Manu and Toastie's guide to NCS!
introduction:
hi all! me and @Toastiekid recently completed ncs and after seeing a lot of posts about it recently we thought it would be useful for us to compile this little guide for you about ncs and hopefully answer any questions that people frequently ask. it’s completely honest and we’re not being asked by ncs or promoting them in any way! feel free to ask us questions also if this guide doesn’t answer them! we both had different experiences as you’ll see later.
- manu and toastie
(i’ll be writing in normal font and toastie will be writing in italics
)
hi all! me and @Toastiekid recently completed ncs and after seeing a lot of posts about it recently we thought it would be useful for us to compile this little guide for you about ncs and hopefully answer any questions that people frequently ask. it’s completely honest and we’re not being asked by ncs or promoting them in any way! feel free to ask us questions also if this guide doesn’t answer them! we both had different experiences as you’ll see later.
- manu and toastie
(i’ll be writing in normal font and toastie will be writing in italics
)what is ncs?
ncs is a three week summer program for 15-17 year olds. it’s mainly students that have finished gcses who do it due to the long summer but there’s a fair few older ones who also take part. there's also a week long program in the autumn, but me and toastie did summer.
phase one consists of a residential where you’ll be doing lots of different activities, usually quite adventurous ones; (one thing toastie did was rafting and i did waterfall jumping) and team building exercises- basically getting to know your group really well whilst challenging yourself. It’s normally the sort of things they show you in the promotional video for ncs (though we discovered that it’s not *everything* in the promotional video!)
phase two is also a residential but based in uni accomodation so much more local compared to week one. you’ll be working with your group on preparing a dragons den style pitch for your social action campaign or a different charity altogether alongside developing new skills like public speaking
(I know…)
phase three is where you’ll either spend 4 or 8 days planning and executing your social action project. this is non-residential and will take place in your local area (unless you are toastie and they place you somewhere random
).
ncs is a three week summer program for 15-17 year olds. it’s mainly students that have finished gcses who do it due to the long summer but there’s a fair few older ones who also take part. there's also a week long program in the autumn, but me and toastie did summer.
phase one consists of a residential where you’ll be doing lots of different activities, usually quite adventurous ones; (one thing toastie did was rafting and i did waterfall jumping) and team building exercises- basically getting to know your group really well whilst challenging yourself. It’s normally the sort of things they show you in the promotional video for ncs (though we discovered that it’s not *everything* in the promotional video!)
phase two is also a residential but based in uni accomodation so much more local compared to week one. you’ll be working with your group on preparing a dragons den style pitch for your social action campaign or a different charity altogether alongside developing new skills like public speaking
(I know…)phase three is where you’ll either spend 4 or 8 days planning and executing your social action project. this is non-residential and will take place in your local area (unless you are toastie and they place you somewhere random
).
Toastie’s experience
At some point at the beginning of year 11 ncs came in to give an assembly on what it was and offer us a promotional code...obviously, I didn’t sign up then; I waited until mid May when a friend asked me to do it with them (and then proceeded to drop out as soon as I gained a place lmao
). Sorting out all my ncs stuff beforehand was absolutely excruciating; I feel like my parents and I ended up chatting to half of the challenge (my ncs provider)’s call centre as they kept screwing up my application
. It obviously sorted itself out in the end but I was placed in a wave an hour or so away in central London.
I was on wave six, knew nobody and was in team Perham
which contained 12. To say I felt awkward is an understatement; most people in my group came from local schools and knew people in the wave.
