By New Hyde Park Memorial Department of Admissions
New Hyde Park Memorial High School is widely agreed to be one of the most selective and prestigious high schools in the area, however, when the school board announced that it would be joining the specialized high school system, both current and prospective students panicked at the thought of either being kicked out or rejected by their dream school.
As of April 1, 2023, all incoming 7th graders are required to take the SHSAT to be considered for admission to New Hyde Park Memorial High School. Those who meet the cutoff score will be invited to join the matriculated students dinner which will be held this coming August at the Met Gala.
“I’m glad I got in before they started the whole exam thing,” incoming seventh grader Elizabeth Sepulveda chirped, “NHP’s prestige and reputation will look great on my resume, and plus, I heard graduates have great job prospects. I’m really scared for my younger sister, though, who might be placed into FPM or HFC or some worse school like that.”
While this change may have no bearing on students currently enrolled, the school board recently proposed and passed that existing students may be selected to take the SHSAT to maintain their spot in their class.
“They said I had to take the exam because my GPA was at risk, or something. Don’t really know what that stands for. I don’t know what SHSAT stands for either. Is that like the SAT but quiet? No? Don't put my name on that quote,” senior Nicholas Washington grumbled.
This recent change to New Hyde Park Memorial's admissions process has caused the school to explode in popularity among Long Island's most competitive students. The school received thousands of applications in just a week after releasing news of the SHSAT mandate.
In response, board members met and agreed on expanding campus to accommodate for this growing demand. New campus locations in Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Berlin, Dubai, and Buenos Aires are currently under construction. New Hyde Park Memorial will also be partnering with neighboring institutions to offer courses that complement its existing curriculum and provide a greater number of students the opportunity to enroll in higher-level classes: Home & Careers is now offered as a dual enrollment course with Columbia University.
Source from Alvin Reji
New Hyde Park Memorial's Shanghai campus.
As some enrolled students have begun preparing for the possibility they may be selected to take the exam, those who have taken the exam are receiving decision letters.
“I got accepted to the Shanghai campus as a spring-transfer student,” incoming seventh grader Alvin Reji shrieked.
“They waitlisted me, but I just sent in a letter of continued interest and visited the New Hyde Park campus to show demonstrated interest, so hopefully that changes their mind. Tully Park took my breath away," eighth grader Ishita Bansal raved. “I’ve also been in touch with Dr. Faccio and my regional guidance counselor.”
“Our admissions process this year was extremely selective. We received a record number of applications, with over 20,000 applicants vying for a spot in our incoming class. After an extremely difficult and carefully conducted review process, we were only able to extend admission offers to 1,300 students. Our admissions department evaluated each application considering not only academic achievements, but also extracurricular activities, community involvement, and personal qualities. We were humbled by the caliber of applicants we received,” the New Hyde Park Memorial Department of Admissions wrote in their rejection letter.
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