Networking Group - JCs General
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floppy\" post_id=\"2095360\" time=\"1674004679\" user_id=\"97579:
When one goes ACSI or RI, perhaps it’s no longer whether one can get into local Uni. For those who took IB at ACSI and SJI, it will be more interesting to look at the number of students who scored 42pts and above. It was previously published in ST that 82% of those in ACSI. For RI, about 50% of the cohort scored AAA/A.
Comparing IB students from ACSI / SJI against the entire A Level cohort is hardly apple to apple. Yes, most ACSI / SJI IB students will likely make it to local universities, but you could probably say the same for A Level IP students from RI / HCI / VS / DHS etc.
Not all international schools are the same. Some, like ACS International, applies minimum criteria:
Minimum criteria:
- Singapore GCE ‘O’ Levels: Attained aggregate of 18 or less
- Minimum B3 for High Level enrollment
Hence, in that sense, ACS International is not much different from a JC, albeit offering IBDP. In terms of results, the school achieves an average score of 38.04 for the IBDP in 2022. Taking 38 as the lowest entry point to local universities, you can approximate that probably half of its cohort wouldn’t meet the COP for local universities (which isn’t that much different from one of the weaker JC).
More than half of SJI scored 42pts and above. VS/DHS definitely do not have more than half of their cohort scoring AAA/A.
If ACS Intentional COP is 18, and a student scores say 17 for O-levels then he is left with Jurong Pioneer JC or Yishun Innova JC. Then in this case, I would think going ACS international to do IB offers a better chance to make it to local Uni.
My friend’s kid with an IB score of 33 got into NTU but gave up the place to go UK to study medicine. The UK university is one of the MOH-recognized med sch, which means she can come back to practise as a doctor. I assume at IB 33pts one has limited choices that’s perhaps why friend’s kid didn’t want to take up what was offered. Nonetheless, it is not possible that the COP of local Uni is at IB 38pts. -
doodbug\" post_id=\"2095373\" time=\"1674006931\" user_id=\"13281:
Aiya, I guess only those with stellar O level results get to choose what they think suit them better, ie, IB, A or Poly. For those who can’t meet COP of JCs or MI, it’s immaterial even if they prefer A-level, as the option is not open to them.
It's not about parents choosing per se - if there is no inclination, no conviction, no interest from the child for the path, things may not turn out as planned.
IB and Poly are extremely different. If the child absolutely dislikes writing short and extended essays, or dislikes philosophy and finds it too waffle-ly, then the IB is a complete misfit. Same goes if the child is not willing to take 6 (actually count TOK and EE,
compulsory subjects from diverse subject groups.
On the other hand, if the child absolutely dislikes group projects, or a GPA style system, poly is a misfit.
There is nothing wrong if a child doesn't know what he or she wants to do, and opts for the option that opens the most options - this is the reason why the PCME cohort at the A levels is so large! It is probably one of the most flexible combinations that opens almost all options. -
lee_yl\" post_id=\"2095481\" time=\"1674051512\" user_id=\"17023:
Almost everyone has choices, though some have more choices. Frankly, if a student can make the minimum score to get into MI, perhaps they should just choose something else, not A levels.
Aiya, I guess only those with stellar O level results get to choose what they think suit them better, ie, IB, A or Poly. For those who can’t meet COP of JCs or MI, it’s immaterial even if they prefer A-level, as the option is not open to them. -
slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2095484\" time=\"1674052680\" user_id=\"28674:
It is all about context (family background, its resources, kid's learning preferences). Not every parent or child looks into these when making these decisions. Could you share why MI or at least what are your reasonable options after MI if your child doesn't get the grades needed for what they want to do locally?
Almost everyone has choices, though some have more choices. Frankly, if a student can make the minimum score to get into MI, perhaps they should just choose something else, not A levels. -
Play the cards you are dealt with in life to your best ability. For those fortunate enough to have a good deck, more choices. But don’t suka suka show hands ( don’t develops ego). For those less fortunate, don’t fold, and keep playing - 慢慢的摸着石头过河
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Very good discussion…now know the few routes better to reach the destination.
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Hendon\" post_id=\"2095487\" time=\"1674080661\" user_id=\"142376:
I must first say that my older girl has some learning disability - mainly social skills and organisational skills. She is also a strong introvert. Intellectually she is above average. Group work and being required to do detailed planning was tough for her at 16yo. It's still tough, but she has grown better at these things with time and coaching. She did get a degree from NTU in the end, and is now working.
It is all about context (family background, its resources, kid's learning preferences). Not every parent or child looks into these when making these decisions. Could you share why MI or at least what are your reasonable options after MI if your child doesn't get the grades needed for what they want to do locally?