Phase one
Phase 2
Week two was very different to week one in terms of the activities we did but it was still great fun
Phase 3
Unlike Manu’s phase 3, my phase 3 was 8 days long (although I could only attend 5 days)
At some point at the beginning of year 11 ncs came in to give an assembly on what it was and offer us a promotional code...obviously, I didn’t sign up then; I waited until mid May when a friend asked me to do it with them (and then proceeded to drop out as soon as I gained a place lmao
). Sorting out all my ncs stuff beforehand was absolutely excruciating; I feel like my parents and I ended up chatting to half of the challenge (my ncs provider)’s call centre as they kept screwing up my application. It obviously sorted itself out in the end but I was placed in a wave an hour or so away in central London. I was on wave six, knew nobody and was in team Perham
which contained 12. To say I felt awkward is an understatement; most people in my group came from local schools and knew people in the wave.Phase one
Spoiler
Phase 2
Week two was very different to week one in terms of the activities we did but it was still great fun
Spoiler
Phase 3
Unlike Manu’s phase 3, my phase 3 was 8 days long (although I could only attend 5 days
)Spoiler
manu’s experience
i wasn’t expecting to go on ncs tbh. the date i applied for apparently was ‘full’ so i was put on the waiting list and would be contacted if a spot opened up. two days before the date, my mom got a call and i got a place!
one of my friends was in the same wave and group as me so i was lucky
i was in team edwards. there was eleven people in my group at this point.
before the trip we did icebreakers for ages, some of them felt silly but some i managed to get talking to the others and so made friends pretty easily
week one
honestly, considering how long the journey was i didn’t see the point of travelling so far. my experience isn’t as exciting as toastie’s because we didn’t go to an activity centre
week two
week three
i wasn’t expecting to go on ncs tbh. the date i applied for apparently was ‘full’ so i was put on the waiting list and would be contacted if a spot opened up. two days before the date, my mom got a call and i got a place!
one of my friends was in the same wave and group as me so i was lucky
i was in team edwards. there was eleven people in my group at this point.before the trip we did icebreakers for ages, some of them felt silly but some i managed to get talking to the others and so made friends pretty easily
week one
Spoiler
honestly, considering how long the journey was i didn’t see the point of travelling so far. my experience isn’t as exciting as toastie’s because we didn’t go to an activity centre
week two
Spoiler
week three
Spoiler
(edited 5 years ago)
things you should pack
you should be sent a packing list for week one and two when you’re signed up!
if not, i’ve screencapped week one and two lists- they’re not massively different except you need to bring some sort of formal wear for week 2.
week one:
week two:
comfortable clothes is a definite for week one especially as you’ll be doing a fair amount of physical activity. bring spare clothes also as you never know what you’ll end up doing and they could get wet or dirty
you should be sent a packing list for week one and two when you’re signed up!
if not, i’ve screencapped week one and two lists- they’re not massively different except you need to bring some sort of formal wear for week 2.
week one:
Spoiler
week two:
Spoiler
comfortable clothes is a definite for week one especially as you’ll be doing a fair amount of physical activity. bring spare clothes also as you never know what you’ll end up doing and they could get wet or dirty
“i’m worried about making friends” etc
this is a frequent worry before doing ncs which is totally understandable. i was lucky as i had one friend with me in my group and wave so it felt slightly less scary. before you get on the coach for phase one, you’ll get to know your group better through icebreakers etc. it does feel awkward at first but i think it definitely eases the tension a little bit! these icebreakers basically force you to talk to other people so
don’t be afraid to be yourself and be open! and don’t worry if it still feels awkward as you’ll be getting to know your group during phase one through your activities. by the end of the phase, you’ll feel like a family!
i didn’t hold back making friends despite coming with one; a few days in and i felt pretty much at ease with my group and i just loved talking to them. you’ll also have something called wave time during phase one and two which is basically a session in the evening where the whole group congregates together and you do some activities- you’ll have the opportunity to make friends with people beyond your group too! and there’s plenty of free time too where you can mingle with others
if it really becomes an issue and you’re struggling to make friends try speaking to your senior mentor
this is a frequent worry before doing ncs which is totally understandable. i was lucky as i had one friend with me in my group and wave so it felt slightly less scary. before you get on the coach for phase one, you’ll get to know your group better through icebreakers etc. it does feel awkward at first but i think it definitely eases the tension a little bit! these icebreakers basically force you to talk to other people so
don’t be afraid to be yourself and be open! and don’t worry if it still feels awkward as you’ll be getting to know your group during phase one through your activities. by the end of the phase, you’ll feel like a family! i didn’t hold back making friends despite coming with one; a few days in and i felt pretty much at ease with my group and i just loved talking to them. you’ll also have something called wave time during phase one and two which is basically a session in the evening where the whole group congregates together and you do some activities- you’ll have the opportunity to make friends with people beyond your group too! and there’s plenty of free time too where you can mingle with others
if it really becomes an issue and you’re struggling to make friends try speaking to your senior mentor
should i do ncs?
