Sannie:

Any parents with a child exempted from Mother tongue with a foreign language in lieu studying in SOTA? I have some questions.

Hi I was a graduate who was exempted, feel free to message me!

limws1:

I think SOTA still based its selection criteria more on academic results than artistic talents. Adopting the IB system, it needs students who can do well academically in order to do well in IB.

Hi, IB Graduate here. Yes it is important because the IB system is actually getting much more difficult as compared to previous years due to Singapore holding a very large majority of the perfect scores. Not only is there a reputation to keep, they must also ensure the students are able to cope with the relatively demanding programme.

Allswell:

I would appreciate your feedback on tamil as second language in the IB program. There seems to be quite abit of mandarin materials for IB preparation but I can't find any tamil self help or assessment books in the bookstore for the tamil standard IB program. Firstly Where can I find materials for Tamil? Secondly if the child is scoring about 60 - 70 at MTL in primary school, is it easy to cope for IB? What is the standard like? And how do you think the child can prepare for it? Thanks.

Hi, SOTA graduate here. Based on your query as to where to find study materials for the IB program it wouldn't be easy but the school does a fair good amount of work into giving the student what they need. Most of the materials you find in regular bookstores may not be part of the IB curriculum and hence, your best option is to ask the teachers for them.

60-70 is pretty decent but the IB programme is relatively different from regular programmes so there are variations. The IB is very demanding and gruelling but with consistent effort and perseverance, its not all that bad. You don't really have much to worry about the IB, not at least until Year 5 and 6. Other than that, it would just be regular schooling.

SKGDADDY:

Hi all


I wanted to know if they consider the P4~P6 results in SOTA. My child is in local school. Do they need to appear for any written test or it willl be only TA trial which decides the admission?

Also can any one shed light on Theatres and public speaking/ oratory arts TA in SOTA

To my knowledge, the new admission requirements need to show students are academically capable to manage. They don't need to be exemplary scholars but it does help if you show that your child is academically capable. If your child is looking into doing public speaking, I honestly would say don't bother to go to SOTA? The theatre curriculum is wideset and expansive, it moves past generic drama class and goes into appreciation of the art's history. The practitioner aspect does improve its students, but that's also subjective to how a student chooses to improve. Its also far past just simple acting class, it has theory presentations, reflectionary journals and directive notebooks. SOTA doesn't have an Oratory arts component unfortunately.

SKGDADDY:

Hi all


I wanted to know if they consider the P4~P6 results in SOTA. My child is in local school. Do they need to appear for any written test or it willl be only TA trial which decides the admission?

Also can any one shed light on Theatres and public speaking/ oratory arts TA in SOTA

To my knowledge, the new admission requirements need to show students are academically capable to manage. They don't need to be exemplary scholars but it does help if you show that your child is academically capable. If your child is looking into doing public speaking, I honestly would say don't bother to go to SOTA? The theatre curriculum is wideset and expansive, it moves past generic drama class and goes into appreciation of the art's history. The practitioner aspect does improve its students, but that's also subjective to how a student chooses to improve. Its also far past just simple acting class, it has theory presentations, reflectionary journals and directive notebooks. SOTA doesn't have an Oratory arts component unfortunately.

taurbear:

Reaching out to any parents willing to share how it has been like for students who are in the Music program. Do PM me as I like to understand the curriculum for the art form and if it would allow the child to continue to explore his interest in Maths.


thank you in advance!

I understand you're asking on behalf of parents, but I have a good idea on how music students feel based on my music friends telling me about it. Generally the curriculum is demanding, it encompasses a large area of music history and there's always constant practice in the early years. The curriculum looks to allowing their students to create their own original pieces near the end of the year, although it seems to be a fact that a large majority of music students end up dropping their art form to attend double science.

jangoh:

Mitochondria:

Feel free to ask any more questions if you wish.

That is very informative, thanks. Do you have info to share about the experience for those in visual arts please?

Visual arts works around different modules, primarily painting, drawing, sculpture and digital arts. Although, these specialization are only assigned/taken up in the later years. Year 1 - 2 is primarily exploring and as I've heard, there's a lot of portfolio work. The final assessments encompass about an entire year's worth of work so its a constant compilation.

raisintan:

Hi,


Does anyone have insight into the quality of IB program at SOTA? At the end of Year 6, they will pitch against other IB kids in (according to some) more established IB schools like ACS and MGS. Question is are the SOTA kids as well prepared as other IB kids? Any views?

In response to this, SOTA employs a \"Train Hard, Fight Easy\" mentality. Of course we can never really pin down exactly what the test will give us, but in comparison to other schools, SOTA looks more into encouraging its students to get used to working very hard to get what they want. A lot of guidance is given but I would definitely say they make our lives a little harder compared to those schools. In hindsight, it really does help the transition into University.

tomatocellulose:

Dear kanekii,


I am a SOTA student and although I am not from the Theatre Faculty, from the conversations I have had with my Theatre friends (I am entering Year 5 next year) it can get extremely hectic, especially for the performing arts students. This is usually due to the rehearsals that they have to do for their upcoming performances, mostly school related (Although we had Body of Land which was at the Esplanade last year!).......

In regards to this post, it's not wrong. I'm keeping this short and sweet and answering your questions as efficiently as possible.

1.

kanekii:

is it easier to join in Year 2 or Year 3 for Theatre?

I recommend joining as early as possible. There are a lot of skill taught in year 2 that are crucial to performing at least decently in year 4. Such examples include 'Realism' and 'Brecht' theatre forms. In year 4, we were asked to make a monologue following those forms.

2.

kanekii:

do i need to have a very detailed portfolio to transfer in Year 2 or 3?

No. I came in with one year of drama club. It lies on your skill or potential/eagerness to learn. Some of the best actors in our year were on waiting list. Not because of talent, because of their lack of eagerness. The key here is to understand what the interview wants to achieve. It wants to know the student, not the talent.

Although, a pretty portfolio wouldn't hurt. Make sure to compile it nicely and word it properly.

3.

kanekii:

is it hard to fit into SOTA? this is one thing i've been pondering actually :scratchhead:
what are the students like in SOTA?

Not hard at all, we had three new students come into year 5 and they've all settled in quickly and well. Students in SOTA are quite vast, as each individual is unique on its own. If there's anything I should note, I believe everyone is just relatively accepting of everyone. Its not the kind of place where you would be bullied for being homosexual. Of course, as with any school, drama and personal issues come up, but that's subjective to you and your group of friends.

4.

Kanekii:

also last of all, what is the curriculum like in SOTA? i heard that the hours are long but is it really very tough and stressful?

Curriculum in the lower years (as far as I know) have changed from what I went through. For starters, on top of math and science, you will take literature. Not english, literature. Here's a small list of the subjects you would likely be taking.
- Literature: a study of texts and poetry, it aims to analyse and understand. You'll be tested on your knowledge of books as well as how well you can interpret a poem in both meaning and structure. That's just a basic description, there's more to it.

- Math: Standard, it doesn't really digress from the norm.

- Science: In the lower years, you're taking a basic science that consists of chemistry, physics and biology. In year 3 to 4, you will be taking chemistry, along with either bio or physics (note that you can jump straight into only one science if you wish). In year 5, you can pick one.

- ExE: Basically P.E class

- Mother Tongue: Standard, unless you're exempted from MT

- Geography and History: We used to take a mix of everything (Geography, History, Anthropology, Economics) in one subject known as IHSS. But its changed now, you may have the option of taking only Geog or history in year 5 and above. Standard learning as with most secondary schools.

- ELCT: This tests mainly on critical thinking skills, and this is exclusive to the IB programme. It entails analysis of ethical situations, as it looks at world issues (such as censorship, discriminations, ethical situations) and requires the student to approach this with a clear mind.

- Art Form (Theatre): Unlike drama club, and what they don't specify enough during open houses, is that there is a LOT of theory involved. Much so that by the time you hit year 5, theory increases two fold, and you are only given one performance showcase in year 5 and one more in year 6. Year 4 is the time to shine with those performances, so give it your all there.


In the lower years, i would say you still have a lot of free time. It really starts to take over starting year 4, and by year 5, you would have at least pulled a month's worth of all nighters (if you're lazy and an underachiever like me). I would say that it is very stressful, especially now with the actual IB exam looming over me. But if you take it one step at a time and pace yourself, I would say that you can do it. After all, we've had at least 10% of a cohort achieve the highest possible marks for IB (a 45) and its growing every year.

The school does aim to compensate late hours, and homework is lesser compared to standard secondary schools. The projects do require a lot of effort though, and time management is crucial if you want to at least have the mental strength to get through the IB years. Sleep is another thing, and that's up to you. Teachers sometimes compensate if rehearsal hours are late for theatre students (allowing them to come at 10:15 with their permission), although the dance faculty does this almost every day with no complaint. The school does a decent job of preparing you however, you'll get used to it eventually.

Feel free to ask any more questions if you wish.