Why MI? We knew that poly at 16 yrs was not a good fit for her as she would find the group work and handling projects too difficult, and she needed more time to mature. We felt that a couple more years in a more structured classroom environment was better for her, and the lecture-tutorial JC system would be hard for her, let alone the poly system. So MI seemed like the best choice - the slower pace and less competitive environment, and classroom teaching, would be a better fit for her. Since she was relatively immature for her age, the extra year was a bonus. We considered international school, but the fees were prohibitive, and we wanted her to be in a Singapore school for better integration into Singapore (we had just returned from living overseas).
After MI - she initially applied for poly as we didn't think her A level results would be good enough to get into local university. But we found that the polys weren't all that welcoming, and the courses she was interested in wouldn't take her (Creative Writing/Media at Sing Poly). I understand their hesitancy as she is very introverted, but those were the closest match to her skillset. She got a place in Republic Poly in Comms, and started there. But the daily group work wore her down, and she was often left out as kids of that age are not always empathetic. So when we found that her A level results could squeak her into NTU Linguistics, she applied and was accepted. She needed quite a lot of support in NTU (which I provided, not the university) in choosing her classes and watching for deadlines. She could manage the academic work, but the navigating the modular system, selecting and signing up for courses, negotiating group work... all those things were challenges. Although we declared her disability, the university doesn't seem to really understand or have the capacity to help people with mild disabilities - they pay a lot of attention to the obvious ones like wheelchair users, blind etc, but the mild 'hidden' disabilities are generally left to cope by themselves until they run into trouble and 'shout' for help.
My daughter graduated in 2021, and we suggested that she find a admin-type job which would not cause her too much stress - no answering phones, not customer-facing, not fast-paced, etc. She has an admin job and she is coping fine now. She interviews poorly, so in the end we registered her with SgEnable which helped her in the job search. She has a sympathetic boss and is on her second 1-yr contract - not sure if they will give her a longer contract eventually. Pay-wise, she gets a fair wage for a humanities graduate. What's in her future? We don't know but take it a year at a time. We encourage her to work on her own interests outside work, and maybe something will come out of that eventually.
My daughter had no real ambition for post A levels. Her ideal life is to be left alone to do her own thing! But we convinced her that \"he who does not work, does not eat\"! We would never have sent her overseas given her inability to manage social stuff on her own, so we just chose the options based on what was available to us. We didn't even assume that she would necessarily get a degree. My thought was that she should get a poly diploma, work for a while, grow up some more, then see if she wanted to continue her studies. If she had been happy at poly, we would have left her there instead of trying NTU. She is never going to be a high-flyer, but as long as she earns a living wage, and can cope with life, that's fine by us. -
slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2095495\" time=\"1674087364\" user_id=\"28674:
Awesome work SLmkhoo!
I must first say that my older girl has some learning disability - mainly social skills and organisational skills. She is also a strong introvert. Intellectually she is above average. Group work and being required to do detailed planning was tough for her at 16yo. It's still tough, but she has grown better at these things with time and coaching. She did get a degree from NTU in the end, and is now working.
Why MI? We knew that poly at 16 yrs was not a good fit for her as she would find the group work and handling projects too difficult, and she needed more time to mature. We felt that a couple more years in a more structured classroom environment was better for her, and the lecture-tutorial JC system would be hard for her, let alone the poly system. So MI seemed like the best choice - the slower pace and less competitive environment, and classroom teaching, would be a better fit for her. Since she was relatively immature for her age, the extra year was a bonus. We considered international school, but the fees were prohibitive, and we wanted her to be in a Singapore school for better integration into Singapore (we had just returned from living overseas).
After MI - she initially applied for poly as we didn't think her A level results would be good enough to get into local university. But we found that the polys weren't all that welcoming, and the courses she was interested in wouldn't take her (Creative Writing/Media at Sing Poly). I understand their hesitancy as she is very introverted, but those were the closest match to her skillset. She got a place in Republic Poly in Comms, and started there. But the daily group work wore her down, and she was often left out as kids of that age are not always empathetic. So when we found that her A level results could squeak her into NTU Linguistics, she applied and was accepted. She needed quite a lot of support in NTU (which I provided, not the university) in choosing her classes and watching for deadlines. She could manage the academic work, but the navigating the modular system, selecting and signing up for courses, negotiating group work... all those things were challenges. Although we declared her disability, the university doesn't seem to really understand or have the capacity to help people with mild disabilities - they pay a lot of attention to the obvious ones like wheelchair users, blind etc, but the mild 'hidden' disabilities are generally left to cope by themselves until they run into trouble and 'shout' for help.
