NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (Diploma)
-
matadorepy:
My DD is in NUSH Y2. 2 years back she and 4 of her RGPS GEP classmates(incl top RGPS girl) made an unprecedented decision to join NUSH over RGS.
I thought you ever said your DD is classmate of the math whiz? Or is it a diff math whiz?? :scratchhead: -
Happy Mummmmm:
Hi,Is anyone here deciding between RGS and NUS High? Anything to share.
My daughter has been accepted by NUS High and awaiting results from RGS. She likes both schools.
But I do not know where to start comparing the two schools.
I would appreciate any advice.
I'm not sure whether you've seen NUSH alumni Aaron's blog. In case you haven't, here's the url:
http://thehungrygeographer.blogspot.sg/2012/02/nus-high-school-experience.html
Both RGS and NUSH have their own strengths and flaws, as we've mentioned several times, it really boils down to which one is a better fit.
There are many concerns from parents about NUSH not being able to provide a well-rounded education. But if you read Aaron's blog, you'd know it's not the school, but how much you make out of your experience there that counts.
One thing I learned to appreciate about NUSH is the small cohort. For Y1, there's less than 200 kids. What it means for the child is that there is higher chance to get access to opportunities, compared to jostling for one against 449 other bright students in the top IP schools.
DD was never the athletic type, but she always enjoyed a game of netball in primary school. When she went to NUSH, she got to join the netball team with minimum fuss. She recently competed in a sports day event and came in 3rd. It's no big deal, considering only 8 took part in that category and they had to beg people to join. But she came back happy and learnt a few things from the experience.
Had she gone to a top IP girls school, would it have been possible? I think not.
It's also quite egalitarian in NUSH. There isn't an elite group that gets special treatment or get to go for special programs. The Da Vinci program is open to all, so are the electives. So the kid gets equal access to these enriching programs, so long as you are interested (and you are quick enough to get to the online system to sign up for those with limited vacancies), you get to go.
And it's not easy to find tuition for NUSH, which is a good thing, IMHO. It is a relatively level playing field, you work hard and get your grades based on your own ability, not by paying for a good tutor. There is less pressure for the students to go for tuition for fear of falling behind their peer who have tutors, and that translates to less stress.
Of course, there will be challenges. Some get distracted by BGR and computer games, some take a longer time to find their niche. But I think it's really part and parcel of dealing with a teenager going through adolescence.
If eventually your DC chooses NUSH, as a parent, please don't do it half-heartedly and keep thinking another school is better, this school is not good enough.Encourage DD/DS to make the most of their time at NUSH, I think it will make their journey more meaningful! -
So well put tiggermum.
Happy mummmm, i was in the same dilemmA 2 yrs back. And today,i feel DD tooktbe right decision. I think tiggermum was I the same dilemma too.
That said , encourage your child to decide.
It is a win win situation. Both are good schools, it is only a question of better fit. Once you take that decision, just take that as a positive and forget about the other.
All the best to your DC. -
Believe many parents are happy with this school…can see many younger siblings following the elder’s footsteps.
-
Sun_2010:
All DD experience only? An DS choose NUSH over RI :xedfingers:So well put tiggermum.
Happy mummmm, i was in the same dilemmA 2 yrs back. And today,i feel DD tooktbe right decision. I think tiggermum was I the same dilemma too.
That said , encourage your child to decide.
It is a win win situation. Both are good schools, it is only a question of better fit. Once you take that decision, just take that as a positive and forget about the other.
All the best to your DC. -
Nebbermind:
errh .. yea ..there are 2 or 3 so-called math whiz in the school ..matadorepy:
My DD is in NUSH Y2. 2 years back she and 4 of her RGPS GEP classmates(incl top RGPS girl) made an unprecedented decision to join NUSH over RGS.
I thought you ever said your DD is classmate of the math whiz? Or is it a diff math whiz?? :scratchhead:
-
tiggermum:
Fully agreed. Let your DD decide. They know what is best for themselves.
Hi,Happy Mummmmm:
Is anyone here deciding between RGS and NUS High? Anything to share.
My daughter has been accepted by NUS High and awaiting results from RGS. She likes both schools.
But I do not know where to start comparing the two schools.
I would appreciate any advice.
I'm not sure whether you've seen NUSH alumni Aaron's blog. In case you haven't, here's the url:
http://thehungrygeographer.blogspot.sg/2012/02/nus-high-school-experience.html
Both RGS and NUSH have their own strengths and flaws, as we've mentioned several times, it really boils down to which one is a better fit.
There are many concerns from parents about NUSH not being able to provide a well-rounded education. But if you read Aaron's blog, you'd know it's not the school, but how much you make out of your experience there that counts.
