wanzchan:

thinkie.lee:

Hi all. Anyone attended Open hse today?


How was it?

Attended the open house with DS today and was impressed. I was hesitant at first as DS is just an average scorer in school, lucky for him he has some robotics and math achievements that might help him a little. I now fully support him and had submitted the DSA application and GAT test for coming 24 June. I told DS success or not at least we tried! :xedfingers:

Glad you enjoyed Open House 2017. I agree with you! It's more of the process than the outcome.

Nonetheless, all the best for your child's application!

Hi all. Anyone attended Open hse today?


How was it?

Hi everybody. Would like to share my experience as a SST parent especially since Open House has just concluded.


Hopes this helps parents interested in applying to SST

SST admits strictly based on DSA process only. Therefore criteria is more broad based.

The fundamental thing is your child must be interested in STEAM fields as well as applied and interdisciplinary learning.

<Update: SST is now accepting applications. For more info, please visit school website, http://www.sst.edu.sg/admission/admission-process/

There are 2 phases.
Phase 1: GAT&CRT test + Portfolio review + Holistic Analysis
Phase 2 : Selection Process

Applicants must pass phase 1 before going on the phase 2. SST admits up to 200 students per cohort.


The school will consider CCA and holistic development, academic performance, as well as the logical reason and potential shown in students through the GAT and CRT tests

For the selection camp, the Admissions Officers will observe and conclude who will be the best fit for SST. SST is a very fast paced environment and its focus on applied & interdisciplinary learning may not be suited for everyone.

When applying for DSA in general, I think it is important to know what your child is thinking - Are they really interested? Are they really committed/passionate to the area when applying for DSA. (In SST's case this would be STEAM education and applied and interdisciplinary learning)

Overall conclusion is submit application first showcasing your child's holistic development and interest in STEAM. No need to prepare for GAT, CRT test in my opinion. Afterall the test were designed to identify the cognitive level and reasoning level of the child and mainly logical reasoning.

Interviews, just let your child be themselves naturally. No point trying to fit a certain mould and try to bluff the admissions officers.The AOs are SST staff so they know the kind of qualities, collaboration, communication, critical thinking to look out for. These things are to hard to bluff IMO.

To sum it up, just showcase and submit portfolio, let the child be themselves. Treat the entire process as a learning experience, I think that is more important than anything else

Hopes this helps parents of Potential SST Students.

FYI : If you are interested to know more, head over to the SST related forums. There is a SST Main thread discussing more about SST and a \"SST vs NUSH\" thread focusing on the differences between the 2 schools. Hope this helps

CeciliaANG:

How about the average criteria to get into SST?

Was at Open House 2017. SST admits strictly based on DSA process only. Therefore criteria is more broad based.

The fundamental thing is your child must be interested in STEAM fields as well as applied and interdisciplinary learning.

The school will consider CCA and holistic development, academic performance, as well as the logical reason and potential shown in students through the GAT and CRT tests

For the selection camp, the Admissions Officers will observe and conclude who will be the best fit for SST. As discussed, SST is a very fast paced envrionment and its focus on applied & interdisciplinary learning may not be suited for everyone.

Overall conclusion is submit application first showcasing your child's holistic development and interest in STEAM. No need to prepare for GAT, CRT test in my opinion. Afterall the test were designed to identify the cognitive level and reasoning level of the child and mainly logical reasoning.

Interviews, just let your child be themselves naturally. No point trying to fit a certain mould and try to bluff the admissions officers.The AOs are SST staff so they know the kind of qualities, collaboration, communication, critical thinking to look out for. These things are to hard to bluff IMO.

To sum it up, just showcase and submit portfolio, let the child be themselves. Treat the entire process as a learning experience, I think that is more important than anything else

kwcllf:

thinkie.lee:

Hi all. It has been a few years since SST and NUSH has been established. So I hope to weigh in on this issue which was discussed aeons ago and provide a more holistic perspective.


I do know parents who have sent their children to NUSH, while my own child is in SST. I will try to make this comparison as constructive as possible.

There are 2 key main differences being the qualifications and curriculum. I must emphasize SST and NUSH are 2 very good schools who have niches in different areas

SST is very much applied and interdisciplinary based while NUSH, as mentioned, is still very academic based. Both require strong foundations in the Sciences and both schools cater to different learning styles.

So it is important to consider what kind of your learning style is most suitable for your child. This was the consideration I had when deciding with my child to which school he should apply to.

With regards to qualifications part, NUSH offers a diploma while SST offers O level.

There was some discussion on which path SST Students will take after SST.
The answer is that the paths taken are very very diverse. Some go onto Poly to study various subjects such as Engineering, Film and Biotechnology (they offer Applied Subjects at SST which are taught by Ngee Ann), others go to JC in both arts and sciences stream and they head over to uni. My opinion is that the SST curriculum allows students to be more flexible in a certain sense to decide which educational pathway.

On the other end, the NUSH diploma has its own merits as well ( as discussed), the diploma is well grounded in the academia side of the sciences and of course, NUSH Diploma holders also head over to uni.Nothing much to elaborate here because it's a pretty straightforward route to uni for those with NUSH Diploma

Both schools have strong credentials and track records. They are also well supported, NUSH obviously by NUS while SST is supported by Ngee Ann Poly, NTU and lately SUTD.

So ultimately, it is up to your child's learning style. Both schools have their perks and they have their differences, so ultimately it's up to the child to decide which school's curriculum really appeals to them. I hope this has been helpful and constructive for all those parents who are in still deciding on the \"NUSH vs SST\" debate.