My daughter graduated in 2021, and we suggested that she find a admin-type job which would not cause her too much stress - no answering phones, not customer-facing, not fast-paced, etc. She has an admin job and she is coping fine now. She interviews poorly, so in the end we registered her with SgEnable which helped her in the job search. She has a sympathetic boss and is on her second 1-yr contract - not sure if they will give her a longer contract eventually. Pay-wise, she gets a fair wage for a humanities graduate. What's in her future? We don't know but take it a year at a time. We encourage her to work on her own interests outside work, and maybe something will come out of that eventually.
My daughter had no real ambition for post A levels. Her ideal life is to be left alone to do her own thing! But we convinced her that \"he who does not work, does not eat\"! We would never have sent her overseas given her inability to manage social stuff on her own, so we just chose the options based on what was available to us. We didn't even assume that she would necessarily get a degree. My thought was that she should get a poly diploma, work for a while, grow up some more, then see if she wanted to continue her studies. If she had been happy at poly, we would have left her there instead of trying NTU. She is never going to be a high-flyer, but as long as she earns a living wage, and can cope with life, that's fine by us.
I am not sure if I could ever reach your level of patience and dedication in guiding your girls…. -
Imp75\" post_id=\"2095511\" time=\"1674093610\" user_id=\"2358:
You do what you have to do. Fortunately I had the option to work less and do more with and for her. Otherwise I would gone back to full-time work when we got back to Singapore. And my work is still not done even though she's turning 26.
Awesome work SLmkhoo!
I am not sure if I could ever reach your level of patience and dedication in guiding your girls…. -
slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2095495\" time=\"1674087364\" user_id=\"28674:
Amazing parenting! Separately I agree with you on the if you have a minimum O level grades for A levels, should skip MI if you fall into not sure what to do next category of students.
I must first say that my older girl has some learning disability - mainly social skills and organisational skills. She is also a strong introvert. Intellectually she is above average. Group work and being required to do detailed planning was tough for her at 16yo. It's still tough, but she has grown better at these things with time and coaching. She did get a degree from NTU in the end, and is now working.
Why MI? We knew that poly at 16 yrs was not a good fit for her as she would find the group work and handling projects too difficult, and she needed more time to mature. We felt that a couple more years in a more structured classroom environment was better for her, and the lecture-tutorial JC system would be hard for her, let alone the poly system. So MI seemed like the best choice - the slower pace and less competitive environment, and classroom teaching, would be a better fit for her. Since she was relatively immature for her age, the extra year was a bonus. We considered international school, but the fees were prohibitive, and we wanted her to be in a Singapore school for better integration into Singapore (we had just returned from living overseas).
After MI - she initially applied for poly as we didn't think her A level results would be good enough to get into local university. But we found that the polys weren't all that welcoming, and the courses she was interested in wouldn't take her (Creative Writing/Media at Sing Poly). I understand their hesitancy as she is very introverted, but those were the closest match to her skillset. She got a place in Republic Poly in Comms, and started there. But the daily group work wore her down, and she was often left out as kids of that age are not always empathetic. So when we found that her A level results could squeak her into NTU Linguistics, she applied and was accepted. She needed quite a lot of support in NTU (which I provided, not the university) in choosing her classes and watching for deadlines. She could manage the academic work, but the navigating the modular system, selecting and signing up for courses, negotiating group work... all those things were challenges. Although we declared her disability, the university doesn't seem to really understand or have the capacity to help people with mild disabilities - they pay a lot of attention to the obvious ones like wheelchair users, blind etc, but the mild 'hidden' disabilities are generally left to cope by themselves until they run into trouble and 'shout' for help.
My daughter graduated in 2021, and we suggested that she find a admin-type job which would not cause her too much stress - no answering phones, not customer-facing, not fast-paced, etc. She has an admin job and she is coping fine now. She interviews poorly, so in the end we registered her with SgEnable which helped her in the job search. She has a sympathetic boss and is on her second 1-yr contract - not sure if they will give her a longer contract eventually. Pay-wise, she gets a fair wage for a humanities graduate. What's in her future? We don't know but take it a year at a time. We encourage her to work on her own interests outside work, and maybe something will come out of that eventually.
My daughter had no real ambition for post A levels. Her ideal life is to be left alone to do her own thing! But we convinced her that \"he who does not work, does not eat\"! We would never have sent her overseas given her inability to manage social stuff on her own, so we just chose the options based on what was available to us. We didn't even assume that she would necessarily get a degree. My thought was that she should get a poly diploma, work for a while, grow up some more, then see if she wanted to continue her studies. If she had been happy at poly, we would have left her there instead of trying NTU. She is never going to be a high-flyer, but as long as she earns a living wage, and can cope with life, that's fine by us.
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