jtoh:

If schools do not entertain appeals and transfers, that would put a stop to the 'choping' syndrom. But parents being as kiasu as they are will probably come up with alternative loopholes.

I agree that the schools have a major part to play by allowing the transfers to take place. Parents' natural instinct is to find the best for their kids. But the top schools also has no hesitation when it comes to grabbing the best students despite knowing the MOE ruling and that the applicant has already accepted a DSA offer . Some actually reserve a number of places for such appeal process.

I know a mainstream girl who accepted NJC's dsa offer. Her PSLE results turn out to be 276. Appealed to RGS. They took her in and placed her in class with GEP students.

octopusmum:

thks for all the replies.

my ds is quite interested to go to NUSH, perhaps after hearing me saying that he can skip both O and A levels... His Maths and Science results r quite strong (as compared to his languages). which is why i think NUSH will be suitable for him. of course, he is also interested in the 2 subjects. headache now is to decide whether to go for DSA to NUSH or other schools (like NJC) or don't go for DSA at all. Though NUSH is a v good school, i am not sure if it is too early to \"confirm\" that he will not do well in humanities and thus put him to a school that is so specialised in Maths and Science only. Studying in mainstream schools will give him more choices in future, right? another thing to consider is the distance. i am staying in Toa Payoh so dh is concerned that ds has to travel quite a dist to get to NUSH should he be there....sigh!
also, there is another decision, should we go for DSA at all? though his results are okay, but he has no fantastic CCAs.....initially, i didn't consider DSA but now , i am worried what if he didn't do well in PSLE:(

regards
octopusmum

To apply for dsa or not?

If your child is above average, I would suggest to apply dsa for 1 or 2 schools. To rely solely on PSLE is like cutting off one avenue when you have 2 to get into a IP school. Relying only on PSLE is fine when child is strong in 3 or 4 PSLE subjects. It is known that someone strong in maths and science but weak in languages may not get PSLE score that meets the COP of IP schools.

I know of a number of students who entered via dsa and did not meet the PSLE COP of the schools. Many of them are now also doing better than others who entered with PSLE of 260+.

When you accept a school's dsa offer and then your PSLE score turns out to be higher than COP for another preferred school, you can always appeal to transfer to that preferred school. There were many such cases and many have gotten their transfer.

No fantastic CCA ?
I don't know about other schools, but I think for NUSH your CCA will have little weightage. It would help if he has maths olympic awards but many who entered also do not have such maths awards and other maths awardees have also been rejected by school.

Toa Payoh is far ?
You are lucky to be in Toa Payoh. It is like in the central of singapore. I know of students who travel to NUSH from hougang, sengkang, Simei, tampines and east coast. When circle line is complete, it will be easier to go from Toa Payoh to Bona Vista.

octopusmum:

Hi

Also is NUS High more for GEP students?

rgds
octopusmum

Nephew is currently in NUSH. He gave this as the profile of his class:

Class size 24, Foreign students 4, GEP 9, non GEP 11. So like mjl said, there is a fair mix of gep and non gep students.

My guess is that this ratio is similar in most IP schools (except RI ). However, the absolute total number of gep students in NUSH is probably the lowest given that their intake is only 170 and being a specialised school it tend to appeal to a smaller interest group.

MdmKS:

Date of DSA test among the various school may coincide. Such as HCI phase II DSA test date and NUSH camp date. Can experience parents pls advise anyway to work around such situation, if not have to give up one. what if the one which we choose to attend turn up to be unsuccessful?

I think it depends on which school you ask. Heard that HCI would arrange for a alternative timing. Not sure how they would do it as NUSH camp is now a full day event. It used to 2 half days. It is unlikely that NUSH would have a alternative date for their camp. Unlike a selection test, their camp involve a lot of prep, activities and group projects.

2 years ago, I asked RI on a clash of dates with their half day selection test and NUSH camp. RI said you have to decide which event you want to attend. Not sure if they will give the same response this year. Note that this year one of the RI half day selection test also falls on 24 July.

jtoh:

The math olympiads are different in levels of difficulty. The RI one is especially difficult to score in.


The one that most schools look out for at DSA is SMOPS. Scoring Platinum or Gold gets you a foot in through the door, but you'll still have to do well in interviews and/or GAT to secure a place, depending on the school.

NUS High obviously looks at how you performed in the NMOS. Those who scored gold in NMOS are invited to the DSA camp. I think camp fees are waived.

For NUSH, if you get a gold for NMOS or platinum for SMOPS or Distinction for RI world you will be invited to the camp and fees waived. You will more or less be given a confirmed place. All other medals will have to compete like the rest. I know a girl who had bronze in SMOPS and did not make it thru the first round selection test. She joined NUSH via the PSLE route when her score was 274. There are others who have no medals at all and were able to get places via DSA.

For HCI, Platinum or Gold or Silver in SMOPS gets you invited to DSA phase 1. From what I observe, Platinum will likely get you a place in the school. But gold or silver still need to do well in the other tests and interview. Like NUSH, some SMOPS gold and silver did not get places via DSA.

csc:

phankao:

Of course I know they are having an open house and they do have every year ... but I was saying that they don't really need one bc they will not be short of applicants.

Definitely not short of applicants - BUT they are competing with the other top schools for the BEST applicants - they want the BEST of the crops -
肥水不留外人田ma!

Yes - the schools are competing for the top top tier students. These are the ones who will most likely bring them awards in olympics, debate and other competitions in the future. Example - there are about 70 platinum holders in SMOPS each year and most are boys. They are more or less evenly spread in RI/HCI/NUSH. Each of these schools will try to get as many of these type of students as they can. This is done not during the open houses but thru other direct sessions with these students.

