Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) [*IP]

[spicy]

Last year we attended the RGS "tea" … during the makan session, a few (top) girls from a neighbourhood school approached and tried to chat with the P. The P kept reminding them to "study hard for PSLE" so that they can enter the school. The girls did not sense any sincerity…


Fast forward to this year, those same girls are now in NYGH via S1…

[gancheongmommy]

We attended the session last night. The principal gave a very informative speech. They were assuring us on the level of support that the school is offering. At the end of the day, the number of dsa they can offered is also limited, so the best bet will still be the PSLE results.


Of course my dd is super motivated after the talk last night. I hope that she can keep this fighting spirit with her all the way to PSLE.

[sharonkhoo]

Hi! Is any girl reading this in English Drama? Or a parent of a girl in that CCA? Can you let me know what is required during a trial to get into English Drama? What sort of things are they looking for? Thanks for any info.

[Augmum]

spicy:

Last year we attended the RGS \"tea\" ... during the makan session, a few (top) girls from a neighbourhood school approached and tried to chat with the P. The P kept reminding them to \"study hard for PSLE\" so that they can enter the school. The girls did not sense any sincerity...


Fast forward to this year, those same girls are now in NYGH via S1...

Honestly speaking.....
i might choose RGS for my gal if i didnt attend the \"Tea session with the P\".....

[Worriedpapa]

The T with P invitation is a privilege session. Only \"selected\" kids are invited and these are typically girls who are being targeted by RGS for DSA.


Have fun... Ms Poh is a wonderful lady and you will enjoy interacting with her!

:rahrah:

Cheers,

[OrangeJuice]

Hi, i am a yr 2 parent, received email on SPM and there will be a talk on the same day re Year 3 Subject Combination Selection.

It was indicated that we have to RSVP for this talk at a particular link which was provided in the letter.

However, I am unable to locate it on the net when I typed in the link address. Is anyone experiencing the same problem here ? I even tried to locate the link on iNet but to no avail.

Thanks for sharing and advice (?)

OJ

[sharonkhoo]

slmkhoo:

Hi! Is any girl reading this in English Drama? Or a parent of a girl in that CCA? Can you let me know what is required during a trial to get into English Drama? What sort of things are they looking for? Thanks for any info.

Anyone?

[sleepy]

Hi, just wanna ask about parents' opinion.


What factors prompt you to select RGS say over NYGH ?

Thanks for sharing

[sharonkhoo]

sleepy:

Hi, just wanna ask about parents' opinion.


What factors prompt you to select RGS say over NYGH ?

Thanks for sharing

My daughter's Chinese is horrible, and my husband is from RI.

[a child]

sleepy:

Hi, just wanna ask about parents' opinion.


What factors prompt you to select RGS say over NYGH ?

Thanks for sharing

I had not really considered Nanyang (even though I applied, and was accepted), maybe because I had always been subjected to the RGS prestige-effect, and because my friends / seniors were going there and my parents liked it, etc., but in retrospect those were not really good reasons.

After having been in RGS for 2.5 years, here are some better ideas, I find, on why I love my school:

- Diversity of opportunities, and flexibility. There are many wonderful programs, competitions, and there's something for everyone - if there isn't one you like, you can start your own. I do not think many other schools can match the tens of service projects and clubs, hundreds of programs and competitions, etc. that are offered here. Hearing from my friends from other schools (incl. Nanyang), no other students have this wealth of opportunities - e.g. in Nanyang, extracurriculars appear more structured and well-organized/formal etc., while in RGS they are so many, so diverse, so flexible, and mostly entirely student-run. Some may like this \"boomzness\", some may find it overwhelming.

- Not only is there flexibility in extracurriculars, there is also flexibility in subject combinations. While in other schools there may be academic streams (science, art, commerce etc) - and I know that in Nanyang you need to take Chemistry, another Science, then either a third Science (making it Triple Science) or a Humanities - RGS is much more liberal in this sense. You take 4 content subjects (vs. the 3 in Nanyang) in addition to the compulsory ones, and they can be anything so long as there is one contrasting subject. Therefore, Humanities-inclined students can choose to take Triple Humanities in RGS for example, while they can only take one Humanities subject in Nanyang (if my information is correct). Chemistry is also not compulsory here.

- English vs. Chinese environment - RGS has generally abysmal Chinese standards, while the enthusiasm for English Literature is high. For example - we have the Renaissance Faire (celebrating Elizabethan and Shakespearean England!) next Tuesday, one of many Lit initiatives with students in the Organizing Teams. I am unable to comment on Nanyang, though, but being SAP I would imagine there is a greater focus on Chinese culture.

- Contrary to popular belief, I find the RGS environment rather non-competitive, while Nanyang (or so I've heard) actually ranks the classes. Yes, in RGS many people are over-achievers, and yes, there are those who are cut-throat competitive, but in my experience they are a minority. My friends are wonderful people who would tell me to go to sleep when I'm tired and then stay up all night finishing my part for me. We share notes - in fact, we have a Google Docs with batch-compiled notes. I'm not saying that Nanyang doesn't have these - but I would say that in this aspect and in terms of the environment, RGS has worked for me. It's definitely not the only way that works, though.

- Generalization of above point: wonderful people, comfortable ambience. Caring teachers. And as you go up in the levels you'll get more comfortable with friends and teachers and it's a wonderful feeling sitting outside Queens for example just doing some group work, and saying \"hi\" to all the teachers and friends who pass by and stop to check.

- Intellectual/quirky/innovative atmosphere. If you take the initiative to want to explore more beyond the curriculum, you can count on there being support for you here. Rigorous curriculum - though the same could be said for Nanyang.

(Granted, there are places where I think RGS falls short - but let's save that for another post - and also, in general I think there are more pluses than minuses here and I'm glad I came, most of the time.)

But ultimately, as you will find for each point, it boils down to fit - a more structured/traditional environment, or a more hectic/liberal one? There are also finer details that cannot really be put into words - e.g. the values, characters of the general population, the education philosophy, and emphases of each school - and the best thing you can do is to ask around current students, attend Open House and as many school events as you can to get the feel yourself. Because nobody can give you the answer, except yourself. Each person is different, each journey is different.

Both schools offer wonderful opportunities, and trying to compare which school is better or more rigorous etc. is really like splitting hairs. You can't go wrong with either choice - what's more important is that it's a school where your child is comfortable with spending the next 4 years of her life in.

It is also important how well you use your resources and opportunities that determine your journey in secondary school - because each person takes a unique journey, and yours is your own to create. Getting into the school is only the first step - it does not guarantee a good experience.

Not sure how this turned into such a long rant - or perhaps I'm just very long-winded. Hope that this has given you a better idea of how I view this though!