Intellect or Age Peer?

[2ppaamm]

jtoh:

Hi 2ppaamm, you were saying that gifted boys will find it especially hard to get approval to go to international schools. In your case do you think it was because your son would have skipped grades if he had gone to an international school and MOE frowns upon grade skipping?


I wasn't aware that MOE approval was required for local students to attend SJI International and ACS International and that there was a quota on it. Quite a few of my friends have enrolled their kids in SJI International. They said they went for a test and interview at the school and were given offers conditional on their PSLE performance.

No, I don't think it has anything to do with the grade skipping part, he can also do that in local schools. Once they approve, they do not care whether you skip grades. They basically do not want boys, and gifted kids 'go'. Gifted boys are the most valuable in the system, I think.

[2ppaamm]

HyperKiasu:

2ppaamm:

Trying to work out the financial part and post it. The costs involves not just the university costs, you have to weigh the opportunity costs as well as the cost of tuition and time value of money, and inflation etc. Off the top of my head, accelerating a child can only be cheaper, unless the family completely DIY the education. It is possible to get scholarships, there are plenty available besides those available from govt. In any case, govt scholarships are only meaningful if the kid wants to be in PSC. Every university has their scholarship programs and these are available to most students. In fact about 80-90% of students from Ivies get scholarships. If your kid is a very early entrant, it will not be difficult to get a scholarship, if the kid has special other abilities, and the uni believes they can 'leverage' on the kid's reputation and add value to their alumni. I will calculate these out when I get some time today and post it.

Are these scholarships available to international students? some Ivies are said to discriminate against Asians (even those born in USA with a
Caucasian father and an Asian mother dare not disclose their race in the fear that their application will be rejected).

:? Hm... I don't know about the discrimination leh, I have never applied for scholarships in the Ivies because I don't have time. I only applied for my daughter and it is not a US uni, and she got it. I think it is school-by-school. When I was a student, I could get scholarship as a post-grad. Unless they've changed, there should be scholarships available to overseas students though there will be less compared to local students.

[metz]

Chenonceau:

Thanks Chamonix... actually, I am thinking of going up to Chamonix this June hols.

With your family? That's a nice break for your son.

[Chenonceau]

2ppaamm:

Chenonceau:

[quote=\"2ppaamm\"]And the kids had a lot of fun reading this. :evil:

http://www.amazon.com/Vocabulary-Cartoons-SAT-Word-Power/dp/0965242234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328676316&sr=8-1

Vocabulary lists... looks boring leh... You sure fun? Real anot?

My son loves this since he was 7. All his classmates took turns to borrow this book. He is a walking lexicon, and some credits go to this book.[/quote]Ok, thanks.

[Chenonceau]

chamonix:

Chenonceau:

Thanks Chamonix... actually, I am thinking of going up to Chamonix this June hols.

With your family? That's a nice break for your son.

Yup... I thought so too. He has never seen the mountains in summer, and it'll take his mind off PSLE. There is only so much one can do to prepare. Over-prep is also not good.

[jtoh]

2ppaamm:

jtoh:

Hi 2ppaamm, you were saying that gifted boys will find it especially hard to get approval to go to international schools. In your case do you think it was because your son would have skipped grades if he had gone to an international school and MOE frowns upon grade skipping?


I wasn't aware that MOE approval was required for local students to attend SJI International and ACS International and that there was a quota on it. Quite a few of my friends have enrolled their kids in SJI International. They said they went for a test and interview at the school and were given offers conditional on their PSLE performance.

No, I don't think it has anything to do with the grade skipping part, he can also do that in local schools. Once they approve, they do not care whether you skip grades. They basically do not want boys, and gifted kids 'go'. Gifted boys are the most valuable in the system, I think.

I see.

[jtoh]

Chenonceau:

chamonix:

[quote=\"Chenonceau\"]

Thanks Chamonix... actually, I am thinking of going up to Chamonix this June hols.

With your family? That's a nice break for your son.

Yup... I thought so too. He has never seen the mountains in summer, and it'll take his mind off PSLE. There is only so much one can do to prepare. Over-prep is also not good.[/quote]Yes, and he'll come home recharged. Have fun!

