Networking Group - JCs General

[sharonkhoo]

doodbug\" post_id=\"2095305\" time=\"1673948876\" user_id=\"13281:

My kids didn't take O levels - so I don't even know how poly admissions works for IP kids whether after Sec 4 or JC2.

But I must be having phobia of failing Year 6 hahahahahaah. I personally found the A levels hard and would not want to relive A levels.

I don't know about IP Sec 4 students. When my older daughter applied to poly after her A levels, I was very annoyed when I realised that the polys did not have some way to equate A levels and O levels in some way. My impression was that there were few places set aside for A level holders, which made it harder for those with A levels to get in compared to those with O levels. Of course, no one would answer my questions! This may have changed now that they are encouraging A level holders to go to poly.

Personality and learning styles make a lot of difference in whether something is 'hard' or not. My daughter did get a place in her 3rd choice poly eventually, but found the way the courses were taught and the constant group work very trying. We were really wondering if she would survive the year, let alone the course. We were really glad when it turned out that she could actually squeeze into a university course that suited her, and she gave up her poly place in relief.

[lee_yl]

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"2095295\" time=\"1673946574\" user_id=\"43981:

Mp, UK A is 1 year only?

You go find out more about Concord College.

It is very popular with many Singaporeans kids taking UK-A level there. Hearsay many do very well and can come back to apply into local universities. Of cos, maybe by then, your DD has decided she likes UK so much that she just wants to study in a UK uni instead of coming back to study in SG universities. UK I think can go, given that the exchange rate has fallen so much compared to just a few years ago!

[doodbug]

I hor, feel that if end aim is to go to SG unis, better do SG A levels, poly or IB - these are the recognized routes…SG A levels IGPs and poly GPAs are all published.


For other qualifications like UK A levels, cannot be sure it will be recognized even if we know of kids in local unis who enteted with UK A levels. The policy and treatment can change any time.

But if end aim is to UK or Aussie unis then UK A levels is less painful than SG A levels.

[MrsKiasu]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2095318\" time=\"1673962862\" user_id=\"17023:

You go find out more about Concord College.

It is very popular with many Singaporeans kids taking UK-A level there. Hearsay many do very well and can come back to apply into local universities. Of cos, maybe by then, your DD has decided she likes UK so much that she just wants to study in a UK uni instead of coming back to study in SG universities. UK I think can go, given that the exchange rate has fallen so much compared to just a few years ago!

Leeyl, you are really good, got so much info thank you.

[lee_yl]

Take IB is the best. I have not known of anyone whose kids who took IB (ACSI/SJI and international schools) cannot make it into local Uni. Whereas for SG A levels, quite a handful I know, couldn’t make it to local universities. So far, all of them opted for poly instead of retaking SG A levels. A levels must be traumatic for them


3 in 10 A level students cannot make it to local uni. From a macro level, it is not distributed uniformly across all the JCs. Maybe 5% from RI couldn’t make it to local Uni but when it comes to lower tier JCs, the proportion of students not making into local Uni could be 50%

[MrsKiasu]

Reading about the A, I'm also feeling very worry with mine. Go overseas for 5 years is really :moneyflies: what if the other also want/need to :nailbite: see if we both old ones can find 2 jobs or not

[MrsKiasu]

Leeyl, any idea if go poly for course A, then if say don’t like, can we go apply Uni (private in SG or overseas) for a not very related Degree course or they will want the kid to start fm Diploma?

[doodbug]

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2095321\" time=\"1673964767\" user_id=\"17023:

Take IB is the best. I have not known of anyone whose kids who took IB (ACSI/SJI and international schools) cannot make it into local Uni. Whereas for SG A levels, quite a handful I know, couldn’t make it to local universities. So far, all of them opted for poly instead of retaking SG A levels. A levels must be traumatic for them

3 in 10 A level students cannot make it to local uni. From a macro level, it is not distributed uniformly across all the JCs. Maybe 5% from RI couldn’t make it to local Uni but when it comes to lower tier JCs, the proportion of students not making into local Uni could be 50%

Not easy to retake SG A levels as not all schools are able or willing to take repeat students for a better grade (not sure if there is some MOE guideline on this), unless you fail the A level completely and fail to get the A level certificate.

[SG_KP1]

For the A Level students, I’m not sure what the 70% figure is referencing. I am not 100% sure but I think some of these stats from historical time periods may be impacted by changing cohort sizes.


Currently, I think MOE has said local universities have spots for about 40% of the cohort or about 16,000 students. Roughly speaking this ties out with ~20,000 university intake x 85% or 17,500 students (10% IS and 5% PR, although some of these kids would have been part of the cohort as well).

JC1 Arts + Science intake is about 12,500 (not sure if this is A only or A + IB; I think it is both since the A Level results has included about 11,000 kids), Poly intake is around 20,500. Hence, 30% of Poly + JC = ~18,660. Assuming 30% of Poly kids were admitted first (just for illustrative purpose, not saying this is done), this would leave a JC to local uni admission rate in the high 70%. However, I think it is also fair to say that some JC kids will go elsewhere for whatever reason.

If you backup a decade, JC1 intake was 16,000+ and Poly intake was 26,000+. At the time, local university spots were more like mid-teens thousands.

I’m not suggesting everyone can get in or get what they want. Just saying the 70% figure didn’t tie out completely in my mind (article didn’t also seem to entirely define what / how 70% was calculated).

[doodbug]

A proportion of poly kids also choose to work instead of applying for university. I think it’s fair to say every A level kid tries to apply for uni after A levels as 1st option, but may dnd up articulating to other pathways if they cant get the uni place they desire