i wasn’t even originally meant to do ncs but i can say without a doubt yes! (at least consider it y’all
)
it’s not all what it’s advertised as but i definitely would just go for the sake of experience and making new friends. i also found it a great thing to put on my cv (i’ve been applying for jobs during the summer) as it gave me loads of things to talk about as you learn a lot of skills whilst you’re on there! some things i’ve been putting on my cv recently are public speaking or communication, co-operative teamwork and leading a team.
i believe there’s also shorter programs in the autumn if you’re not comfortable being away for so long but you still get the same experience and learn useful things.
also don’t worry if you don’t end up doing it after gcses! you can do it when you’re in year 12 too.
you can also use it as part of your residential section for gold DofE- if you want to do this then you should contact them beforehand
it also generally meant i had a lot more in common with people when i started sixth form; even though no-one at my college was on my wave, a lot of people had very
similar ncs experiences which was very funny to discuss
i wasn’t even originally meant to do ncs but i can say without a doubt yes! (at least consider it y’all
)it’s not all what it’s advertised as but i definitely would just go for the sake of experience and making new friends. i also found it a great thing to put on my cv (i’ve been applying for jobs during the summer) as it gave me loads of things to talk about as you learn a lot of skills whilst you’re on there! some things i’ve been putting on my cv recently are public speaking or communication, co-operative teamwork and leading a team.
i believe there’s also shorter programs in the autumn if you’re not comfortable being away for so long but you still get the same experience and learn useful things.
also don’t worry if you don’t end up doing it after gcses! you can do it when you’re in year 12 too.
you can also use it as part of your residential section for gold DofE- if you want to do this then you should contact them beforehand
it also generally meant i had a lot more in common with people when i started sixth form; even though no-one at my college was on my wave, a lot of people had very
similar ncs experiences which was very funny to discusswhat’s the food like?
obviously the food’ll depend on where you’re staying at during week one etc. that being said, don’t expect a buffet every day or a grand fry up for breakfast (if you get that sorta stuff for your ncs food count yourself lucky
)
the portions for my wave, were quite small considering we were 15-17 years old. some days, there was the opportunity for second helpings so that was alright i guess. wasn’t a lot of choice either (eg. breakfast had the same 3 boxes of cereal or so on offer) but the food wasn’t bad so it was fine. if you’ve made your dietary requirements clear on your application the meals provided should be suitable to you.
On week one my food had a lot more choice than Manu’s
; we had hot food and an unlimited salad bar
. I wasn’t a big fan of the food, it’s bog standard pgl food but i always managed to find something to eat (and i brought lots of food with me to keep me going). I'd definitely recommend bringing snacks though
On week two the food is very different as you pick from some recipes which you cook in groups for dinner each day. Our dinners ranged from spaghetti bolognese to pitta bread pizzas and all of them actually ended up tasting pretty decent. Lunches were made the night before and in my group were a few sandwiches, a bag of crisps, a piece of fruit, a snack bar and a bottle of water/squash
For breakfast on week 2 we ordered mini boxes of cereal and extra bread and jam for toast (no marmite though as my group refused to order it and i didn’t want to make a fuss
) we also had a kettle so we’d have tea/coffee in the mornings and hot chocolate in the evenings.
obviously the food’ll depend on where you’re staying at during week one etc. that being said, don’t expect a buffet every day or a grand fry up for breakfast (if you get that sorta stuff for your ncs food count yourself lucky
)the portions for my wave, were quite small considering we were 15-17 years old. some days, there was the opportunity for second helpings so that was alright i guess. wasn’t a lot of choice either (eg. breakfast had the same 3 boxes of cereal or so on offer) but the food wasn’t bad so it was fine. if you’ve made your dietary requirements clear on your application the meals provided should be suitable to you.
