2020 PSLE Discussions and Strategies(for those born in 2008)
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bbbay\" post_id=\"2004565\" time=\"1606386795\" user_id=\"175278:
Thank you for your reply. Many people asked me why not Raffles? My husband and I want to let my son enjoy his secondary school years. We feel that Raffles may be too competitive and stressful for him.Doitlater\" post_id=\"2004517\" time=\"1606382356\" user_id=\"189747:
[quote=Mykid post_id=2004514 time=1606381736 user_id=16044]Your son not keen on RI since you are staying at Bishan? 50% chance though as COP may go up or down this year.
My DS primary school mate gotten 263 and went to RI. He mentioned he feels stress.
My colleague son in RI. She mentioned first 2 years, her son has “no friend”. Everyone is competitive. Things got better in year 3 after they warmed up to each other.
My neighbour’ son in RI. My neighbour says her son is more relax now then when he was in PSLE year. She thinks the reason is her son is not competing to be top student so he is not stress[/quote]Honestly t score has little indication of how well the boys will fare in Year 1. Yes, most of the brightest will continue to shine, but some will become complacent and see a big drop in their results. While others like my son work hard to be on par with the cohort. He may not be anywhere near the top but he is happy.
Many boys who were top students in their primary schoosl find themselves becoming an \"average student\" in top schools like RI. Most of these boys embrace the challenge and are self-motivated to work hard and strive for good results.
On the other hand, there are those who feel intimidated by the environment and couldn't get over the fact that they are not top in class anymore. These are usually the ones who are unhappy.
Hence whether or not RI is a good fit for a child honestly depends on his character and attitude. -
bbbay\" post_id=\"2004565\" time=\"1606386795\" user_id=\"175278:
Thank you for your reply. Many people asked me why not Raffles? My husband and I want to let my son enjoy his secondary school years. We feel that Raffles may be too competitive and stressful for him.Doitlater\" post_id=\"2004517\" time=\"1606382356\" user_id=\"189747:
[quote=Mykid post_id=2004514 time=1606381736 user_id=16044]Your son not keen on RI since you are staying at Bishan? 50% chance though as COP may go up or down this year.
My DS primary school mate gotten 263 and went to RI. He mentioned he feels stress.
My colleague son in RI. She mentioned first 2 years, her son has “no friend”. Everyone is competitive. Things got better in year 3 after they warmed up to each other.
My neighbour’ son in RI. My neighbour says her son is more relax now then when he was in PSLE year. She thinks the reason is her son is not competing to be top student so he is not stress[/quote]I feel experiences are all very personal. Doesn't mean one child found friends, all kids will find friends within the same school.
I have a colleague who had a son in RI and daughter in RGS, and the experiences were very very different - one had a far more enjoyable secondary schoo life than the other. So really, it is very personal, and circumstantial.
There are obviously some objective things we can say about a school, for example, whether they stream, how they place GEP kids, how CCA spaces are allocated etc.
But beyond that, the dynamics and all, probably all quite personal. -
Hi all, with the marks of 251, what’re the chances of getting into Victoria (IP)? Or should I just put Victoria (O) as the first choice?
And can anyone share the criteria and possibility of transferring from O level track to IP within the school by the end of Sec 1?
Many thanks! -
Cypress_tree\" post_id=\"2004582\" time=\"1606390351\" user_id=\"119522:
This question has been asked again and again in many forms.
Hi all, with the marks of 251, what’re the chances of getting into Victoria (IP)? Or should I just put Victoria (O) as the first choice?
And can anyone share the criteria and possibility of transferring from O level track to IP within the school by the end of Sec 1?
Many thanks!
Until MOE implements a system whereby you have to trade an arm for the first choice, two arms for the second choice, an eye for the third and so on... just pick and choose what you really prefer for the first choice. There’s no risk and no harm TBH (until next year at least, when AL comes to town, it’s a different ball game).
It’s more unlikely that you won’t meet the cutoff, but that’s alright. Besides, you never know. If an idiot can be the POTUS, anything can happen! If you never try, you never know. As long as the remaining 4 or 5 choices are sensible, it’s ok. -
Glad to hear such sharing!
My son also entered HCI through DSA. He is progressing to Sec 4 next year.
His PSLE T-score was very very far (I mean it,)short of the COP. I felt so sorry for the school for offering him a DSA position. I actually wrote to the Principal to offer to transfer him to International School if he is not able to cope academically. The Principal was so encouraging - asked us to give it shot.
Even as a DSA kid, there was no discrimination. My son has been given so many opportunities in school, be in leadership positions, or challenging himself in other ways. I expected the environment to be cut throat, but it really didn’t turn out to be so. In fact he has such nurturing friends, who pulled him along in a group science project that won some award in a national competition!
Is my son among the top academically? No, he isn’t. But he has always been average, or above average, and has qualified for some (not all) special programmes at the end of Sec 2. He did not opt to take any special programmes eventually.
Does he find academics a walk in the park? No, he needs to put in substantive effort. But the peer and teacher support have been amazing. The level of mutual sharing, help and support surpassed anything I could have imagined. Were there setbacks and disappointments along the way? Yes, no doubt. For one, my son’s Chinese sucks :p. But he’s picked up so much knowledge about Chinese history, politics, culture along the way, and appreciates it.
All I can say is that he is deeply engaged in school, and loves it. I’ve never once had to wake him up for school, ever.