One thing I learned to appreciate about NUSH is the small cohort. For Y1, there's less than 200 kids. What it means for the child is that there is higher chance to get access to opportunities, compared to jostling for one against 449 other bright students in the top IP schools.
DD was never the athletic type, but she always enjoyed a game of netball in primary school. When she went to NUSH, she got to join the netball team with minimum fuss. She recently competed in a sports day event and came in 3rd. It's no big deal, considering only 8 took part in that category and they had to beg people to join. But she came back happy and learnt a few things from the experience.
Had she gone to a top IP girls school, would it have been possible? I think not.
It's also quite egalitarian in NUSH. There isn't an elite group that gets special treatment or get to go for special programs. The Da Vinci program is open to all, so are the electives. So the kid gets equal access to these enriching programs, so long as you are interested (and you are quick enough to get to the online system to sign up for those with limited vacancies), you get to go.
And it's not easy to find tuition for NUSH, which is a good thing, IMHO. It is a relatively level playing field, you work hard and get your grades based on your own ability, not by paying for a good tutor. There is less pressure for the students to go for tuition for fear of falling behind their peer who have tutors, and that translates to less stress.
Of course, there will be challenges. Some get distracted by BGR and computer games, some take a longer time to find their niche. But I think it's really part and parcel of dealing with a teenager going through adolescence.
If eventually your DC chooses NUSH, as a parent, please don't do it half-heartedly and keep thinking another school is better, this school is not good enough.Encourage DD/DS to make the most of their time at NUSH, I think it will make their journey more meaningful!
:goodpost: -
tiggermum:
Hi,Happy Mummmmm:
Is anyone here deciding between RGS and NUS High? Anything to share.
My daughter has been accepted by NUS High and awaiting results from RGS. She likes both schools.
But I do not know where to start comparing the two schools.
I would appreciate any advice.
I'm not sure whether you've seen NUSH alumni Aaron's blog. In case you haven't, here's the url:
http://thehungrygeographer.blogspot.sg/2012/02/nus-high-school-experience.html
Both RGS and NUSH have their own strengths and flaws, as we've mentioned several times, it really boils down to which one is a better fit.
There are many concerns from parents about NUSH not being able to provide a well-rounded education. But if you read Aaron's blog, you'd know it's not the school, but how much you make out of your experience there that counts.
One thing I learned to appreciate about NUSH is the small cohort. For Y1, there's less than 200 kids. What it means for the child is that there is higher chance to get access to opportunities, compared to jostling for one against 449 other bright students in the top IP schools.
DD was never the athletic type, but she always enjoyed a game of netball in primary school. When she went to NUSH, she got to join the netball team with minimum fuss. She recently competed in a sports day event and came in 3rd. It's no big deal, considering only 8 took part in that category and they had to beg people to join. But she came back happy and learnt a few things from the experience.
Had she gone to a top IP girls school, would it have been possible? I think not.
It's also quite egalitarian in NUSH. There isn't an elite group that gets special treatment or get to go for special programs. The Da Vinci program is open to all, so are the electives. So the kid gets equal access to these enriching programs, so long as you are interested (and you are quick enough to get to the online system to sign up for those with limited vacancies), you get to go.
And it's not easy to find tuition for NUSH, which is a good thing, IMHO. It is a relatively level playing field, you work hard and get your grades based on your own ability, not by paying for a good tutor. There is less pressure for the students to go for tuition for fear of falling behind their peer who have tutors, and that translates to less stress.
Of course, there will be challenges. Some get distracted by BGR and computer games, some take a longer time to find their niche. But I think it's really part and parcel of dealing with a teenager going through adolescence.
If eventually your DC chooses NUSH, as a parent, please don't do it half-heartedly and keep thinking another school is better, this school is not good enough.Encourage DD/DS to make the most of their time at NUSH, I think it will make their journey more meaningful!
Dear tiggermum,
:goodpost:
Thank you very much for sharing you and your DD's experience at NUS High. It is very reassuing I love that there are ample opportunities to particpate in various clubs and activities.
I have a very simple thought - I just want my DD to enjoy her classes and her activities, I think that will not only make her school life memorable but also help her LOVE the subjects more.
She is the one in a dilemma :? . I will show her your advice.
And thank you all the mummies who gave further assurances. -
:rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah:
There is a Science Buskers Festival going on in the Science centre from today till Sunday. See for details below. Admission is supposed to be free.
http://www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/sciencemonth.aspx#sbf
There is a group of students from NUS High ( group name - Hecate's Helpers)
There are here after the first round of section. This round will be based on both Judge's marking and on the audience voting.
