2010 DSA(Direct School Admission)

[tiger262]

MdmKS:

Do the studetns normally wait for the interviewers to pick them to talk one by one to show manner or be more agressive (kiasu) to grap chance to talk? What do they look at by putting a few students together ? to save time or what? :?

Hi MdmKS,

Thank you for asking some very valuable questions and I request the experienced members to contribute their replies.

The schools claim that by putting the students together, the students will feel easy and less intimidated.

But I think this format is unfairly favouring those who 'grab' the table and talk aggressively. The students who have good manners and hence do not interrupt, may come out of the interview totally disappointed with themselves.

How to solve this? Do we ask the children to be aggressive or show good manners? Can anyone advise?

Thank you.

[snowz]

tiger262:

The schools claim that by putting the students together, the students will feel easy and less intimidated.


But I think this format is unfairly favouring those who 'grab' the table and talk aggressively. The students who have good manners and hence do not interrupt, may come out of the interview totally disappointed with themselves.

How to solve this? Do we ask the children to be aggressive or show good manners? Can anyone advise?

Thank you.

I have the same thinking as you. Good manner students tend to lose out to 'dare to grab' students not only during DSA performance but also in popular sec schools. Sad!

[verykiasu2010]

okay, answering a few KSP together here


rationale for group interview will NOT favour the more outspoken ones. precisely because of the opposite : the schools do not want the quiet one to lose out in a one-to-one situation where the kids would feel very intimidated.

Group means they could be more at ease with each other (they are given time to get to know each other, mostly group to be from same schools…not so merciless, right ?). There is no point to score to grab every question to talk first - it could back fire !! Interviewers also want to observe the group dynamics, is the students selfish (I, me, myself in everything, don’t care about friends…). It is how they interact with each other and with the interviewers … teachers will try all ways and means to draw the quiet ones out … unless the kid is totally cold … if you read the thread on NYGH (or was it this thread) … one girl was so overwhelmed / frightened into crying … and the principal made her day by being so motherly and caring, running to get the girl a box of tissue papers …

interviews are nothing to be afraid of

[MdmKS]

snowz:

Do the studetns normally wait for the interviewers to pick them to talk

I have the same thinking as you. Good manner students tend to lose out to 'dare to grab' students not only during DSA performance but also in popular sec schools. Sad!

But we also can't equate being quite as good manner right (though some may be too 客气). Likewise, if a student (perhaps a natural leader type) has initiative and prefer to help keep the ball rolling and we can't say he/she has no manner right? Thought in IP school they require students to take initiative and be more independent and out spoken cos of their program. Those who are too quite may loose out in the programme.

Perhaps like some say the group arrangement is to help ease any tension for those who might be shy being alone ...

[Relaxer]

Just signed up. A bit blur here. Would appreciate it if anyone can enlighten when is the interview for non GEPer under RGS and NYGH? DD attended the RGS half day selection test on 24 Jul. Attended NYGH GAT in late June also. So far nothing from NYGH. Does that mean no hope already for NYGH? Thanks.

[verykiasu2010]

Relaxer:

Just signed up. A bit blur here. Would appreciate it if anyone can enlighten when is the interview for non GEPer under RGS and NYGH? DD attended the RGS half day selection test on 24 Jul. Attended NYGH GAT in late June also. So far nothing from NYGH. Does that mean no hope already for NYGH? Thanks.

Some forumers posting here claimed that NYGH completed all interviews. No harm calling the school to find out.

Does RGS interview the non-GEPers ? RI does not.

[tiger262]

Some forumers posting here claimed that NYGH completed all interviews. No harm calling the school to find out.


Does RGS interview the non-GEPers ? RI does not.[/quote]

This is very interesting. Why should RGS and RI leave out non-GEPers from the Interview stage? Should not RI and RGS get to know the non-GEP applicants also by interviewing?

If the logic of ‘Interviewing’ is to know - which student has initiative to talk and which student is too shy - etc., then the logic applies to both non-GEPers and GEP students alike. Is it not?

Why not let non-GEPers have thier say through the interview?
Why punish only shy GEPers with an interview and let the shy non-GEPers escape?

Can someone explain?

[verykiasu2010]

tiger262:

Some forumers posting here claimed that NYGH completed all interviews. No harm calling the school to find out.


Does RGS interview the non-GEPers ? RI does not.

This is very interesting. Why should RGS and RI leave out non-GEPers from the Interview stage? Should not RI and RGS get to know the non-GEP applicants also by interviewing?

If the logic of 'Interviewing' is to know - which student has initiative to talk and which student is too shy - etc., then the logic applies to both non-GEPers and GEP students alike. Is it not?

Why not let non-GEPers have thier say through the interview?
Why punish only shy GEPers with an interview and let the shy non-GEPers escape?

Can someone explain?[/quote]

GEPers applying to RI / RGS do NOT do the GAT & selection test unless there average grade is below 80 or 85% (?)

Interview is the see how they have done in the GEP system

As for those who need to do GAT & selection test (poorer-grade GEPers & Mainstreamers), no interview is SAME as those who apply through S1 posting after PSLE result released = purely based on academic excellence. After all they don't interview the S1 posting successful candidates

As for the GAT & selection test, is a to provide a level playing field for all applicants (non-GEP) to be tested at the same level, since individual primary school's P5 & P6 results could vary quite a lot between schools

[tiger262]

Thank you verykiasu2010 for your neat explanation.


I think even RI and RGS themselves could not have posted such a detailed explanation of their methods.

You are truly a Kiasu Grandmaster.

[Sun_2010]

verykiasu2010:

Does RGS interview the non-GEPers ? RI does not.

RGS does interview non-GEPers