Hi im not sure if you’re still looking for info because the DSA window might be over, but here’s what I know:


I graduated from HC some years ago. I didn’t apply DSA because I very luckily got into HC from sec 1, and getting there through IP is easier than DSA-ing at sec4.

This means I don’t know the application process very well, but I do know roughly what the school’s like and how it thinks. Or at least what it used to think 3 years ago.

Let’s start from the numbers. These are mostly estimates, but basically, out of about 1.5k places they have each year, 70-80% will already be taken up by IP students. Thats 1200 places gone.

Then there’s always some places reserved for top A level scorers which they won’t release until after exams. And also those reserved to bring in all-star sportsmen to win medals for the school and other discretionary admissions. Let’s just assume each category has 100 places.

This means there are like 100 or less places left for DSA . So the basic chance is the number of applicants divided by 100. Hence if 600 people apply, then you have 1/6 chance just looking at numbers alone and nothing else. I’m not sure how many people apply per year though, but I suspect HC gets quite a lot.

Now from this basic 1/6 chance, let’s consider your portfolio and determine if you’re above or below the average 1/6.

From my experience, schools dig councillors and HC is no exception. Councillors are great because they (a) help the school run events, (b) help the school by getting into good universities and winning scholarships, help the school because they usually are the alumnis who donate the most, and (d) love the school the most, and (e) keep other students in check. So from what you’ve listed ‘head prefect’ sounds pretty good. If I were you i’d emphasise that. And being class chairman (probably sec1-sec2?) and your good results does reinforce that image of the hardworking responsible councillor.

The next thing is i notice you’re good at math. Or at least it seems so. Not sure what "award for high distinction in A maths" is, but if it means you top your school level in maths, thats a good thing. A silver medal in commonwealth writing is also not bad, but HC is more of a science than an arts school. In the same light winning a Malay debate is rather unique and does set you apart, but i think it’s obvious that malay debate isnt a big thing in HC.

As for constant A1s, distinction in AMC and hon mention in SMO, these are fairly common. Not that they don’t mean anything, but those who apply DSA usually have very strong portfolios.

As for silver in olympiad, that really helps. HC likes winning international olympiads (the school calls them world championships) so if they think you can help them do that, you have a good chance. So much so that imo if you have a gold you are confirm in.

All in all I’d say you’re an above average applicant mostly because of that head prefect thing. If there’s an interview, be prepared to be asked about that. Since the base rate is 1/6, I’d say you have 1/4-1/5 chance.

Of course, this is assuming there are 600 people looking for 100 places, and all have similarly good portfolios. Any or even all of the assumptions I’ve made can be wrong, and things could have changed since I graduated. But I hope my analysis helps you. The best advice i can give is apply for DSA, try your best to get it, and if you do things will rock for you. If you don’t i think based on your results you have a decent chance of getting in too. Just that you will have to study harder to make sure. I think that’s not a problem for you.

Hi everyone, just bumping this thread up because exams are coming soon (again!).


Owlcove’s gotten much bigger. Since I posted this last year we’ve got quite a few new contributions on chem, econs, geog, history…basically most subjects. There’s also a new discussion feature free for all to use.

Enjoy!

Hi everyone

Bedokid:

Hi Jerrold

Can u advise how to do well in chemistry? My dd did study hard for this subject but the result was not promising , looks like her application to questions is rather weak....pl. help.....thanks.

I didn't take chemistry in JC, so I'm not too sure of the exact situation. What I think is that application is increasingly the focus of the A levels, so studying hard alone may not be the solution. Sometimes, especially when students are forced to study harder than necessary, they may start to dislike and feel detached from a subject. This greatly hinders understanding, which is crucial to application, because in order to apply theories clearly you need to know it inside out and be 'connected' with the subject in a way.

Sadly, there is no fixed formula that works for different people. A general approach could be to start by really understanding the problem - what's causing the student to not do well? There could be a lot of reasons and studying harder and harder is not always the solution. Sometimes it can even be the problem!

kitty2:

I got to know from my nephew that a lot of JC kids have tuition,some are from top JC.This is how they survive well.

Tuition is an open secret. In fact it's no secret that a majority of students nowadays have tuition. I never went for any tuition, so I won't know exactly how it feels, but I have given tuition before.

From what I know, 'surviving' school depends a combination of factors including school environment, peer and family support, the student's own attitude and, admittedly, aptitude, as well as very physical factors like how far you live from school, whether the student is more of a day or night person - the list of contributing sources are almost endless.

Tuition is just one of the many sources which may or may not contribute to improving student's grades. Sometimes, paying for tuition ends up being more beneficial for parents (who can get 'peace of mind') than the student himself (if the teacher isn't very good). The problem with this is often it leads to a false sense of security where parents feel that paying for tuition means they have done all they could. If results don't show, this only leads to even greater worry. In my view, close support from peers and parents are equally if not more important than tuition, especially if tuition is sourced simply for the sake of having tuition.

That said, I'm not a parent - years away from becoming one - so do forgive me if i'm wrong!

plc:

DD doing her A levels now, and her comments are \"questions are different from past years\". School tutors were surprised as well. Maybe it's no longer rote learning, but more on applications.

