Networking Group - JCs General

[mokcheng]

hi not sure i am in the right thread.

my girl score 8 raw after deducting is 4 pts in her o level. she is considering science stream RIJC or DHS and also NYJC but with her raw score 8 not sure will she be able to cope in RI/DHS anyone child has similar experience to share please?

for DHS since is their first yr opening to jae i am unable to get more insight and a feel of the school treating jae student vs IP student. thus i an worry of this too.

appreciate some guidance from you all. thank you!

[floppy]

mokcheng:

hi not sure i am in the right thread.

my girl score 8 raw after deducting is 4 pts in her o level. she is considering science stream RIJC or DHS and also NYJC but with her raw score 8 not sure will she be able to cope in RI/DHS anyone child has similar experience to share please?

for DHS since is their first yr opening to jae i am unable to get more insight and a feel of the school treating jae student vs IP student. thus i an worry of this too.

appreciate some guidance from you all. thank you!

Firstly, is 8 the raw score (before deduction) or the nett score (after deducting the 4 bonus points). If nett, she won’t be meet the COP for RI. We can eliminate that as a concern.

As for DHS, it’s new to everyone here. However, I don’t think the school will differentiate and treat IP and JAE students any differently. If the child is sociable, shouldn’t be difficult to assimilate and make new friends over time.

[floppy]

doodbug:

zac's mum:

S paper = what they call H3 subject now? So it’s only useful if youre already doing 4 H2 and are targeting scholarships?

H3 now offers various options beyond what we know as S papers - there is S paper option (i.e. go for class and take exam), there is also the option to read modules offered by local universities, or undertake research. H3 and S paper.

Actually in this era, I would say the value of H3 goes beyond scholarships - you won't know when it will become useful. Given that appeals and DA (Discretionary Admissions) are becoming more prominent, I would say that who knows, you may be able to demonstrate your interest and passion for a certain area, or speak about a certain area in depth, if you had read a H3.

Give you a like

I think the (not so) new A Level addresses some of the ‘complaints’ about the old system - depth / breath, ‘specialisation’ / contrasting subject, H3 / S Paper, etc. it’s generally a change for the better.

However, it also creates some challenges for some students. My brother went from being a 18 pointer in O to 3 As in A in his time because he was able to drop his humanities (C5 or C6) and leverage on his strength (Math & Science). With this contrasting subject requirement, not sure people like him can benefit (while he also maintain the C5/6 in GP from C5/6 from EL in O, it didn’t have much of an impact).

[doodbug]

I’m in two minds about whether the A level requirements have ‘improved’ over the years haha.

I probably belong to the minority camp who feel that GP, Mother Tongue and PW are sufficient for breadth.

I actually feel the system has become more onerous on the weaker A level students. In the past, you just do 3 A levels, GP and MT. Short and sweet. Now, even the weakest A level students have to do PW and a 4th content subject, albeit at H1.

The contrasting subject requirement and removal of F Maths occurred during the same period. I actually think this had an effect on the STEM expertise and pipeline to support Singapore’s Smart Nation / knowledge intensive initiatives. Overnight, we lost the Double Math Double Science combination and the Double Math, Physics, Econs combination. Because of contrasting subject requirements, the number of students reading Physics has also dropped. (Last time can read Triple Sci mah).

Double Math, Physics, Econs was reintroduced a couple of years back, but the uptake is low.

[floppy]

Yup. That’s why I think students like my brother is going to be a rarity these days - going from 18 points to 3 straight As (in the science stream some more). With contrasting subject / H1 and PW, a student like him would have to ensure that the 3 H2 continue to score well while taking time off to focus on H1 (also likely to be his weakest subject) and PW. I’m not surprised that a number of JCs that used to cater to the 15 to 20 pointers are closing down because these weaker students probably realize they have a better shot at making it in the poly.


If you are strong in math and physics, the double math, physics and Econs combo is probably the easiest scoring combo.

[sharonkhoo]

floppy:

I’m not surprised that a number of JCs that used to cater to the 15 to 20 pointers are closing down because these weaker students probably realize they have a better shot at making it in the poly.

Or they go to MI. Although many seem to feel that the extra year is such a \"waste\", I feel that it's a gift - subsidised education for another year to make sure you have more time to learn the material and prepare for exams. That works for those who don't know what they should study at poly, or who feel that the poly system doesn't suit them.

[doodbug]

Even in JC, there are kids who take leave of absence, or are retained after JC1, and will take three years to complete JC education.

To me (I must be getting old or what), one extra year is not a long time viewed in the context of one’s working life (and working life is getting longer, and longer).

[sharonkhoo]

doodbug:

Even in JC, there are kids who take leave of absence, or are retained after JC1, and will take three years to complete JC education.

To me (I must be getting old or what), one extra year is not a long time viewed in the context of one's working life (and working life is getting longer, and longer).

I told my daughter this when she was dithering between MI and JC (she could have got into 2 JCs). Knowing that she was not a strong student, and only just come back from overseas, I told her that rather than run the real risk of repeating a year in JC, she might as well go at a slower pace in MI. And yes, from this side of 50, one year is really nothing much. In fact, when this daughter started university, we told her we were prepared for her to take an extra semester if she found the normal pace a bit fast. Time is not of the essence for this.

[jtoh]

mokcheng:

hi not sure i am in the right thread.

my girl score 8 raw after deducting is 4 pts in her o level. she is considering science stream RIJC or DHS and also NYJC but with her raw score 8 not sure will she be able to cope in RI/DHS anyone child has similar experience to share please?

for DHS since is their first yr opening to jae i am unable to get more insight and a feel of the school treating jae student vs IP student. thus i an worry of this too.

appreciate some guidance from you all. thank you!

I would say that if she meets the cut-off point, there would be other students with similiar scores so she won't be alone. The pace in RI is rather fast, but not something that JAEs can't cope with. My dd was in RGS/RI and the COP during her time was 3, so those JAE students were rather strong. Some students coped better than others, but that's to be expected in any population. If you can make the cut to RI, academically you have what it takes. The difference is whether you have the attitude to make it.

[MyPillow]

slmkhoo:

floppy:

I’m not surprised that a number of JCs that used to cater to the 15 to 20 pointers are closing down because these weaker students probably realize they have a better shot at making it in the poly.

Or they go to MI. Although many seem to feel that the extra year is such a \"waste\", I feel that it's a gift - subsidised education for another year to make sure you have more time to learn the material and prepare for exams. That works for those who don't know what they should study at poly, or who feel that the poly system doesn't suit them.

it is more viable option for girls. boys need to do NS , 2 yrs fly away