Will Sec 4, JC1 and 2 be as positive? I do not know. But I am already grateful enough for 3 good years.
[/quote]
Very glad to read such sharing as well! Warm and inspiring. -
tutu_san\" post_id=\"2004537\" time=\"1606384419\" user_id=\"9722:
think this is a perennial dilemma to choose between HCI vs RI. My son's score is 267+3. think he prefers HCI, mainly cos his dad is an alumnus. but personally i prefer RI due to its proximity to our home and the later starting time in the morning (745 instead of 720 of HCI , which is a good half an hour more sleep everyday). i am also impressed by RI e open house last sat, whereby the students are mixed up in different classes be it DSA or GEP kids. whereas in HCI, i think the GEP will remain in GEP classes - correct me if i am wrong.
and this morning, we did our trial to HCI by using public transport. its abt 30-40 min from our place.
well we still havent' decided which one to put as first option. open for any suggestions and comments. Eventually I think I will let the boy decide for himself.
Firstly, Congrats on such good results!!! :rahrah: Disclaimer before I start: My son is in RI, so my post may be biased :oops: . Anyways, I think just like someone mentioned experience varies from person to person. Maybe your son won't have the exact experience as his dad. My humble opinion is that I don't think that parents being an alumnus should affect his decision very much. As usual, if he is willing to go to HCI, he must be ready to take on the 'extra' Chinese. So if he is not that much into Chinese as a language, I would encourage you to probably give it a miss. Having said that, with a score of 267, he can practically go to any school he prefers and I am assuming he got A* and Distinction for Chinese and Higher Chinese respectively. So, he is good in Chinese (and most likely is into Chinese). Also, since RI is close to your home, you might want to consider that heavy workload, returning home late after CCA, etc. Especially as a teenager, sleep is vital to him. To me personally, 30-40 min of travel isn't that big of a deal. Both schools are good schools, but it's finding a good school for HIM. Hope this helps! -
Cypress_tree\" post_id=\"2004582\" time=\"1606390351\" user_id=\"119522:
There is NO transfer, from O-level into IP, at the end of Sec 1.
And can anyone share the criteria and possibility of transferring from O level track to IP within the school by the end of Sec 1?
Many thanks!
Sec 1, the entire year, is just for you to get aclaimatized to the new Secondary school environment.
Sec 1,
is to give you time, to \"warm up\" your seat because you just finished your PSLE, so you need time to settle down and get used to juggling with 8 subjects now, from your previous past Psle 4 subjects only. Double the dosage of study work-load expectations
Transfer from O-level to IP track, can only arise & take place at the end of Sec 2 AFTER your Term 4 year end exam streaming, into choosing Sec 3 subject combination .
Schools need to look at your past two years of track record, that is, both ( Sec 1 and Sec 2), to ascertain if you are suitable or not, to transfer across from O-level into IP curriculum. There will be a clearance interview, for short-listed Sec 2 students keen to transfer across from O-level into IP.
Hope this is clear -
:thankyou:
floppy\" post_id=\"2004583\" time=\"1606390733\" user_id=\"97579:
This question has been asked again and again in many forms.Cypress_tree\" post_id=\"2004582\" time=\"1606390351\" user_id=\"119522:
Hi all, with the marks of 251, what’re the chances of getting into Victoria (IP)? Or should I just put Victoria (O) as the first choice?
And can anyone share the criteria and possibility of transferring from O level track to IP within the school by the end of Sec 1?
Many thanks!
Until MOE implements a system whereby you have to trade an arm for the first choice, two arms for the second choice, an eye for the third and so on... just pick and choose what you really prefer for the first choice. There’s no risk and no harm TBH (until next year at least, when AL comes to town, it’s a different ball game).
It’s more unlikely that you won’t meet the cutoff, but that’s alright. Besides, you never know. If an idiot can be the POTUS, anything can happen! If you never try, you never know. As long as the remaining 4 or 5 choices are sensible, it’s ok. -
phtthp\" post_id=\"2004597\" time=\"1606393069\" user_id=\"35251:
There is NO transfer, from O-level into IP, at the end of Sec 1.Cypress_tree\" post_id=\"2004582\" time=\"1606390351\" user_id=\"119522:
And can anyone share the criteria and possibility of transferring from O level track to IP within the school by the end of Sec 1?
Many thanks!
Sec 1, the entire year, is just for you to get aclaimatized to the new Secondary school environment.
Sec 1,
is to give you time, to \"warm up\" your seat because you just finished your PSLE, so you need time to settle down and get used to juggling with 8 subjects now, from your previous past Psle 4 subjects only. Double the dosage of study work-load expectations
Transfer from O-level to IP track, can only arise & take place at the end of Sec 2 AFTER your Term 4 year end exam streaming, into choosing Sec 3 subject combination .
Schools need to look at your past two years of track record, that is, both ( Sec 1 and Sec 2), to ascertain if you are suitable or not, to transfer across from O-level into IP curriculum. There will be a clearance interview, for short-listed Sec 2 students keen to transfer across from O-level into IP.
Hope this is clear
How about at the end of sec 1, transfer to another secondary school same Express level? is there such possibility?
thanks -
Hi
Would like to have some advice. When you choose an IP stream say in SCGS but over the years may wish to do a transfer to another JC say in Year 5, any idea whether this is viable ? Or will it be wiser to just choose O level stream instead?
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