School Of The Arts, Singapore

[anonymous05]

hi i’m not a parents but i’m a Secondary 2 express student! i’m here to ask some questions about transferring to school of the arts, SOTA. i’ve been thinking of transferring to SOTA for quite some time now as i’m quite passionate about theatre since young. i heard that there’s a Non-Dsa / Ad-hoc for Secondary 2 express students who wants to transfer to Year 3 in 2023. however, there aren’t any available vacancies for Year 3 in 2023. i don’t really like the school i am currently studying in as the environment here isn’t the best and it’s hard for me to be the best version of myself here. i’ve been wanting to be in SOTA ever since primary school and i’m really passionate about the arts too. i’ve also heard from my friends who are currently in SOTA Year 2 2022 that some people in the same cohort have dropped out due to stress / private reasons, but i don’t know why on the SOTA website it said there isn’t any available vacancies for Year 3 in 2023.


is there any advice on how i can transfer to SOTA Year 3 in 2023 even though there aren’t any vacancies? and also can i only transfer to SOTA through the Non-Dsa / Ad-hoc admission or must my parents speak to the principal about allowing me to transfer?

[Shirley_415]

Glorified maid of da house\" post_id=\"2083007\" time=\"1663727364\" user_id=\"199155:[quote=\"Glorified maid of da house\" post_id=2083007 time=1663727364 user_id=199155]
Thank you for the reply, @Notabene!

DD auditioned for two art forms and was offered CO; out of the two, she had higher expectations of herself for the other art form (dance) that she wasn't offered, so she was slightly disappointed. I could see that she felt more pressure to perform well in that audition as dance has been her identity since young and she used to tell us when she was 8 years old that one day, she will be going to SOTA through dance. Which probably explains why she felt more pressure to do well during the audition.

Whereas for the other art form (music) that was offered to her, it was always something she did on the side, out of interest, when she had time after all the long hours of dance practices, performances and competitions. She didn't have as much training/proper coaching as others who were in the same music audition... so she felt she was the 'underdog' and didn't feel as much pressure.

SOTA is her dream school (which explains why she wanted to try both art forms to stand a higher chance), so she was still very happy, grateful and relieved for the CO. However, I sensed there were some self-doubt in her when the results were out and she wasn't offered the art form she was expecting for. I didn't want her to join the school feeling that she wasn't good enough to be offered the dance art form; so I wanted to find out more about the shortlisting process which you've explained quite clearly here. I've told her one way to see this – you've always thought that dance is the only way for you to get into your dream school; but over the years, you've a new-found interest in music and the school recognises the under-developed potential you have for it and wants to help you grow in this other art form.

Now, all that's left is for her to not screw up her PSLE
She is looking forward to starting a new chapter in the school she has always wanted to go to.[/quote]

I can share my experience as my daughter attended audition for 2 art forms, music - violin and VA.

She was selected by her primary school to attend Sota master class in Mar 2022 via Zoom (25min each, one 1-on-1 lesson and one group lesson) and she was then invited for music art form and had been directly admitted to audition. Meanwhile, she also applied VA which she went through the usual process and was shortlisted for audition.

During the music audition, the teacher of the master class was one of the 2 interviewers. She was quite relax and doing well. She shared with me that there were 10 students applied violin and 4 of them were already diploma level. Her grade 8 distinction was the 5th highest. The next one was grade 6. Hence, the professional profile of the students seems different. Her VA audition went well too.

In the end, she was offered CO for VA and got rejection for music, which was a surprise to all of us as we thought she would get in via violin because she was invited by the teacher. Apparently, SOTA is good at finding out the student’s true passion and talent. My daughter started playing violin from 4 years old, which was mainly forced by me while drawing was selected by herself and she spent most of her spare time drawing.

From her experience, I feel SOTA choose students for the art form that the student is good at or they see potential. The student does not necessarily have strong technique skills. They look more at potential. I believe they will also consider the vacancies of the year. I heard about 50% students would go to VA. Hence, there should be more vacancies for VA which could be the other key reason why my daughter was offered VA.

[anonymous05]

hi. i’m not a parent but i’m a secondary 2 express student. i’m currently wondering if sota would open up vacancies for year 3 admission in mid of 2023? i’ve been thinking of transferring to sota but i dont know if sota would open up vacancies in the middle of the year for secondary 3 students applying for year 3. does anyone know if sota would make some exceptions to allowing you to transfer to their school due to private reasons of transferring? i hope someone can help me with my queries, thank you.

[kaisuism]

anonymous05\" post_id=\"2089322\" time=\"1668958724\" user_id=\"199569:

hi. i’m not a parent but i’m a secondary 2 express student. i’m currently wondering if sota would open up vacancies for year 3 admission in mid of 2023? i’ve been thinking of transferring to sota but i dont know if sota would open up vacancies in the middle of the year for secondary 3 students applying for year 3. does anyone know if sota would make some exceptions to allowing you to transfer to their school due to private reasons of transferring? i hope someone can help me with my queries, thank you.

Hi, you may want to check out https://www.sota.edu.sg/admissions/talent-academy/adhoc-admission regarding ad-hoc admission for year 2 and year 3.

[anonymous05]

kaisuism\" post_id=\"2089400\" time=\"1669019014\" user_id=\"199574:

Hi, you may want to check out https://www.sota.edu.sg/admissions/talent-academy/adhoc-admission regarding ad-hoc admission for year 2 and year 3.

thank you! but do you know if there’s any way to transfer to sota in mid of 2023 for year 3 without the ad hoc / non-dsa admission? also, will sota conduct an ad hoc / non dsa admission in the middle of the year?

[kaisuism]

anonymous05\" post_id=\"2089402\" time=\"1669019469\" user_id=\"199569:

thank you! but do you know if there’s any way to transfer to sota in mid of 2023 for year 3 without the ad hoc / non-dsa admission? also, will sota conduct an ad hoc / non dsa admission in the middle of the year?

I can't provide any info or advice as I am not sure about transferring in the middle of the year. You may call them up to find out.

[heysugarbug]

Hi! As a parent of an incoming Year 1 (2023), we would like to form a informal group chat to connect and support parents in their journey with their child in SOTA.


To join the chat group, please fill up this form: https://forms.gle/Tmzk6vQeF7FvCx1W8

Please do share this message with any parents you might know whose children have accepted SOTA's offer. Thank you!

[blesseddad]

Hi. May I know when is the Junior Academy usually held? How many days is it?


Thanks

[00skyblue00]

For parents and p6s who like to know the SOTA culture and experience, they have a performance at Esplanade outdoor stage tonight. Got many SOTA students as supporters in audience.

They are so energetic and free spirited and colorful, all i imagine teens to be in a positive way.

[00skyblue00]

https://www.esplanade.com/whats-on/festivals-and-series/festivals/2023/march-on/programmes/igniting-the-scene-bands-of-sota-take-the-stage