NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (Diploma)
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enivi\" post_id=\"2106090\" time=\"1682084472\" user_id=\"40961:
Hi all,
May I know if the child got in NUSH through DSA, if the psle score is not AL4-6, say it's between 7-10 when he receives his psle results, does it mean that he will have to give up his DSA slot?
And if he did not get an offer after this July selection period after trying for the tests & camp, and he did not get any DSA offer, can he still participate and try again for a spot in the Supplementary exercise of NUSH, if any, after the release of psle results in Nov?
If your child receives a confirmed offer from NUSH (or any other DSA CO from other schools), as long as he qualifies for express with his psle score, his offer from NUSH will remain in place. If he scores 7-10 for psle, he does not have to give up his DSA slot. He need not get 4-6, although most kids do end up getting these scores.
Yes, If your child does not clear the selection tests, he may apply during the SIE, as long as he does not accept another CO from another school.
All the best to your child this year! -
Hi Questions for Students of NUSH or any parent with kids in NUSH..
Do you find it stressful to study in NUSH? My boy has never received Masterclass training or any external enrichment class. In his current pri school, he has performed consistently well, Maths and Sci above 90 all the time and managed to be the Top in Science for his Level.
I am worried that he will not be able to cope in NUSH given that many of his peers probably has some form of training advantage already.
Is it possible to be retained if he cannot pass the year tests/exam? Or how hard is it to do well? Does nush students go tuition or would whatever that is taught in school suffice for the kid to get above average GPA?
Not to mention that we stay in Sengkang, can't imagine the daily journey to & fro nush. Anyone stay in the NE, and how's did your child manage with the long hours, coping w school hw/projects/cca + the longer traveling hours?
Any school bus to NUSH in the morning? How much will it be?
Sorry for the many questions, hope some one can help? 🙏 -
@enivi
Stress is a relative thing. Some kids thrive on challenge, others don’t. It would appear there is some need for consistency to keep with accelerated pace as grading is cumulative score over the year with tests/exams/projects. Also, I see that DS and friends do a fair bit of pre-reading for upcoming term - I think it is a matter of personal pride that they want to participate and contribute in classes. So, they can only get more if they are already prepared - like how undergrads prep for tutorials with the teach-ins in the Uni. Just for example, they just got 82 pages of math homework 2 weeks ago , deadline when school term starts. They are given the time but it’s 82 pages to complete as they told me it is to revise some concepts they did a few years ago and those may be needed again in next terms module.
So the child’s passion and motivation is key for them to continue learning independently.
They are students too who thrive on taking the bare minimum- 3 majors as core, no electives (Honours) as they want to focus on council/cca or their research. A major is already pegged H3 in academic rigour so Honours is indeed advanced S paper or double advanced level IB. After all, you only need 3 majors to graduate and get into local Uni!
I think there is fair bit amount of worry over the fit and proximity of school if you live further away. However, all these are moot unless the child gets in. If the child has an offer, it would be the school has a strong conviction the kid will succeed and thrive. Based on that assurance, I think it would be better then to start to decide over the trade offs in decision tree. -
enivi\" post_id=\"2109046\" time=\"1684572330\" user_id=\"40961:
Student from NUSH class of 2020 here. Just some background about myself, I live around the Woodlands area, took Chemistry + Physics + Honors in Mathematics for my subject combination, and scored below average (more than 50% of the school gets high distinction). I will try my best to give an unbiased view of my experience at NUSH as an average student.
Hi Questions for Students of NUSH or any parent with kids in NUSH..
Do you find it stressful to study in NUSH? My boy has never received Masterclass training or any external enrichment class. In his current pri school, he has performed consistently well, Maths and Sci above 90 all the time and managed to be the Top in Science for his Level.
I am worried that he will not be able to cope in NUSH given that many of his peers probably has some form of training advantage already.
Is it possible to be retained if he cannot pass the year tests/exam? Or how hard is it to do well? Does nush students go tuition or would whatever that is taught in school suffice for the kid to get above average GPA?
