2016 O levels (Kids born in 2000)

[jetsetter]

Imp75:

floppy:

[quote=\"slmkhoo\"]
Scholarship bodies are not so hung up on no. of A's these days. And if the student manages to get accepted into a choice university and course, scholarship boards won't fuss about a not-so-stellar grade in a subject that isn't relevant to the course chosen. (I heard this from a friend who until recently worked in the scholarship-issuing dept. of an organisation that issues a lot of scholarships.)

Your friend is totally on the money.

To get scholarships, esp from ah gong, besides straight As, you need to have plenty to show eg CCA, VIA, leadership etc.
15 years ago, when my sis got a scholarship from a private organization (therefore less stringent), besides having straight As, she was also the Captain of VJC's volleyball team and spent 2 months building schools for some schools in the villages in Philippines. She wasn't even called up for Ah gong's scholarships (maybe b/c her S papers no distinction).[/quote]Top prestigious scholarships maybe cos they will be groomed to become pps, ps, ds, office holders etc...but mid tier stat board or private org not so stringent. Chill everyone.

[Nebbermind]

jetsetter:

Chill everyone.

again...no one wanna be 2nd best!

[jtoh]

kwcllf:

zbear:

It seems this cohort is pretty quiet. I don't see much discussions on JC/Poly selection compared to last year.


:?

DS L1R5 after bonus points is 3.

Between RI and HCI, which is a better choice? Is RI more of a pressure cooker and elitist?

My dd recently graduated from RI and I wouldn't say RI is more of a pressure cooker than HCI. There is stress across all JCs simply because A levels is an important exam that determines your path henceforth. Is there pressure to perform? Yes. When you look around you and you see many students aspiring at straight As or coveted uni courses or scholarships, you want to push yourself harder so you can reach your potential. I don't find that a negative thing. I find that RI prepares the students very well for the A levels. Of course the student has to put in the effort too.

More important is the gut feel your son has when he visits the open houses. Both are good schools but rather different.

[janet88]

jetsetter:

More imptly, gap btw starting salaries n career opps of grads and dip holders has been significantly narrowed, so pp are less bothered about getting into which jc or poly. Just adhere to the given cop chart and pick accordingly. The g will ensure u hv a decent rice bowl after graduation.

parents are more well versed to discuss with their kids what options are available based on their results and interests. Polytechnics have literally sent out to all the Y2K students all the courses in thick booklets.
this is a crucial period to decide courses.

[sharonkhoo]

Imp75:

To get scholarships, esp from ah gong, besides straight As, you need to have plenty to show eg CCA, VIA, leadership etc.

15 years ago, when my sis got a scholarship from a private organization (therefore less stringent), besides having straight As, she was also the Captain of VJC's volleyball team and spent 2 months building schools for some schools in the villages in Philippines. She wasn't even called up for Ah gong's scholarships (maybe b/c her S papers no distinction).

According to my friend, this is the part which has changed. Although straight A's never hurt, even the govt scholarship boards are more willing to ignore less-wonderful results if the candidate has something else to strongly recommend him such as CCA, VIA or whatever, or if he is extremely strong in a relevant subject. Overall, the student must have something \"good\" about him, but not necessarily straight A's.

The changes have only been over the past 5 yrs or so, so your sister was still under the \"old days\".

[janet88]

What are the pros and cons of MI vs Polytechnic?

[Essential]

Hi all,

Jurong jc or YIshun Jc , any advice
Yishun is nearer to home address.

[sharonkhoo]

janet88:

What are the pros and cons of MI vs Polytechnic?

MI leads to A levels; Poly to a diploma. For employability, Poly is better; for a chance to go to a university course which is not so tied to a poly course, MI offers that chance, but it is not a sure thing. I was told that about 30% of MI graduands make it to local universities, but few to the most competitive courses. The MI to university route is more likely for those who slipped up somehow and got worse O level grades than their abilities would warrant, or for those who didn't work very hard for their O levels and then suddenly \"wake up\" and start working. Those who are inherently weak and got poor O level grades even though they tried hard are unlikely to get very improved A level grades even with 3 yrs to study for them.

MI has a classroom system leading to exams and is more similar to sec school; poly seems more modular, and has more assignments and projects and less emphasis on exams. We chose MI for my daughter 3 yrs ago because we didn't think she would cope well with the poly system at 16yo. I have heard of many kids who enjoy the freedom of poly too much in the first year and have a rude awakening, but most wake up and get their act together after that.

Other differences - MI has uniform, poly doesn't. MI requires 1 CCA, CCAs are optional in poly. MI follows sec school terms, poly is different (makes vacations difficult if you have younger kids). MI fees are lower than poly fees.

[janet88]

thank you slmkhoo.

[kktz]

Hi Parents!


DS just got back his results a few days ago but seems like we have difficulty choosing a JC for him. We live equally far from Nanyang JC and ACJC and DS says he's fine with either one. Can parents recommend which JC delivers a more holistic education and has better culture?Any help will be appreciated! :thankyou: