Frequently Asked Questions for SRIP/Mentorship

What does the Summer Research & Innovation/Mentorship curriculum involve?

Depending on the opportunity, students may complete a daily journal to keep a record of their activities and findings, identify and read relevant literature for their project, communicate their progress on a regular basis through meetings and assignments, and/or present their accomplishments in a final event and/or submission of an abstract and video for a virtual showcase.

Can I apply to Durham-hosted and Morganton-hosted opportunities?

Only if you are an NCSSM Online student.  NCSSM Durham may only apply for Durham-hosted SRIP/Mentorship and NCSSM Morganton may only apply to Morganton-hosted SRIP/Mentorship.

What are NCSSM faculty and directors looking for in applicants?

We are looking for students with curiosity for exploring the unknown, a strong work ethic, willingness to ask questions, academic and disciplinary excellence, clear enthusiasm for their field of interest, and a strong commitment to learning. 

Do the opportunities require previous experience?

No.  There are requirements listed for each opportunity, so those specifics are necessary to participate.

For NCSSM residential students, if we have unexcused absences or a charge on our disciplinary record, how will that impact our application?  

Student applications for SRIP/Mentorship provide a wide variety of information to NCSSM faculty/deans which will be collaborated and reviewed as a whole picture of the candidate.  The impact of any single part will depend on the entirety of the application.  Students that are enthusiastic about applying for NCSSM SRIP/Mentorship programs, should not count themselves out for any reason whatsoever.  Please move forward to apply if you desire to participate. 

Can I participate in research competitions if I am accepted to a research opportunity within SRIP or Mentorship?

Submitting to research competitions (such as Regeneron due in November) is possible but very challenging to complete with only 1-7 weeks. Also, summer projects will vary greatly depending on the length of the program, the type of project (assigned by the mentor/instructor or proposed by the student), and the role the student plays in carrying out the project (independent or part of a team working on an ongoing project). If your primary purpose of participating in the program is to enter your work in competitions, please be sure to contact NCSSM instructors to ask if the opportunity of interest is a good fit to help you meet this goal.   

Can I miss a few days for an academic competition, family vacation, school sponsored event, etc.?

No, any absences not approved by your NCSSM instructor or in excess of 1 approved day will result in immediate removal from the program. Students are required to fully commit to all program dates due to the significant investment of our voluntary mentors and from state and foundation funds to provide this program at little or no cost to students.

Does the program require weekend attendance?

Program schedules vary for each of these programs.  For Durham-hosted opportunities, students are not required to stay on campus on weekends, however we do encourage students to stay on campus to make the most of the summer experience. For Morganton-hosted opportunities, weekends are required for program events.

What if I am applying to other summer programs and don't yet know if I have been accepted by the deadline for commitment to SRIP/Mentorship (January 3)?

Students are advised to apply to other opportunities beyond the SRIP/Mentorship programs.  The NCSSM SRIP and Mentorship programs have limited positions and not every student that applies will be offered a position.  Applying for as many summer opportunities as you are interested in optimizes your options for securing an experience in research/innovation. 

Students should be fully committed to SRIP/Mentorship programs upon submitting your application.  However, if offered a position in SRIP/Mentorship, students will be asked to share any conflict they are aware of with other programs they have applied for and the notification date of those programs so that the instructor and director can determine whether it is possible to wait for this decision or whether a full commitment must be received by Jan. 3.  

For NCSSM residential students, can I complete my Summer Service requirements (exclusively residential student requirement) during this program?

Residential students that have NOT completed the requirement should not expect to easily complete the requirement during the program. You will not have time in the evenings and you will likely be exhausted from a full day of research. Students participating in Durham-hosted opportunities are free on the weekends, however NCSSM cannot provide transportation outside of the usual student activities.

What is the cost of the program?

NCSSM summer students are provided housing and program transportation at no cost. However, it is likely that students are responsible for the cost of food.  A few options for funding food are being considered and a decision will be made by mid-December.  If students and families are required to cover the cost of food (as has been the case for the past 10 years of the program), students can choose to purchase meals at the cafeteria (hours and costs not yet available) or purchase groceries on weekly evening store runs and use the residential facilities (microwave, oven, etc.).  For students that qualify for Assistance Based, meals will be provided.

Can I apply for Financial Assistance to cover food costs throughout the summer program?

Students with financial need (after acceptance) can request assistance with food and living expenses. 

To request assistance with summer food costs:

• Email NCSSM Need Based Assistance nba@ncssm.edu upon acceptance to NCSSM Summer Research & Innovation Program

Be sure to update the Senior:Need-Based Assistance form (at my.ncssm.edu). 

If I'm a residential student, can I leave all my belongings at NCSSM until the summer program begins?

No. All students will be assigned new rooms for the summer program session.  Due to the quick turn-around time required for our staff to clean and prepare housing for the large number of summer programs NCSSM runs each week of the summer, there will not be any space available to store students' belongings at any time throughout the summer breaks or before or after the program ends.  

I have questions about the application process or technical difficulties with the application.  Who should I contact?

First, to prevent any late submissions of your application, do not wait until the deadline to complete your submission.  If you have any questions/concerns, or technical difficulties throughout the application process, please be sure you have thoroughly reviewed the instructions provided by NCSSM ITS and within the resources provided by the Program Directors.  After reviewing all instructions, please submit an ITS help ticket for technical difficulties.  It is essential to leave time for any troubleshooting by NOT PROCRASTINATING your submissions. Problems should be resolved within a 24 hour period.  

What are the tips for success in completing the application?

1. Don't procrastinate.  Give yourself plenty of time to complete all parts of the application, especially for the resume and common and specific essays. 

Late submissions will not be accepted and requests for extensions will not be considered.

1. The rankings of the opportunities are critical for several reasons:

• Although we recommend instructors to consider all candidates, some instructors may be less interested in applicants who rank their opportunity lower (i.e., #4-#6).  Instructors want to be sure that the student is excited and ready to fully engage in the specific opportunity they are offering.

• Students accepted to the program will be offered only one opportunity, so choose your rankings carefully.  For example, if a student is accepted for their 1st or 2nd choice, the student will not be considered for their 3rd-6th ranked opportunities.  

• Most often it is true that the more opportunities you apply for, the higher chance you have of acceptance, but be sure that you only apply for opportunities that you can fully commit to!

If my local school has not finished by June 12, should I apply for the SRIP/Mentorship opportunities that start that week (for online students)?

We encourage you to apply.   In the past, students have requested to finish their local school year early or start the SRIP/Mentorship later.  Students accepted to the opportunity should notify the Program Director associated with your acceptance to ask about next steps.   We suggest you ask your local school what their policy is for students excused absences at the end of the school year to participate in other academic opportunities.   NCSSM cannot excuse you from your school, but we can provide a letter to confirm you are accepted to the program, the program details, and that it is offered by NCSSM at no cost to you.

How many online students participate in these opportunities?

Online students have participated in all the SRIP/Mentorship opportunity options open to NCSSM Online students that have been offered in previous years.  Hundreds of online students have participated since the first year of SRIP in 2013..   Additionally, through a partnership with the Louisiana School of Math, Science and Arts, two LSMSA students typically participate in Durham-hosted SRIP/Mentorship.