Not to mention that we stay in Sengkang, can't imagine the daily journey to & fro nush. Anyone stay in the NE, and how's did your child manage with the long hours, coping w school hw/projects/cca + the longer traveling hours?
Any school bus to NUSH in the morning? How much will it be?
Sorry for the many questions, hope some one can help? 🙏
Pros:
1. Plenty of opportunities.
As there is a super small cohort size (around 170), there will be plenty of opportunities available. Every student is almost guaranteed a chance to go for student exchange program. If you excel in a particular subject, you will be offered olympaid training regardless of your other subject grades. Even though my grades were not stellar, I was offered to do an SMU CS course in year 6 even with no CS background as an opportunity for students to experience the university lifestyle.
2. Non-competitive CCAs.
As NUSH does not have sports DSA intake, our CCAs do not focus on competitions and are largely recreational. Students are not forced to go into uniform groups when they do not have any sports/club aptitude. There will be plenty of students first-timing in different CCAs and you are guaranteed your first 3 choices. Students can even change CCAs if they want to try another CCA or take 2 CCAs if they have an interest to do so. I know of a student who was the table tennis champion for primary school, who will participate and train during the table tennis competition period but joins the football CCA during other times. If there is a sufficiently large group of students who are interested in something, they can even propose to start their own CCA.
3. No bell curve
Having no bell curve does not just mean it is easier to score. It also reduces competition between students and encourages students to work together. In other schools, there may be a culture of students selling their notes or refusing to help others in their work. For NUSH, the culture is the complete opposite. During exam periods, there will be groups of students staying in class/school to study. Students will share their notes willingly and teach others if they require help. The top students in olympiads are also approachable and are our consultants if we need help with graded assignments haha. Some students even hold their own informal consultations for friends to ask questions and study together.
4. Easier to build a portfolio
As mentioned previously, a smaller cohort size ensures more opportunities for you. With a compulsory research project in year 5, students are forced to step out of their comfort zone and interact with other professionals in different industries. I had the opportunity to work with a professor at A* STAR and learned more about the research profession. More importantly, I met many like-minded students there, all of them from different schools doing research projects there either for interest or their own portfolio. There are also plenty of student-initiated VIA activities that you can participate in or hold leadership positions if you are interested. I participated in Project Sugar, weekly tutoring at a primary school, and a reading club at a committee center.
5. High-achievers
If you are a high-achiever in this school, there is no limit to where your potential can develop. For olympiad training, they are mainly conducted by alumni award winners. Having this culture where you train your juniors after you have won an award ensures a reliable trainer every year. There are no limits to the number of olympaids you can take so it is only limited by your capability. Just a note, these training may be after school hours so you may need to stay back till 6/7 pm for it. The school participates in many different competitions, not just national/international olympaids, so there are plenty of opportunities for you to excel and accumulate medals for your portfolio. If you do well in subject honors, NUS will also offer you university modules that you can attend and be exempted from when you enter university.
6. Easy to enter a local university
This is more of an opinion than a statement of fact. There are plenty of students from every school entering law/med/cs etc. However, the bar for NUSH students seems really low. There are students from my year entering NUS CS with around 3.5 CAP which is around 65% with 0 CS background or portfolio.
7. Compulsory 1-year hostel stay in year 5.
Honestly, the best year I ever had. I saved 2 hours of traveling time every day and spend way more time with friends. Going out to eat dinner, eating a friend's overcooked rice, watching shows together, playing sports after school hours, investigating who stole from the refrigerator, doing last-minute project work in someone's room, etc. It was definitely the best experience I had at NUSH and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.
8. Good teachers
From my experience, the teachers at NUSH are excellent. I have never been rejected for asking for a consultation before. Some teachers will also force you to go for remedial lessons if they feel that you need them. I even had a Math teacher who gave us daily practice through google forms, 5 questions (his own questions) a day for every weekday for the whole year which he would go through during class.
Cons:
1. Lesser alumni
Since NUSH has a shorter history and smaller cohort size compared to the likes of RI/HCI, we have a smaller base of alumni to connect with. This may affect the number of internship/job opportunities or even the number of friends in university.
2. Less known in public
When introducing yourself to friends/coursemates/bosses, some of them have never heard of NUSH before. Some may treat the NUSH diploma as a Polytechnique diploma and you may need to explain that the school program is similar to IP/A levels etc. However, for those that know of NUSH, we generally have a good reputation.
3.Non-competitve CCA
Well, there is a con to this too. If you are planning to excel in a team sport, it is unlikely you will achieve any significant result in NUSH. FYI, we lost to Singapore Sports School in football with a scoreline of 29-0. However, we are competitive in the different clubs (robotics & chess, etc).
4. Hard to relate to peers
As most students are either from Polytechnique or took the A levels or IB program, we have our own unique program which is vastly different from the rest of them. Moreover, we cannot reference past year A level/IB scores to gauge our chances into different universities as they are different. From my experience, scholarships are also competing with other NUSH peers which makes competition difficult too.
5. Hard to get tuition
As our syllabus is unique, there will likely be no tuition option available outside unless it is 1-to-1 where you can specify topics. However, from my experience, school materials are more than sufficient and the teachers are always approachable if you need help.
As for transport, there was the school bus option offered but I prefer to travel on my own due to flexibility. During the 1 hour trip between home and school, I will mostly catch up on sleep or talk to friends. I try my best to finish my work in school before I head home since the bed is too much of a temptation at home. Do feel free to let me know if there are any questions. -
Good luck to all the students going for DSA Camp
🟡🟢🔴🔵 today ! -
Curioustudent\" post_id=\"2109849\" time=\"1685332425\" user_id=\"171339:
Great sharing! Though I don't have kids in NUSH but I appreciate you taking the time to share.
Student from NUSH class of 2020 here. Just some background about myself, I live around the Woodlands area, took Chemistry + Physics + Honors in Mathematics for my subject combination, and scored below average (more than 50% of the school gets high distinction). I will try my best to give an unbiased view of my experience at NUSH as an average student. -
enivi\" post_id=\"2109046\" time=\"1684572330\" user_id=\"40961:
Hi envivi,
Hi Questions for Students of NUSH or any parent with kids in NUSH..
Do you find it stressful to study in NUSH? My boy has never received Masterclass training or any external enrichment class. In his current pri school, he has performed consistently well, Maths and Sci above 90 all the time and managed to be the Top in Science for his Level.
I am worried that he will not be able to cope in NUSH given that many of his peers probably has some form of training advantage already.
Is it possible to be retained if he cannot pass the year tests/exam? Or how hard is it to do well? Does nush students go tuition or would whatever that is taught in school suffice for the kid to get above average GPA?
Not to mention that we stay in Sengkang, can't imagine the daily journey to & fro nush. Anyone stay in the NE, and how's did your child manage with the long hours, coping w school hw/projects/cca + the longer traveling hours?
Any school bus to NUSH in the morning? How much will it be?
Sorry for the many questions, hope some one can help? 🙏
How did your child's dsa application for NUSH go? I hope he received a favourable reply.
Regarding stress and \"keeping up\" with the rest of the class, like someone else has mentioned, if your child receives a CO from NUSH, it means that the school is confident that your child is able to manage the rigour and pace of the curriculum. Don't worry about spending money or time on outside tuition, the teachers in NUSH are committed to the students learning and the small class size makes it easier for the teachers to keep track of whether any students are falling behind. Based on anecdotes that I hear from my child, the reason behind students falling behind is more likely due to them not paying attention, rather than them not having the aptitude to grasp the concept. Think of: smart kids who used to not pay attention in primary school and still aced exams, and then carrying over this habit to secondary school. This boils down to their learning disposition and how mature the child is, which the child+parent+school will need to address in Y1 in order for the child to thrive in a school like NUSH. Don't worry about your child not having masterclass or olympiad training, it won't disadvantage your child in any way. My child also did not have such training, and is now enjoying his lessons thoroughly. He enjoys the way the teachers conduct lessons, and really enjoys the curriculum. The only thing he did need to get used to, was being \"one of many\". You mentioned that your child was scoring well above 90 in primary school and topped the cohort for science. One of the things to adjust to, is no longer being the smartest in the batch. Before joining NUSH, my husband and I had a talk with our child, and explained that he is going to a school where everyone else was likely a top student from their primary school. So while he may be used to consistently getting prizes and awards in primary school (or just the mere recognition amongst his peers for being one of those that will top the class), in NUSH, he will just be one of many students just like him. Not topping the class is not a mark against his performance or ability, instead he should focus on doing his best and putting in consistent effort. It is also a good lesson in humility, there will always be someone smarter than them, and it is a good time to learn this.
How hard is it to do well? I think that again depends on the child's learning disposition. I do not know of students who go for tuition outside, but i may just be unaware of them. However, the curriculum is NUSH is unique and accelerated, so tuition centres won't be able to cater to NUSH students anyway. Unless you are thinking of private one-to-one tutors, but I would question whether any of these tutors even know what the NUSH curriculum covers, and the depth and scope within each subject. The best person for the child to approach for support is the teachers. Why I like the programme at NUSH is because its approach encourages to child to be in charge of their own learning. Unlike tuition centres that spoon feed knowledge and information to our child, in NUSH, you need to be aware of what you don't know, and then go and seek help to find the answer to your question. This approach to learning sets your child up for success in the future. The teachers are also very willing to make themselves available outside of class for students who have questions or students who missed class. When my child missed a whole week of school due to illness, he was able to catch up within that next week with the support of his teachers and classmates. Even his enrichment module teacher made plans with my child to go through the material he missed, and sat with him as he went through a timed assignment. Enrichment modules are non-core subjects which students can opt to take out of interest, these modules have no impact on their promotion CAP. So missing a lesson wouldn't affect his CAP at the end of the year, but missing a lesson does affect his learning. thus the teacher met my child during his lunch break to run through the lesson with him, and instead of giving him the worksheet as a take home assignment, she wanted him to take it as a timed assignment just like his classmates. I hope these examples highlight the dedication of the teachers, and how you don't have to worry about your child not being able to keep up. If your child is proactive, there will definitely be teachers and classmates there to support him. That is not to say that there is no struggle, the curriculum is challenging and it will no longer a breeze like primary school. But so far, I'm pleased to see that there is a lot of support in place.
All the best to your child for PSLE! -
Agree with @LunaJingle
One thing that is very positive in this school is they celebrate how everyone need not be the same and one … so it’s humbling to know there’s always someone smarter than you, it’s also about appreciating the unique strengths. My kid will tell me that there are these friends who don’t get the best grades but ultra insightful with one friend able to write a A essay in 30 mins or another can write poetry. Meanwhile, there are others who they respect for their discipline to ace the Olympiads to international level. And there are the ones who are so into rock climbing, they are experts who gather a group to go during their holidays. The ones who are doing well academically will then turn consultant or peer tutor for groups who want to pull up that subject. Another friend who is China born will conduct Chinese oral practice groups. ALL are student initiated. Such is the culture of the school where they just push for their personal best instead of competing unhealthily with one another. -
Great sharing! It’s just so heartening to see such good comments of the school. Given that it has such short history it has achieved so much. Spoke to some kids in the school and found them to be humble and smart. DS is super excited to join the school after the preview last week. Thank you for giving parents a peace of mind what our kids will be going thru when they are there.
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Hi
My son will join NUSH S1 in coming year.
May I know whether NUSH follows MOE school holiday calendar? Are the S1 students expcected to go back to school during June holidays be it for CCA or other school program?
Thanks for advice.
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