Guess, there are more kids doing PSLE than A levels,

YESSS! This is exactly what I've observed from my (limited) tuition and school experience. It's an ironic problem - we criticise the education for being rote/boring/uncreative/depressive/ineffective and so many other things, yet the diversification of A level questions is a measure precisely designed to make the education system more vibrant and less rote.

It seems to me that, for now at least, the education system is in a state of transition - the higher level planners seem to be trying to improve the entire system, yet teachers and students at the lower level are still trying to apply the tried and tested 'rote' learning techniques to A level questions.

If you ask me to choose between standard TYS questions which simply make students memorise but are easier to score, and diversified, application-based questions which encourage creativity and critical thinking, I'd go with the latter. What this does mean, however, is that holding on to the old methods may not get us as far anymore. If we do want the system improved, this seems like a sacrifice the transitional batch has to make :X

Hi


Sorry for the slightly delayed reply...hope it still helps!

I have to say I'm PURELY guessing here because I don't know what goes on at MOE...but my best guess is that because H2 Econs is definitely very different from PSLE Science, it is far more difficult to define a range of 'acceptable' answers. They haven't started making PSLE sciencers write essays yet have they?

I think as long as your writing format is logical, understandable, and uses the right economic terms, there is a lot of room for different formats. If in doubt, the SEE format which is taught in GP is effective. Do refer to my previous posts about possible methods of answer presentation.

Nonetheless, it's always better to develop your own style (as long as it works), because only then will you be comfortable and in control of it.

Hi guys


I don't really know of any good books actually...I didn't use any assessment books or textbooks for my econs last time. What I did use was a lot of wikipedia and school notes. I think the best way to study for h2 econs (it might differ from person to person though) is to actually try to understand the concepts and discuss with your friends. Reading books doesn't help if nothing goes in, especially since usually textbooks are BORING.

If you're interested in econs itself, a great book that's also fun to read is Freakonomics - where you'll get to see econs in real life. But it's not that relevant to A levels.

As for spotting questions...there's no set formula to knowing what questions will come out. Recently the exam setting has been getting more and more unpredictable too! My best guess is to look at the prelim papers schools set for their students (because schools themselves also try to spot questions for their students to practice more on, and naturally schools are better at spotting questions than us).

The best way though, is really to understand the syllabus itself, so that no matter what question comes out you'll be ready - it really isn't that hard because THE SYLLABUS DOESN'T CHANGE. No matter what they ask, they have to end up testing the same things...

Hi kitty You're welcome!


For econs, I think the mistake many people make is to study very hard but overlook the importance of writing an 'economic' answer. Maybe I'll explain with an example:

Answer that is not economic:

When people earn higher salaries, they will buy more products and this leads to an increase in the demand for good X which then causes it to become more expensive. More of good X is sold in the market.

Economic answer -

Demand for a normal good like good X increases when consumer incomes increase. With higher incomes, consumers become more willing and able to pay for the same good. As demand increases, buyers bid up prices and cause an upward pressure on price. Ceteris paribus, the new market equilibrium occurs at a higher price and quantity.

Basically:

(1) you need to write down the 'economic theory' at the start to support your answer.

It's like maths: Speed = Distance / Time. Distance increased. Therefore, speed increases.
Demand increases when income increases. Income increased, thus demand increases.

(2) Make sure to use the exact keywords! \"salaries\" => income. Examiners can only give you marks if words like \"willing and able\" appear --> they're all in the 'definitions' you learn.

(3) Explain in detail (if its relevant to the question): For a market equilibrium question like that, the process which demand increases (upward pressure, etc) should be included.

(4) Write in continuous point form! You don't need to link it all together like GP as long it's understandable.

Instead of: Partial market failure occurs due to the presence of negative externalities, which are...Some examples of negative externalities include...At the same time, social marginal costs, which are defined as...include...On the other end of the spectrum, social marginal benefits can be seen as...Examples of such benefits include...

Try: Partial market failure occurs due to negative externalities. Negative externalities are third party costs not considered by decision-makers.These include...Social marginal cost is....These include...Social marginal benefit is...These include...

Basically, making what you write understandable and spot on is most important. No need for extra words like \"some examples\", \"on the other end\"...Writing extra words wastes valuable time and can make your sentences long and hard to follow!

Hope this helps

(P.S. If you have any other questions, you could post them on owlcove or own our fb page too. Good luck!)

UPDATE: We've just got a whole NEW bunch of notes on bio, chem, and econs! :celebrate:

@ngl2010 @milkyway: You're welcome! If you ever need them, they'll be right there

Hi everyone,


I run a free A-level resource site with my friends. We share study notes and advice on the site.

Some of our notes are pretty popular with hundreds of downloads. You can find them at http://owlcove.sg/learn. They're 100% free to download. There are NO advertisements on the site, and we're NOT looking for tuition jobs or anything. Just a few guys trying to help.

If you're curious, this site was an initiative we started to help students after us cope better with their studies. Most of us only graduated from JC a few years ago, so we knew how painful and competitive it could get. We're hoping to encourage sharing and collaboration - especially through making good notes available to anyone regardless of what school you're from or how much money you have.

I hope you guys find owlcove useful If you like what we're doing, do pass on the message too.

Thanks!
(P.S. This is my first time posting on an actual forum XD)