2010 DSA(Direct School Admission)
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Fair or not fair?
All GEPers have to go for interview in RI. But all mainstream applicants need not do so.
In you look at it from the GEPers point of view, it is not fair.
Why mainstream applicants need not go thru the interview, and they have to? GEPers have already proved their results during the GEP selection tests in P3 and the more difficult GEP exams/projects in P4, P5 and P6.
BTW, during the RI interview, the GEPers have to present either a project/academic paper. The 3 kids started off with an introduction of themselves, then they take turns to present their project/academic paper and answer a question asked by the interviewer.
I guess for mainstream applicants, it would be difficult for them to present a project/academic paper. Most GEPers presented 1 of their Social Studies portfolio from either P4/P5/P6 or their IRS project or something of that nature.
The question that the interviewer asked was quite tough for a 12 year-old. There seems to be no right answers but to test the response from the kids and how good are their reasonings.
I’m not sure is it alright to post the questions that the interviewers asked here. But to tell you the truth, as an adult, I find it quite difficult to answer.
It is something like that kind of question : If your mom and your girlfriend fell into the sea at the same time, who would you save?
I am quite sure the above question is not asked, I doubt most 12 year-old boy has a girlfriend? Or am I outdated ??
This is just to give you a feel that it is the kind of question that put you in a situation. To do or not to do? Which to choose? And the BIG WHY?
~~~~
Over the years, quite a lot of GEPers are not top scorers. I’ve a friend, her GEP daughter only scores 245 becos she can’t get used to the PSLE questions, but she is doing well in DHS now.
Firstly, they have very little time to prepare for PSLE, they only start preparing for PSLE on the last week of June while mainstream students prepare their PSLE since P5 (I’ve a kid in maintream).
Secondly, what was taught in GEP is more in depth than mainstream, sometimes it causes confusion on what is the RIGHt answer. For example, Science, in a multiple choice question, sometimes, they can’t find the RIGHT answers because the PSLE paper only has the ‘simplified’ answer, it actually causes confusion. The kids are only taught how to answer CORRECTLY (as in PSLE) since this few weeks. -
fruitplus:
Hi fruitplus,Fair or not fair?
All GEPers have to go for interview in RI. But all mainstream applicants need not do so.
In you look at it from the GEPers point of view, it is not fair.
Why mainstream applicants need not go thru the interview, and they have to? .........
Thank you very much for your valuable feedback.
I had already mentioned in my eartlier post that asking one set of applicants to undergo interview while denying that opportunity to the other set of applicants is UNFAIR.
If you look at 'getting interviewed' as an OPPORTUNITY, denying such an opportunity to the Mainstream applicants is unfair.
If you look at 'getting interviewed' as a PAIN, then asking only GEP applicants to bear such a pain is unfair.
Either way, in my view, the RI DSA process is not proper, since it applies different rules to different groups of applicants although all those applicants are seeking the same seat in RI.
But as 'verykiasu2010' rightly mentioned - 'RI is an independent institution which sets its own rules. Once we enter the game, we cannot complain about the rules being fair or unfair'.
Parents and students have no choice but to fall in line with RI. -
fruitplus:
well, not all GEPers are higher achievers as some got in by 'hot-housing' and find the GEP course too challengingFair or not fair?
All GEPers have to go for interview in RI. But all mainstream applicants need not do so.
In you look at it from the GEPers point of view, it is not fair.
Why mainstream applicants need not go thru the interview, and they have to? GEPers have already proved their results during the GEP selection tests in P3 and the more difficult GEP exams/projects in P4, P5 and P6.
BTW, during the RI interview, the GEPers have to present either a project/academic paper. The 3 kids started off with an introduction of themselves, then they take turns to present their project/academic paper and answer a question asked by the interviewer.
I guess for mainstream applicants, it would be difficult for them to present a project/academic paper. Most GEPers presented 1 of their Social Studies portfolio from either P4/P5/P6 or their IRS project or something of that nature.
The question that the interviewer asked was quite tough for a 12 year-old. There seems to be no right answers but to test the response from the kids and how good are their reasonings.
I'm not sure is it alright to post the questions that the interviewers asked here. But to tell you the truth, as an adult, I find it quite difficult to answer.
It is something like that kind of question : If your mom and your girlfriend fell into the sea at the same time, who would you save?
I am quite sure the above question is not asked, I doubt most 12 year-old boy has a girlfriend? Or am I outdated ??
This is just to give you a feel that it is the kind of question that put you in a situation. To do or not to do? Which to choose? And the BIG WHY?
~~~~
Over the years, quite a lot of GEPers are not top scorers. I've a friend, her GEP daughter only scores 245 becos she can't get used to the PSLE questions, but she is doing well in DHS now.