The open houses benefit many others who go there to get a direct feel of the the school culture and environment and information on their programs. Indeed 3/4 of those going to the school open house may not land up there. From the school perspective these open house is like a branding excercise. Many top organisations continue to advertise their products and themselves even though they do not need to. Nowadays, schools are like that - a lot of marketing, branding and listing of their awards.

Heartlander:

B) HCI vs NUSHS
My son is strong in Maths & Science. While NUSHS is strong in Maths & Science, HCI is also equally strong - judging from their performance in competitions like the SMO. So the real difference maybe just in perception & branding.

I am also concerned about the recognition for the NUSHS Diploma which is not as well established. Will that be a liability?

The DSA test/camp dates for HCI & NUSHS clashes (24-Jul-10). I am torn because we have to drop one option before we even try. There is always the thought that if I drop the one that would have offered the place, while the other didn't, it would be a loss. Anyone has any advice which one to drop?

I will try to provide you some information based on my understanding of these two schools.

Recognition of the NUSH diploma:
The NUSH Diploma is now recognised by leading universities in USA, UK and Australia. Students from the pioneer batch has gained admission to Standford, MIT and other overseas university. It is also recognised by all local universities. Students from the pioneer batch have also been admitted to medical school in NUS. I think the uncertainty comes to play when you are aiming for scholarships. The ministries or organisations giving out these scholarships are not familar on how to compare the grades from NUS high vs the A levels. However I think this is a problem with the first few batches. By the time your son come to that stage, things would have sorted out.

DSA:
I would suggest that you apply to both schools. In the DSA process, one is never sure of getting admission or being shortlisted. Only the platinum holders of SMOPS are more or less sure of a place in the schools they apply. To reach the test date of HCI, your son needs to be shortlisted first.. To reach the camp of NUSH, your son needs to pass the selection test first. So why not apply both first and decide when he is selected by both schools for the 24 july events.
The NUSH test and camp focuses strongly on Maths and Science whereas the HCI test and interviews covers many areas including Chinese. One of the test is in Chinese and interviews may also be in Chinese.

Good Luck.

ycpang:

midnightspark:

Uhm, thanks for all the great replies.

One question, isn't RI a boys' school? Actually, I'm a girl but I don't mind mixed session schools or girls' school. As long as I can get into a school
And, I don't really want to go to an international school or an IB school because the fees are outrageous (or so I have heard) and the education curriculum they give is quite different to the normal IP schools.
So....any other possibilities?

Oh yeah, and one more thing.
Can anybody give tips and advises on how I should prepare for my IP admission test to VJC?? It's coming up on this Saturday, and I am totally on off guard at the moment. :?:

So yeah, still waiting for your replies.
Thanks alot

so u r a girl, you want to go to a non-SAP IP school.In this case your choices are limited to:

1. RGS
2. VJC and
3. TJC

Out of the 3 above, RGS is the most difficult as they take in most of their students from sec1 and left with very few places for sec3s.

If you are into Maths and Science, you can also try NUS High School which is also a non SAP, mixed IP school. They do have another intake at the sec 3 level. I think you need to sit for a selection test. However if you are not passionate on Maths and Science, don't try this school.

verykiasu2010:

reason for GEPpers to chose RI/HCI/RGS/NYGH is that these schools provide SBGE while NJC & NUSHS does not

There are 7 SBGE schools:

ACSI, Dunman High, HCI, NYGH, RI, RGS, NUSHS.

Info can be found on MOE website:

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/programmes/gifted-education-programme/gep-schools/

I think many choose RI/HCI/RGS/NYGH because they are more established schools. The pioneer batches of NUSHS still needs to establish consistent and proven paths to top universities and scholarships.

jtoh:

Getting into NJC and NUSHS is definitely easier. Especially for NUSHS which is purely DSA Academic only. A Math Olympiad Gold or Platinum practically guarantees you a place.

In my opinion, getting into NJC and NUSHS is not necessary easier than other schools. It all depends on the strength and attributes of the child and how well they match those sought after by each of the schools. Both NJC and NUSHS also have a smaller intake compared to other IP schools.

By looking at the number of applicants and the number of places available, one can guage the chances of getting in. In NUSH, there are about 1800 to 2000 applicants vying for 170 places. In RI, there are about 1000 + applicants vying for about 450 places.

While a platinum in math olympics almost guarantee a place, a gold does not. A gold medal holder will still need to pass the first test given in NUSHS before he can move to the camp. The test consist of maths AND science. A gold holder in math may not necessary do well in science. There are some gold awardees who do not make it pass the first round..

There are only about 70 platinum holders each year. Most schools welcome them with open arms. You will find most of them in HCI / RI / NUSH. It is not easy to be a Platinum awardee. Many GEP students do not even get a bronze even though the GEP schools send the most candidates to the maths olympics.

For the GEP students, the chances of getting into HCI and RI is actually higher than NJC and NUSHS. This is because HCI and RI (and most IP schools) have a different route for GEP students from the mainstream ones. The GEP students do not need to sit for any test and go straight to the interview round. There are also more places preallocated to the GEP students in these schools. So you find that the GEP students applying to HCI and RI focuses on preparation of the interview and portforlios whereas the others need to pass the admission tests. I understand in NJC and NUSH, there are no special route for GEP and no preallocated places for GEP - they have to compete on equal footing with the other mainstream applicants.

If you take a look at the GEP primary schools, you will find that most of them have activities to prepare their GEP students for DSA. This is virtually non existent in the mainstream schools. Indeed many students and parents from the mainstream schools are not even aware of DSA.