DSA academic route

[zeedoo]

Hi, I am new to the dsa thing, will appreciate some advice regarding academic dsa for rgs and nygh (non-gep)


1) Do the above 2 schools look for talent in a specific subject, eg math, or for overall good results in all 4 subjects?

2) What are considered good results? Is 80+ good enough?

3) Will the schools consider just school results, or will they also look at evidence of external achievements such as awards for competitions?

4) If students apply through academic dsa, are CCAs still important?

Thanks!

[ks2011]

They look for exceptional achievement in the selected academic subject. For example for Maths, students with exceptional Maths Olympiad results would stand a very good chance. Good results in schools with no other achievement may not stand a chance.

[jesschan]

I have heard from third parties that some kids managed to DSA via excellent school results only. I suppose it makes some sense because if you look at the past PSLE results, many schools produce at least one student with high T-score of above 260. So, I think if your kid top the school every year in P4-6, there is still a some chance to get in via DSA. Not sure if what I said made sense…

[ruohoo97]

Constant good results definitely help. GAT test will be another criteria in judging how exceptionally good a student is.

[ks2011]

Good results may alone not be very useful for rgs. GAT is the 1st round. 2nd round is the subject based exam. This is where the competitive skills help. My dd applied for dsa last yr. She has always been top 3 in the level in the mainstream in a GEP school. She has a Maths Olympiad silver. She is a national level player for one of the sports not offered in DSA. She is a commonwealth essay bronze winner and was in school debate team. She didn’t clear round 2 where the questions were of Maths Olympiad level. Perhaps she should have applied under the English domain. Anyways, she got into rgs after her psle results. Fortunately, we didn’t accept co from other school.

[ks2011]

My above post only applies to rgs. Other school requirements might be different

[jtoh]

Good results alone is not enough. In fact, if your child has consistently good results in all subjects, I suggest you not bother with DSA and just choose your dream school via PSLE results. That’s what the schools advise as well.

[ks2011]

jtoh, agree with you there

[peterch]

ks2011:

Good results may alone not be very useful for rgs. GAT is the 1st round. 2nd round is the subject based exam. This is where the competitive skills help. My dd applied for dsa last yr. She has always been top 3 in the level in the mainstream in a GEP school. She has a Maths Olympiad silver. She is a national level player for one of the sports not offered in DSA. She is a commonwealth essay bronze winner and was in school debate team. She didn't clear round 2 where the questions were of Maths Olympiad level. Perhaps she should have applied under the English domain. Anyways, she got into rgs after her psle results. Fortunately, we didn't accept co from other school.

:udawoman: :udaman: :celebrate:

[Picolo]

ks2011:

Good results may alone not be very useful for rgs. GAT is the 1st round. 2nd round is the subject based exam. This is where the competitive skills help. My dd applied for dsa last yr. She has always been top 3 in the level in the mainstream in a GEP school. She has a Maths Olympiad silver. She is a national level player for one of the sports not offered in DSA. She is a commonwealth essay bronze winner and was in school debate team. She didn't clear round 2 where the questions were of Maths Olympiad level. Perhaps she should have applied under the English domain. Anyways, she got into rgs after her psle results. Fortunately, we didn't accept co from other school.

Hi ks2011, if you were able to turn back the clock, would you try to get your dd to RGS DSA (academic - English domain) instead or just discourage her to participate, and tell her to just focus on PSLE?

Based on hearsay, I personally find DSA (academic) to RGS/RI a waste of time since the chance of getting in via this route for mainstreamers is extremely low, almost 0. For me, I rather my child focus on PSLE but then he may still want to try DSA. :roll: