DSA 2011

[Ashton]

You’re welcome.

[Paddy Field]

Ashton,


Care to share why your DS chose ACSI instead of HCI in the end?

[Ashton]

Well, affiliated primary school and his friends were all going there. He was the only one with a CO from HCI. His other friend was on waitlist, who got in after PSLE (his friend is now the only one in HCI). I had wanted him to go to HCI then, as the IB programme was still very new and that a lot of RI and HCI students studied in the Ivy League (their selling proposition), haha.

[jtoh]

Thanks for sharing Ashton. All the best to your ds2.

[vlim]

Oops .... My guess is wrong ... Still Bo email from RI foe interview

[Mum1113]

Ashton:

The main highlight was telling those on waitlist that if they really want ACS(I), they should put it down as their first choice during the Sec 1 posting exercise as the chances of getting it were very high based on past years. They should put down their CO from other schools as second choice because if their first choice on Waitlist is not offered, they will be given their second choice automatically which is already confirmed. Make sense, right?

Thanks ashton for sharing.
Pardon my asking : meaning with CO, students still participate in S1 posting ? I am under the impression those with CO have to confirm on their acceptance of the CO before S1 posting exercise, meaning they have to make their decision whether or not they are to accept ? Thus leaving the opportunities to all others to take part in S1 posting only. Is my understanding wrong ?

[Ashton]

The "real" confirmation would be after PSLE because you still need to pass the minimum requirement of qualifying for express stream. If I recall, the form will indicate all the DSA CO and waitlist your child received and you are to choose which CO or waitlist is first choice or second choice.

[Mum1113]

Meaning those with multiple COs, really a good headache laa

[jtoh]

Mum1113:

Ashton:

The main highlight was telling those on waitlist that if they really want ACS(I), they should put it down as their first choice during the Sec 1 posting exercise as the chances of getting it were very high based on past years. They should put down their CO from other schools as second choice because if their first choice on Waitlist is not offered, they will be given their second choice automatically which is already confirmed. Make sense, right?

Thanks ashton for sharing.
Pardon my asking : meaning with CO, students still participate in S1 posting ? I am under the impression those with CO have to confirm on their acceptance of the CO before S1 posting exercise, meaning they have to make their decision whether or not they are to accept ? Thus leaving the opportunities to all others to take part in S1 posting only. Is my understanding wrong ?

Students who participated in DSA will be given a DSA Exercise Form some time after their PSLE exams to indicate their 1st choice/2nd choice etc based on their list of COs/WLs. After they submit this form, these students will no longer participate in the S1 Central Posting Exercise.

When the PSLE results are released, these students who have DSA COs will receive a slip to indicate which school they have been posted to. Those who were on WLs but indicated their WL schools as 1st choice will also be notified as to whether they were successful in their choice. If not, they will have to take part in the S1 Central Posting.

[TwaTau]

Ashton:

Hello everybody! I have been a reader of this forum for a long while but now, I have decided to participate too!


My DS1 is in year 3 ACS(I). He got in through DSA. Let me recount his experience.

In 2008, he applied DSA to ACS(I), RI and HCI. He received CO from ACS(I) and HCI.

ACS(I): The phone call came first to let me know that he was successful in his application. It was followed by an email and a letter. We were invited to the school to receive the official letter of confirmation. It was held in a lecture room; there was no tea reception. Those on waitlist were invited too. Ex-principal Ong Teck Chin gave a speech. The main highlight was telling those on waitlist that if they really want ACS(I), they should put it down as their first choice during the Sec 1 posting exercise as the chances of getting it were very high based on past years. They should put down their CO from other schools as second choice because if their first choice on Waitlist is not offered, they will be given their second choice automatically which is already confirmed. Make sense, right?

HCI: He was in the phase 1 DSA exercise as he had won medals in Maths Olympiads especially the one conducted by HCI. Not sure whether he did well for the tests, but I think his interview helped. I had prepped him for it, telling him questions that would be asked would likely be: “Why HCI?” “Any other schools you have applied?” \"If you are offered RI and HCI, which would you choose?” True enough, they were asked. He told me they were grouped in threes, and the panel consisted of two teachers and an older HCI student as an observer. DS1 was very kiasu; he was always the first to answer. He told me if he doesn’t answer first, then if those other students mentioned those points he want to make, then he would not have any thing new to say and it wouldn’t look good. He said after he had answered, the other two boys were practically repeating what he had said. He got the CO through email and snail mail.

RI: Naturally, he applied under the Maths Domain as he was strong in it and he was also not a Gepper. The strange thing was getting a phone call a couple of days before the GAT telling me that he need not go down to sit the test as he had already done the GAT through HCI. Both tests were the same, so RI would get the results from the GAT centre. But they didn’t refund the $50 leh… On the selection test day, I could see that there were many applicants under the Maths Domain, probably about 50 students? Think English and Science were about 20 while I distinctly recalled there were only 2 students for MT (Chinese). He told me that the Maths test was tough, which was why he didn’t get a CO from RI.

:goodpost: thanks for sharing the details and the experience.