NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (Diploma)

[faithj]

Dear curioustudent, Wonderment, lucid & macflashpay,


Thank you for your invaluable sharing. It certainly is a lot of information to digest. I’m assuming the teachers will explain them all to the students as they progress, and that parents may not need to know everything, am I right? I’m only familiar with the A levels.

For the olympiads, do all students get a chance to participate or do they select based on performance/grades?

[lucid]

All the students get to participate in Olympiads. The hardest hurdle is to get into the school. Thereafter, everyone is on equal footing.


I like the ethos of the school which is to encourage the kids to explore , experiment then excel. The school principal acknowledged to the parents during our orientation talk that every kid is different - not all are Olympiad material. Some find it boring , others will excel in research , building , design etc
It is very positive that the school recognises one size does not fit all, it just provides the right environment and support for each student to find their competitive niche. And if the student happens to be building the strengths in math and science then the center of excellence is in NUSH.

For core subjects : if you are strong in one subject , you can opt to go to a diagnostic test and if you pass that, you can skip a year or two say in Math. If you did not take higher chinese in primary school and now want to take HCL in NUSH, you can also request for a diagnostic test to qualify for HCL.
For Olympaids: training is in the form of electives where the kids can elect from first semester Year 1. Subsequent terms or years will require a strong A in your core subject to qualify as the electives is not meant to take your focus away from doing well in core Math or science subjects.

However, you can also apply to participate in the Olympiad without having joined the electives. Many of the kids do not attend the subsequent Math O elective but they go for lower years Olympiads for “fun” and exposure. Mine says it’s just to have a go at the questions which are quite interesting. The kids exchange notes to keep updated independently. And there are some who do not want to participate in Olympiad, so be it.

You will be asked to drop the Olympiad elective if you are getting just a B or A- in the core subject ie
Physics Olympaid elective pre-requisite is A or above for core Physics. If the students want it badly then they hv to pull up their core to re-qualify for Olympiad class the next term. This is how the school demands excellence in their culture.

It is impossible to do all Olympiads at higher years so you start to see the kids focus on 1-2 Olympiads into higher years.

[CMMom]

Hello,

NUSH has been DS’ dream school and he received his CO.
While waiting for curriculum briefing in October, can I ask some trivial questions:
1. Is laptop allowed in class? Wifi?
2. For schoolwork, any recommended spec?
3. We’re staying quite far from school so I wonder if the above mentioned olympiad training, is it done during curriculum time or after school hours?
Thank you so much.

[worryingmum]

Hi parents with older kids in NUSH, what is a good CAP in NUSH? is it right to thik that most students will score close to 5 or at least 4.5?

[Racing Mario]

Average Graduation CAP scores for the past several years:

High Distinction (CAP = 4.5 – 5.0) = 50%
Distinction (CAP = 4.0 – 4.4) = 29%
Merit (CAP = 3.0 – 3.9) & Pass (CAP = 2.5 – 2.9) = 21%

[dagong99]

CMMom\" post_id=\"1994827\" time=\"1599994613\" user_id=\"155527:

Hello,
NUSH has been DS’ dream school and he received his CO.
While waiting for curriculum briefing in October, can I ask some trivial questions:
1. Is laptop allowed in class? Wifi?
2. For schoolwork, any recommended spec?
3. We’re staying quite far from school so I wonder if the above mentioned olympiad training, is it done during curriculum time or after school hours?
Thank you so much.

1. Yes, laptop is allowed and yes, there is wifi provided
2. The notes provided by school is more than enough
3. Olympiads are enrichment modules, so they are in the timetable if you enrol or get selected for them, usually max no of olympiads you can take is 2 as there are only 2 available slots in the timetable for them but there are always students who took > 2, especially those under Independent Study (that is, you \"study\" on your own and take the same quizzes/tests/exams as those who are in the olympiad classes)

As for Year 5 olympiads (olympiad training is up to Year 5), PO is usually conducted at night from 7 till 10.30 pm but not to worry as the students will be in Boarding anyway. By Year 5, usually each student will end up with only 1 olympiad although there will always be 1 or 2 students who will have 2. However, these students who have 2 will have to choose 1 between the 2 if they are selected for International Olympiads.

[CMMom]

Hi dagong99,

Thanks for your reply.
Sounds like all super intelligent 👍🏻

[lucid]

CMMom\" post_id=\"1994946\" time=\"1600056539\" user_id=\"155527:

Hi dagong99,
Thanks for your reply.
Sounds like all super intelligent 👍🏻

:snuggles:
More importantly, they are most happy and well adjusted as they are doing what they like and have like minded friends around them.
Do read what some ex and current students share on Quora
https://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-attend-NUS-High-School/answer/Gabriel-Tan-111?ch=10&share=8893c8f0&srid=eIIk

[CMMom]

Hi lucid, you’re like reading my mind. Yes I was quite worried but your reply is comforting. Hope DS can both contribute and enjoy his time.

[dadto3]

Hi. Any idea when will year 6 students finish their school term?