On week one my food had a lot more choice than Manu’s
; we had hot food and an unlimited salad bar. I wasn’t a big fan of the food, it’s bog standard pgl food but i always managed to find something to eat (and i brought lots of food with me to keep me going). I'd definitely recommend bringing snacks thoughOn week two the food is very different as you pick from some recipes which you cook in groups for dinner each day. Our dinners ranged from spaghetti bolognese to pitta bread pizzas and all of them actually ended up tasting pretty decent. Lunches were made the night before and in my group were a few sandwiches, a bag of crisps, a piece of fruit, a snack bar and a bottle of water/squash
For breakfast on week 2 we ordered mini boxes of cereal and extra bread and jam for toast (no marmite though as my group refused to order it and i didn’t want to make a fuss) we also had a kettle so we’d have tea/coffee in the mornings and hot chocolate in the evenings.common misconceptions
"i won't gain anything from ncs"
this is not true; i think you learn plenty of skills which you can talk about on your cv and personal statement if you're thinking of going to uni. i also think personal growth's a really good thing to gain too also making new friends is always a win!!
"ncs is boring"
not if you throw yourself out there push your boundaries and don't be afraid to talk to other people. making new friends is probably one of the biggest aspects of ncs, and it makes the whole experience a lot better if you've got people you've built a friendship with and i can say this having not the most amazing activities in phase one
"i can't afford it"
ncs is around £50 for the whole programme (though i understand that may not be affordable for everyone), but if you're unable to afford that, you should be able to go to their website and contact them to see if they can offer you financial assistance or subsidise it etc. they really do try to make it open for everyone! and when the ncs people visited my school they were able to give us a website to visit that made the whole thing go down to £20!
"i won't gain anything from ncs"
this is not true; i think you learn plenty of skills which you can talk about on your cv and personal statement if you're thinking of going to uni. i also think personal growth's a really good thing to gain too
also making new friends is always a win!!"ncs is boring"
not if you throw yourself out there
push your boundaries and don't be afraid to talk to other people. making new friends is probably one of the biggest aspects of ncs, and it makes the whole experience a lot better if you've got people you've built a friendship with and i can say this having not the most amazing activities in phase one"i can't afford it"
ncs is around £50 for the whole programme (though i understand that may not be affordable for everyone), but if you're unable to afford that, you should be able to go to their website and contact them to see if they can offer you financial assistance or subsidise it etc. they really do try to make it open for everyone! and when the ncs people visited my school they were able to give us a website to visit that made the whole thing go down to £20!
(edited 5 years ago)
bump! if you have any questions about ncs feel free to ask them
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Is NCS a good sixth form?
- Freshers on TSR: What are your top 3 'Desert Island' items for going to Uni?
- Self-catered vs Catered accommodation at Bath
- Reviews on ncs
- Sixth Form
- East London sixth forms
- Extra curricular
- Brampton NCS
- Newham collegiate sixth form centre + Predicted grades
- Newham Collegiate Sixth form
- NCS 2024 away from home
- NCS or Brampton Manor 2023??? Help...
- NCS on UCAS application
- NCS Sixth form? Should I go if given the opportunity?
- NCS Sixth Form Workload
- Newham Collegiate Sixth Form??
- Ncs sixth form
- NCS this summer
- I want to cancel my ncs
- Brampton manor sixth form or Newham collegiate?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 2 weeks ago
NCS Sixth form? Should I go if given the opportunity?Trending
Last reply 2 weeks ago
NCS Sixth form? Should I go if given the opportunity?