Please go and visit and cheer and vote and have fun!!
:rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah: -
WHAT A JOKE:
======================================================
Wed, Aug 05, 2009
The New Paper
Father frustrated by ‘lack of support’ for son’s talent
Above: Ainan Celeste Cawley with his father Valentine Cawley. Ainan is only 9, but he has already passed his Physics and Chemistry ‘O’ Level paper.
HE CALLS his son ‘the boy who knew too much’.
Dad Valentine Cawley (right) also describes Ainan as a ‘binary science prodigy’, who has proven himself in more than one subject.
But it has been difficult to get support for Ainan from the Singapore education community, claims the father.
Read all the stories:
» Only 9, he passes O-level physics exam
» Boy genius, 9, has passed two ‘O’ levels
According to him, education officers were sceptical of his son’s talent and tried to block rather than aid Ainan’s access to educational facilities.
He has even written posts on his blog titled ‘The boy who knew too much: a child prodigy’.
Are Mr Cawley’s complaints justified?
He said the family’s main difficulty was in trying to get Ainan access to a chemistry laboratory so that he could get practical experience.
He went to Ainan’s primary school, which did not have a lab, for help.
The school referred him to the Gifted Education Branch at the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Interrogations
Mr Cawley said MOE put Ainan through ‘a battery of tests and interrogations’ before assigning them a case officer, who took a ‘long time’ before arranging for lab sessions.
An MOE spokesman said it helped arrange six lab sessions at Raffles Institution to build up Ainan’s lab skills.
Mr Cawley said: ‘It seemed an awfully short course, but we accepted for something was better than nothing,’ he said.
He said the teacher there had a good rapport with Ainan and the family was grateful for the chance, but they wanted the lab access to continue.
MOE then referred Ainan to the NUS High School of Mathematics & Science in February 2007.
Mr Suresh Balakrishnan, its deputy principal, said that after a preliminary assessment, followed by a more detailed diagnostic testing, the school determined that Ainan had the ability to accelerate his learning of chemistry.
‘However, the school cautioned that advanced chemistry concepts would require corresponding advanced understanding of mathematics and physics, which Ainan may lack,’ he said.
NUS High School allowed the boy to take part in the classes free of charge.
Mr Cawley said Ainan’s first lesson at NUS High School was a ‘great disappointment’, as ‘they had placed him in a class below his ability’.
He said Ainan told him he was learning only ‘one new fact a day’.
Ainan’s parents asked for him to be moved to a different class. But he claimed: ‘It was much the same problem. There was very little that was new.’
But Mr Suresh said: ‘Ainan had difficulties keeping up with the rest of the class and learnt more effectively when the teachers coached him personally while the rest of the class was doing their own work.’
Mr Cawley insisted his son had more than been able to keep up and that perhaps the teacher misinterpreted Ainan’s shyness.
After trying out one Year 1 and one Year 2 module, Ainan’s parents eventually pulled him out of the school.
Said Mr Cawley: ‘We stopped sending Ainan to NUS High because it just wasn’t worth the taxi fare there. He learnt nothing concrete, so it seemed pointless.’
The MOE spokesman said it further got the support of Singapore Science Centre for a number of chemistry workshops on topics like chemistry of food and the human body that Ainan could attend, but his parents did not take up this option.
Mr Cawley said they decided not to go ahead as it was never explained to them in detail what the classes would involve and there would be a fee.
During a meeting later with MOE officials, a frustrated Mr Cawley said he walked out of the meeting and refused to have anything to do with the ministry any further.
Said the MOE spokesman: ‘Upon the father’s request, MOE did not make further recommendations regarding Ainan’s education from February 2008.’
It was after looking at some private schools, that the Cawleys chose Singapore Polytechnic.
Dispiriting
Mr Cawley said the whole exercise had been ‘very dispiriting’, and it shouldn’t have been this hard to meet Ainan’s intellectual needs.
He said: 'It is rare to find such a young child with such a developed gift for, and interest in, science.
'It shouldn’t be too difficult for a rich nation to accommodate such needs, automatically, without the parents having to spend two years in a long search for somewhere to allow him to grow…
‘I can only hope that the path ahead is more open than the one behind has been.’
This article was first published in The New Paper.
======================================================
*** If you yourself do not want to spend the money on your kid, why expect Singapore to do it for you? Are you even Singaporean. Many kids (need not be gifted), have really good memory, if they learn nothing else (no language courses, no art classes, etc) and just memorise the textbooks, I am sure that can get a C too.
Note: old article, but reread it when I found it after googling "NUS High". Thought it will be an interesting read for parents with DSs and DDs in NUS High.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login