Firstly, they have very little time to prepare for PSLE, they only start preparing for PSLE on the last week of June while mainstream students prepare their PSLE since P5 (I've a kid in maintream).
Secondly, what was taught in GEP is more in depth than mainstream, sometimes it causes confusion on what is the RIGHt answer. For example, Science, in a multiple choice question, sometimes, they can't find the RIGHT answers because the PSLE paper only has the 'simplified' answer, it actually causes confusion. The kids are only taught how to answer CORRECTLY (as in PSLE) since this few weeks.
and not all mainstreamers perform below GEPers - enough cases of mainstreamers performing much better than GEPers in PSLE, O, A levels ...once you are in sec school, GEP or not hardly make any diff - that is why in RI the classes have both GEPer and non-GEPer, that is why in HCI, no more differentiation from sec 3 onward -
tiger262:
the highlighted word are not mine. you have a tendency to misquote and put words in other people's mouth.
But as 'verykiasu2010' rightly mentioned - 'RI is an independent institution which sets its own rules. Once we enter the game, we cannot complain about the rules being fair or unfair'.
Parents and students have no choice but to fall in line with RI.
sorry i am being blunt with you on this count
and if you are not happy with RI's processes and as you call it 'not proper', you better lodge a complaint and may be get someone to set up an enquiry
to allege 'not fair' is not the same as 'not proper'
beware not get sued -
verykiasu2010:
Hi verykiasu2010,
the highlighted word are not mine. you have a tendency to misquote and put words in other people mouthtiger262:
But as 'verykiasu2010' rightly mentioned - 'RI is an independent institution which sets its own rules. Once we enter the game, we cannot complain about the rules being fair or unfair'.
Parents and students have no choice but to fall in line with RI.
sorry i am being blunt with you on this count
I apologise for the error. I am sorry if it has hurt you. It was entirely unintended. I will be very careful from now on.
Sorry again and thanks for pointing out. -
tiger262:
since you allege it is not proper, you should write in to RI to set the matter right, complain to MOE, convene an enquiry, etc
Hi fruitplus,fruitplus:
Fair or not fair?
All GEPers have to go for interview in RI. But all mainstream applicants need not do so.
In you look at it from the GEPers point of view, it is not fair.
Why mainstream applicants need not go thru the interview, and they have to? .........
Thank you very much for your valuable feedback.
I had already mentioned in my eartlier post that asking one set of applicants to undergo interview while denying that opportunity to the other set of applicants is UNFAIR.
If you look at 'getting interviewed' as an OPPORTUNITY, denying such an opportunity to the Mainstream applicants is unfair.
If you look at 'getting interviewed' as a PAIN, then asking only GEP applicants to bear such a pain is unfair.
Either way, in my view, the RI DSA process is not proper, since it applies different rules to different groups of applicants although all those applicants are seeking the same seat in RI.
But as 'verykiasu2010' rightly mentioned - 'RI is an independent institution which sets its own rules. Once we enter the game, we cannot complain about the rules being fair or unfair'.
Parents and students have no choice but to fall in line with RI. -
tiger262:
Hi verykiasu2010,
the highlighted word are not mine. you have a tendency to misquote and put words in other people mouthverykiasu2010:
[quote=\"tiger262\"]
But as 'verykiasu2010' rightly mentioned - 'RI is an independent institution which sets its own rules. Once we enter the game, we cannot complain about the rules being fair or unfair'.
Parents and students have no choice but to fall in line with RI.
sorry i am being blunt with you on this count
I apologise for the error. I am sorry if it has hurt you. It was entirely unintended. I will be very careful from now on.
Sorry again and thanks for pointing out.[/quote]okay. no problem!
we all need to be careful with what we put in cyberspace
'delete' does not make it disappear in cyberspace
don't want it some day some one bring it up and quote and end up with all the troubles to prove and disprove who said what
thanks! -
tiger262:
verykiasu2010 wrote:
Hi verykiasu2010,
I apologise for the error. I am sorry if it has hurt you. It was entirely unintended. I will be very careful from now on.
Sorry again and thanks for pointing out.
okay. no problem!
we all need to be careful with what we put in cyberspace
'delete' does not make it disappear in cyberspace
don't want it some day some one bring it up and quote and end up with all the troubles to prove and disprove who said what
thanks![/quote]
Hi verykiasu2010,
I gratefully appreciate your words. I will be quite careful from now on. Thank you very much for your kind understanding. -
tiger262
are your kid applying through DSA this year ? also applied for RI ? -
Need some advice here.
Scenario (assume):
Child applied for DSA for ACSI and NUSH and eventually offered by ACSI.
Took up the ACSI offer although not too keen on the IB prog.
After PSLE, T-score is high enough to qualify comfortably (based on past records) for NJC IP.
What are the options? or is it none after accepting DSA from any schools?
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