Noting that this is a NUSH thread, do head over to the SST thread if you want to know more about SST and I will be happy to answer questions

Agree with what thinkie said, but I would like to add a little bit more.

SST, as mentioned, is very Science and Maths based. In Secondary 3 when students choose their subject combination, the school only offers combined Humanities (ie, social studies, which is compulsory + either History or Geography).

Chemistry is compulsory. The other science subject can be either Physics or Biology. Students also choose from one of the applied subjects which are computing, biotechnology, design studies and electronics.

If you think of sending you DC to polytechnics, then the applied subjects will give them the edge over students from other national schools. Basically, theses subjects taught by Ngee Ann Polytechnic will give them a leg up.

Of course, as mentioned, SST students can also opt to proceed to JCs if they don't want the polytechnic route.

To add on, according to the latest statistics, about 55% go on the JCs for A level or IB programme and about 45% goes to poly.

Was at Open House 2017 today and managed to talk to P,VP as well as the Alumni.The general feedback from those who go onto JC is that because SST's curriculum is both applied and interdisciplinary, it sets a very broad based education for the students to go onto JC, especially when they do GP, PW and their subjects. Many of them also opt for additional H2 subjects or H3 science or research projects

There are some who also went on to the do the social sciences and art stream, doing very well as well. The general feedback is because of the programs in places, students understand that their knowledge, does have real world implications and therefore being exposed to the \"real world\" since young, it also aids them in the Humanities and Social Sciences, allowing them to excel.

There is an obvious advantage for those who go onto Polytechnic. Fast paced and project based environment similar to SST. Of course they also do very well, producing many scholars and valedictorians for courses.

So, using these \"stats\" reported by School Leadership as well as my own interactions, my personal conclusion is that the school prepares well for the future. It's up to the child to decide. Afterall, SST admits \"university bound\" students

hweecheng71117:

Hi,can i know of there is a talk at SST open house? :

Hi hweecheng71117

There will be talks and activities for SST Open House

(Edit: In my son's words, there will be \"Tons of activities\" including Student Panel and CCA showcase/experience etc. All information is inside the SST Open House App. In addition one of SST's strategic partners, the Singapore University of Technology and Design,SUTD will be there with their mobile fabrication lab. SST partners with SUTD on a wide range of activities so if you are interested in applied and interdisciplinary learning at the Tertiary level and how SST prepares \"university bound\" students for life in the future, do check them out!)

Principal Talk:

9am to 9:30am
11am to 11:30am
1:00 pm to 1:30pm
3:00 pm to 3:30pm

Hands on activities:
10:30 to 11:30 am
12:30 to 1:30pm
2pm to 3pm
3:30pm to 4:30pm

Do check the SST Student Council Instagram for updates and coverage of the event through IG stories ( I know this since my child is part of Open House Student Ambassadors)

Link: https://www.instagram.com/sstudents.life/

You may also wish to download the SST Open House Companion App (#SSTOH17) from the App Store and Play Store. The app does include the map, faq and recommended itineraries based on duration spent at Open House

Download from Apple Store : https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sstoh17/id1239816329?mt=8

Download from Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sst.sstopenhouse2017

Hope this helps and the information isn't too late!

Head over to the SST thread if you have any questions and I am willing to share my experiences with SST as a parent!

Hi everyone just to update on SST Open House as my DS is there


SST Open House 2017 on 27 May

The Student Council Just Recently Launched their Instagram and are posting relevant updates about the Open House there.

Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/sstudents.life/

Open House Map: https://www.instagram.com/p/BUO-ygUl2r5 ... dents.life

Just to update this thread since its not active as it is before


SST Open House 2017 on 27 May

The Student Council Just Recently Launched their Instagram and are posting relevant updates there.

Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/sstudents.life/

Open House Map: https://www.instagram.com/p/BUO-ygUl2r5/?taken-by=sstudents.life

phtthp:

thinkie.lee:

Hi all! Just to share


SST Open House 2017 is on 27 May 2017!!

on Open house day (Sat, 27 May 2017) : will they demo some Science experiments, for P6 students to hands-on, inside SST Science laboratory ?

Open House will usually have Such Demos, can tour labs also if I'm not mistaken. Demo usually got time so must check the relevant pages to confirm.

Just head over to Science Hub to tour Science facilities, though don't miss out touring the entire campus at large and interacting with both students and teachers.

Personal opinion is that the school if like an incubator, students discover their passion/interest in their 4 years.
Some move on to Poly to focus on Media, Architecture.
Some move to Academia for the sciences - research.
Some move on to social sciences and policy studies because of the interdisciplinary framework (how does science affect society? - I find this kind of questions really good because it expands students views and allows them to really consider and take a stand about the issue.

For instance, my son recently shared with me that his physics class was doing electricity and they were discussing on the sources of electricity for homes. The class discussed about alternatives for powering cities ie nuclear, algae, their impacts and whether they are suitable for SG)

To clarify, SST Subject Combi for Os is the following;


EL (compulsory)
MTL (Compulsory)
E-Math (Compulsory)
A-Math (Compulsory)
Chem (Compulsory)
Phy/Bio (Choose 1)
Social Studies + Geog/Hist (Combined Humanities, Compulsory to take SS. Choose Geog/Hist elective)
Applied Subjects : Biotech, Electronics, Design, Computing (Choose 1)

Triple Science takes all 3 sciences –> Chem , Phy, Bio