Secondary 2 Streaming

[sharonkhoo]

zbear:

slmkhoo:

Physics, Chem, Maths, Econs - we refer to it as the \"subject comb. of the undecided\".

Oh really? First time I hear this

I always thought this is the most popular subj combi which allows you more Uni choices n not so much as the undecided?

Depends on how you look at it - it allows more choices, which is why the undecided take it! This way, she postpones making a decision for another 2 yrs. And yes, it is one of the most popular combinations. So, for those in sec 2 who want to keep options open, they should aim for this combo or the other popular one, BCME. That means taking at least 2 sciences and double maths in sec 3.

[Song22]

kennethTutor:

Vail:

hello all. can I ask if the subjects you choose sec 2 streaming affects what course you want to take in future? like if you want go poly. or in Uni


thanks ^_^

Yes some subjects affect, mainly in the JC route. They are Additional Mathematics and Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology).

For Additional Mathematics (A Maths), schools typically select based on the Mathematics score at the end of Sec 2. The cut-off mark depends on the school.

The same can be said for streaming of Sciences.


Let's take two steps ahead and look at the minimum subject requirements for NTU based on A Level results: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/oad2/website_files/ALevel/Min_Subject_Requirements.pdf

For example, majority of the courses in Engineering requires H2 Maths in JC. So what is the prerequisite to take H2 Maths in JC? Well in most JCs, you would minimally need to pass/do well in O Level A Maths.

In other words, if you did not take A Maths in Upper Sec, you will not be able to take H2 Maths in JC and finally be unable to meet the prerequisite for Engineering courses in NTU.

Another example: A degree in Economics and Psychology requires H1 Maths. O level A Maths is not required to take H1 Maths in JC.

Bare in mind those are the minimum subject requirements. Your child still needs to fulfill the admission requirement for the course. For a popular and sought-after course like Aerospace Engineering, typically you need to score 3-4 A's in A Levels to gain entry.


For poly, you can check this page: https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/webexe/owa/adm_appl.relevant_diploma

If you choose a 'broad' diploma e.g. engineering, there should be plenty of courses in University to choose from.

Also if your diploma is related to your degree, exemptions from first year courses may be awarded. So you can complete your degree in a shorter time.

Dreamgear:

At my ds briefing session, the school mapped a entry requirements of the different courses at nus, ntu and some ivy league unis, as well as the subjects offering at ri and hci...

Pretty informative

Some ivy league universities (e.g. Harvard, Cambridge, Imperial) focus more on SAT scores. I have a buddy who did not do well for his A Levels but managed to get into Imperial College's Medicine course based on his SAT score.

Could you elaborate more about aerospace and chemical engineering? Not familiar about these and would like to know why are these course so popular (as in high entry requirement). Thanks!

[kennethTutor]

Song22:

Could you elaborate more about aerospace and chemical engineering? Not familiar about these and would like to know why are these course so popular (as in high entry requirement). Thanks!

Using a little economics, the high entry requirement can be explained by demand and supply. An analogy: Think of why top schools like Nanyang Girls and RJC have typically high scores for admission.

The supply is limited as there is only a limited number of places in those schools.
The demand is usually much greater than the places available since they are widely perceived to the best schools in Singapore.
This results in top schools accepting students with better scores first, hence resulting in the high minimum cut-off score.


Similarly, aerospace and chemical engineering are popular and have high entry requirement as a result of the high demand and short supply of places.

On the individual side, I feel the high demand is due to the career prospect and salary. You would want to choose a good career with good progression and salary right?

Also, the government seems to put a lot of faith and investment into the aerospace and chemical-related industries. With more foreign MNCs coming in, more jobs will be created in these industries, thus increasing the demand for graduates or diploma holders with the relevant skill set and training.

For chemical engineering, look no further than Jurong Island. The entire island is dedicated to the petrochemical industry! They are many MNCs in Singapore such as Shell, ExxonMobil that are well established in Singapore. (I have a few Chemical Engineering friends who are working in such MNCs)

For aerospace engineering, there's the recent development of the aerospace hub at Seletar and more MNCs opening up more operations in Singapore e.g. Rolls Royce.


Finally, here's the grade profile for NTU: http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/oad2/website_files/IGP/NTU_IGP.pdf

The grade profile describes the grades (A Level or Diploma) of the 10th percentile and 90th percentile of students accepted into each course in NTU.

Look at the degrees which has minimum AAA or AAB for the 10th percentile. Prominent degrees are Medicine, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Accountancy. Notable mention to Business (AAC).

Now scroll to the last page to see the places offered in 2015-1016. Limited supply!

Hope you have a greater picture of the more popular and sought after degrees, at least in NTU. You can google 'NUS grade profile' or 'SMU grade profile' to see the situation at the other universities. I predict the same situation.

[metta]

Hi

My DS is in Sec 2 this year. I would like to ask what determines whether you get your choice of subject combi? Does the school take overall results and then rank students just like PSLE and those ranked on top will get their choice first? or is it based on your strength (subjects that you scored well?)
thank you in advance for your replies.

[sharonkhoo]

metta:

Hi

My DS is in Sec 2 this year. I would like to ask what determines whether you get your choice of subject combi? Does the school take overall results and then rank students just like PSLE and those ranked on top will get their choice first? or is it based on your strength (subjects that you scored well?)
thank you in advance for your replies.

I believe this is school-specific. In general, the better a student does, the more choices he has. But there may be some minimum requirement for certain subjects, eg. a minimum Maths score to do Add Maths, and this may vary from school to school. The school will brief parents at some point during the year, but you could ask the form teacher when that will be.

[jtoh]

kennethTutor:

Some ivy league universities (e.g. Harvard, Cambridge, Imperial) focus more on SAT scores. I have a buddy who did not do well for his A Levels but managed to get into Imperial College's Medicine course based on his SAT score.

Are you referring to Imperial College in London?

[metta]

Thank you slmkhoo

[metta]

Thank you slmkhoo

[metta]

Thank you slmkhoo

[kennethTutor]

jtoh:

kennethTutor:

Some ivy league universities (e.g. Harvard, Cambridge, Imperial) focus more on SAT scores. I have a buddy who did not do well for his A Levels but managed to get into Imperial College's Medicine course based on his SAT score.

Are you referring to Imperial College in London?

Yes. Realized it's not an ivy league university but still a top university though!