[HyperKiasu]

2ppaamm:

HyperKiasu:

[quote=\"2ppaamm\"]
Trying to work out the financial part and post it. The costs involves not just the university costs, you have to weigh the opportunity costs as well as the cost of tuition and time value of money, and inflation etc. Off the top of my head, accelerating a child can only be cheaper, unless the family completely DIY the education. It is possible to get scholarships, there are plenty available besides those available from govt. In any case, govt scholarships are only meaningful if the kid wants to be in PSC. Every university has their scholarship programs and these are available to most students. In fact about 80-90% of students from Ivies get scholarships. If your kid is a very early entrant, it will not be difficult to get a scholarship, if the kid has special other abilities, and the uni believes they can 'leverage' on the kid's reputation and add value to their alumni. I will calculate these out when I get some time today and post it.

Are these scholarships available to international students? some Ivies are said to discriminate against Asians (even those born in USA with a
Caucasian father and an Asian mother dare not disclose their race in the fear that their application will be rejected).

:? Hm... I don't know about the discrimination leh, I have never applied for scholarships in the Ivies because I don't have time. I only applied for my daughter and it is not a US uni, and she got it. I think it is school-by-school. When I was a student, I could get scholarship as a post-grad. Unless they've changed, there should be scholarships available to overseas students though there will be less compared to local students.[/quote]i see.
the discrimination thing was reported in newspaper. however there are some other Ivies who are quite race blind and the Asian students account for 40% there. But they also heat up the competition. Asian students are known to be academy robots in the western's eyes.... :evil:

[2ppaamm]

HyperKiasu:

2ppaamm:

[quote=\"HyperKiasu\"]
:? Hm... I don't know about the discrimination leh, I have never applied for scholarships in the Ivies because I don't have time. I only applied for my daughter and it is not a US uni, and she got it. I think it is school-by-school. When I was a student, I could get scholarship as a post-grad. Unless they've changed, there should be scholarships available to overseas students though there will be less compared to local students.

i see.
the discrimination thing was reported in newspaper. however there are some other Ivies who are quite race blind and the Asian students account for 40% there. But they also heat up the competition. Asian students are known to be academy robots in the western's eyes.... :evil:

[/quote]Robots? Haha! Whenever my kids speak up in class, they always attract comments that they speak good English. Most Asians who look like us (Chinese Singaporean) are from China. So we have a little edge. Just that we need some selling skills to give us that edge to win the scholarships. Not robots but academically much more superior because of the way our kids are brought up.

The other part about the newspaper, which newspaper is that? I'd be very careful to trust local papers.

[2ppaamm]

insider:

about local going to international school...


I chanced upon this (from link in another thread). LHY's son also couldn't figure out a place for his IQ140 dyslexic son to go other than applying for permission to go intl school. So, it speaks a lot about how much MOE can do...

Extract:

MM Lee has sent his grandson (unruly Lee Hsien Yang's unruly son) to the Singapore American School (SAS) -- something Singaporeans cannot do, as they must attend only Singapore schools.

Addressing the Singapore American School (SAS), MM Lee said: \"I also had a grandson who could not fit into our schools. He had an IQ of 140, so he is not a stupid boy. But he was having trouble. His brother was scoring and he was not because he was dyslexic and he had to learn two languages - English and Chinese.

\"So, the Education Ministry allowed him to opt out of the system. We did not have the specialist teachers to cater for people like him. He joined the SAS and at your school, your teachers helped him cope with his dyslexia and in the process restored his self esteem and confidence, and he's done well. Your staff support the American community and they have brought benefits to Singaporeans. Thank you.\"

The SAS students include (59%) US passport holders, Koreans (10%), Indians (3.6%), Japanese (3.4%), Canadians (3.2%), and Indonesians (2.6%), and Singaporeans (4.4%).

source:http://www.yeocheowtong.com/

I thought it was the PM's albino son who went to SAS. In any case, it is true that Singaporeans cannot suka suka enroll in international schools. But my son's also not a stupid boy leh, IQ also not low by his standard leh... I don't think it has to do with how stupid you are, I think the reasons are more cheem than that. :siam:

It is clear the schools and even GEP do not know how to handle certain kids, but they will never admit to it. They must brand the child useless, lest they look useless themselves. Better to save themselves, the kids? If they are useless and cause problems, they are out of their radar for anything big, or worse, they are a blemish to their records. Afterall, kids are harmless, and parents are toothless in our system. Isn't that so true?