Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) [*IP]

[jtoh]

slmkhoo:

gardenia64:

Hi, All,


Can anybody update that RA chemistry for JC, the Economics subject is mandatory subject to take at JC ? As far as I know the Economics is none of the preq subject for the any of the university.

I haven't heard this, and my daughter is considering Chem RA too. She is planning to take Econs as her contrasting subject though. Your daughter should ask someone to double-check since she's concerned.

I expect if there are any changes to the subject combination requirements the school would have briefed them by now. In any case, should your daughters get into Chem RA next year, there would be an option for them to accept it at that point in time and to make the necessary change to Econs as the contrasting subject, if that is indeed the requirement.

[sharonkhoo]

I just checked the powerpoint from the briefing on Yr5 subject combinations. It does say that if a student chooses only Maths + Chem/Physics (ie. only 1 science), then the remaining 2 subjects must be Econs+another humanities subject. It’s not related to Chem RA. But for a student who takes another H2 science as well as Chem (ie. 2 sciences), then she can choose any humanities subject. So gardenia, if your daughter is not taking Chem as her only science, then she need not take Econs.


And taking Bio as the only science is not an option.

[Lenny08]

Does one need to be in chem ra in RGS before taking chem ra in jc?


Or one can swtich from humanities RA in RGS when they are in jc to do Chem RA?

Thanks.

[sharonkhoo]

Lenny08:

Does one need to be in chem ra in RGS before taking chem ra in jc?


Or one can swtich from humanities RA in RGS when they are in jc to do Chem RA?

Thanks.

As far as I know, anyone can apply for any RA, subject to meeting the qualifying criteria. My daughter didn't take any RA in Yrs 3-4 (we told her to concentrate on other things), but will be applying for Yrs 5-6.

[jtoh]

Lenny08:

Does one need to be in chem ra in RGS before taking chem ra in jc?


Or one can swtich from humanities RA in RGS when they are in jc to do Chem RA?

Thanks.

There's no need to have taken Chem RA in upper sec to take Chem RA in JC. In my daughter's year there were students switching to different RAs in JC from what they had taken in upper sec.

[Lenny08]

Thank you jtoh and slmkhoo for your replies.


May I check is there a min gpa to apply for the sci RA, just like in secondary?

Also, are classes in JC stream based on gpa?

Thank you .

jtoh:

Lenny08:

Does one need to be in chem ra in RGS before taking chem ra in jc?

Or one can swtich from humanities RA in RGS when they are in jc to do Chem RA?

Thanks.

There's no need to have taken Chem RA in upper sec to take Chem RA in JC. In my daughter's year there were students switching to different RAs in JC from what they had taken in upper sec.

[gardenia64]

jtoh:

Lenny08:

Does one need to be in chem ra in RGS before taking chem ra in jc?


Or one can swtich from humanities RA in RGS when they are in jc to do Chem RA?

Thanks.

There's no need to have taken Chem RA in upper sec to take Chem RA in JC. In my daughter's year there were students switching to different RAs in JC from what they had taken in upper sec.

Hi, jtoh,

Is it a lot of students to apply the RA chemistry ? What is advantage for taking RA chemistry ? As there is no humanity RA at JC, as my girl still not too sure whether she need to apply or not as it need two years commitment. Anyway the exam is after the o level higher Chinese.

[sharonkhoo]

Lenny08:

Thank you jtoh and slmkhoo for your replies.


May I check is there a min gpa to apply for the sci RA, just like in secondary?

Also, are classes in JC stream based on gpa?

Thank you .

My daughter says there is min. GPA (overall and for that subject) but we can't find the info on INET. She thinks it could be overall 3.6 and 4.0 for the subject, but she's not sure. There will also be the test. You can get your daughter to check with the teachers - someone will know.

As for streaming, I have no idea. If a subject combination has many students, I guess they might, but they should also consider RA choices, gender ratio etc. And won't they mix in the JAE students? I hope so!

[sharonkhoo]

gardenia64:

Hi, jtoh,


Is it a lot of students to apply the RA chemistry ? What is advantage for taking RA chemistry ? As there is no humanity RA at JC, as my girl still not too sure whether she need to apply or not as it need two years commitment. Anyway the exam is after the o level higher Chinese.

I'm speaking as another mother of a Yr4 girl. I would say that deciding whether to apply for an RA should be based on whether your daughter is interested enough to do the extra work! My daughter is also applying for Chem RA because that is the subject she is keenest on even though she has been doing better in Maths. We are leaving the choice to her as she's the one who will be doing the work!

RA grades don't count towards university admission, though I guess they may help with scholarship applications. My understanding is that the value of any RA is extending the breadth and depth of knowledge in that subject, and I suppose it could help with the A levels, but it's not necessary. Lots of students get top grades in the A levels without doing RA. I guess those who are more interested in humanities subjects will have to apply for the Humanities Programme to do more enriched work in those subjects.

[jtoh]

Lenny08:

May I check is there a min gpa to apply for the sci RA, just like in secondary?

Also, are classes in JC stream based on gpa?

Thank you .

Yes there is a min GPA for both subject and overall. 4.0 and 3.6 if I recall correctly. You also have to do well in the selection test and the competition is steep for that. There should be a briefing by RI on this for your daughter and for you.

Classes in JC are based on RA subject, subject combination, gender ratio (as far as possible) and JAE mix. The RA classes tend to have the stronger students (understandably) and there are some classes with students with rather high GPA scores. Most of the other classes are mixed ability. I think, though not confirmed, there are a couple of weaker classes too.