off on new ground, too.
Gagan Vaseer:
“Use [your] free periods wisely and try to
do homework or other important things
in that time. Also...utilize the tutorials that teachers
give and ask for help.”
Kavya Sekar:
“Don’t compare yourself to other people. At Scienee
and math.. .it’s not your goal to be number one in the
school—it’s your goal to be yourself.”
Ed.: This is a great
point—ncssm is a
great facilitator
for individuality at
the same time that
it kindles lifelong
friendships...it helps
that we don’t have
ongoing class rank
competitions to worry
about.
’I
Ethan Henderson
Ethan Henderson:
“Manage your time
so you can have fun
later.. .or have fun first and
work later!”
Ed.: 1 would personally suggest going with the first
one, because when you are enjoying the good times that
abound here, you won’t be constantly worried about
assignments. Here at NCSSM, we ’re able to play hard
only because we work hard (or slack hard...but that’s
not such a wise choice).
This is just a small sample of the cache of
helpful advice which everyone in the senior class can
share with you at any time (except during super study.).
Don’t forget that the seniors were exactly where the
jimiors are now only one short year ago. Well, here’s
to the start of an amazing experience for the class of
2010—enjoy.
the
stentonan
the north Carolina school of science and mathematics
1219 broad street, durham, nc 27705
stentorian@ncssm.edii
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Mamma Mia!:
Fun, But Not Epic
By Carey Averbook
Seeing Meryl Streep, one of our great actresses,
jump on beds and run around a Greek island was a lot
of fun. But fun was about it. The movie was enjoyable
iHfBRii ’
nii: wmR-
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and entertaining as long as one suspended their rational
thoughts and logic. Time periods were off, details were
missed, and Pieree Brosnan’s singing can’t be described
any other way except as absolutely horrid. Fortunately
for him, Amanda Seyfried (Sophie) could sing, and,
actually, had a very strong voice. If you’re in the mood
to relax, be entertained, and have a good time, this is
a movie for you.