Troubles with O's but hope to go JC

• FireIce

  14 Jan 15, 22:45

  pls take some time to go through the post in the official thread

• qdtimes2

  14 Jan 15, 23:48

  Originally posted by ExpoldinTurnipman:

  Sorry for asking for help at such a late hour but I really need it and really hope informed and experienced people in the forums can help me out here..

  I did badly for 2014 Os,missing my expected target of 8 (by my school and leself),getting 10 for L1R5 , minus 3 cus CCA -1, HMT pass B3

  Here is a breakdown of my results

  Eng-B3 , looks bad but actually my written english isn't , at worst it is average person standard (wrt to my school , tanjong katong sec ) , flunk cus I was left with 30 min to write compo

  Combined Humanities - A2 (the bell curve is honestly very low my class avg during prelims was fail, me included and I barely studied,only the day before full force )

  Geography - A1

  E-math - A1

  Amath - A2 (dissapointing cus I never got below 84 in school before , common test and smaller test always full marks )

  Physics - A1

  Chem - A2 ( pajiao and read 5 questions wrongly , wasting 15 marks )

  HMT - B3 , i believe the bell curve is low cus i didnt get above C5 in school before, maybe its the lucky situational writing topic

  My comments about my results aren't to show off (after all my o lvl marks are fixed ) its rather to give you all an idea of my academic performance in school with respect to the individual topics .

  I generally like studying almost everything except for bio and am prejudiced against lit and would prefer not to take it. Like most people, I like reading history and watching history related things but dislike the notion of having to memorise the entire subject, on the other hand I like analysing statistics and political cartoons and offering my opinion on them.

  Here are some of the schools I am considering , the top being most desireable

  1. National JC Sciences 5 - kinda try hard , yolo -1 hr trip

  2. National JC Arts - 7 , not sure if this is what i should pursue ? What are some negatives to taking arts ? Because i like the school,but im more of the standard math and science person, except im ok with humanities

  3.Temasek JC Sciences / Meridian JC Sciences

  TJ Pros:

   

  • Temasek because it has been in top 5 for quite some time and is more prestigious-ish , also the 100% admission to local university is enticing
  • I also like a study-centric atmostphere because i'm rather anti-social. 

   

  Worries for TJ :

   

  • Enter the worst class in TJ due to cut-off point
  • Tj is deproving,and is the furthest from my house with a travel time of 1hr 8min.
  • Tj focuses more on IP programme people because the teachers have already build rapport with those students

   

   

  Meridian pros : 

   

  • 6th in SG , 95% into local uni is acceptable
  • Will enter the better classes of meridian and receive better education-better teachers assigned to the 101 classes
  • Very near my house , 20 plus mins bus to meridian doorstep

  Meridian cons:

  • Excessively stressful- too much rigour, excessive workloads, not sure if its a decent amount for a jc , please enlighten me here
  • High l1r5 people might be too slack- affect competitive atmostphere? cut off point is 9
  • Retain rate is extremely high , scared that I am vulnerable
  • Exam paper - is it the right standards ? My senior says its very easy , but he still fails , so I'm at a lost here
  • Too hyper and too much social interaction ? 

  4. Anderson JC

  Pros:

  • Better academically than nanyang , for my points thats the only other choice I guess.Academically ok-ish
  • Decently near - 30/40 mins

  Cons:

  Read in forums math paper is overkill and demoralising - I like challenges but setting papers which are not reflective of A level standards are a sign that their methods of teaching may be ineffective

  
  

  5. Nanyang JC

  Pros:

  late start , decent school in terms of facilities , results so so 90% admission into local univeristy , very near like Meridian -20mins by mrt

  Cons: 

  Very lenient ,leading to students being way to lax and not being pushed enough to study extremely hard ( like MJ)

  Affiliated schools mean that more of higher l1r5 people can get into nanyang jc-again slack ? 
  
  The above comments are not intended to criticise or mock anyone, i dont think i did well so i most definitely dont deserve to do so . No offence to the individual jcs, Im just thinking i need to express all of my concerns clearly so that they can be properly addressed . Thank you

  
  

  Additional concerns :

  I am interested in architecture - so any specific subject combi i should take note of ?

  Is there a need to take geography ?

  Distance- Is it really that important ? Ofc im human and it is tiring and annoying having to go home late and wake up early , but i have done it for 4 years going to TK-and though i dont like it, it was the best school i could enter with my mediocre psle results

  Thank you for reading this extremely lengthy writing and I express my sincere gratitude to those who can help me address my concerns , all inputs are greatly appreciated ! 

   

   

  Originally posted by ExpoldinTurnipman:

  Sorry for asking for help at such a late hour but I really need it and really hope informed and experienced people in the forums can help me out here..

  I did badly for 2014 Os,missing my expected target of 8 (by my school and leself),getting 10 for L1R5 , minus 3 cus CCA -1, HMT pass B3

  Here is a breakdown of my results

  Eng-B3 , looks bad but actually my written english isn't , at worst it is average person standard (wrt to my school , tanjong katong sec ) , flunk cus I was left with 30 min to write compo

  Combined Humanities - A2 (the bell curve is honestly very low my class avg during prelims was fail, me included and I barely studied,only the day before full force )

  Geography - A1

  E-math - A1

  Amath - A2 (dissapointing cus I never got below 84 in school before , common test and smaller test always full marks )

  Physics - A1

  Chem - A2 ( pajiao and read 5 questions wrongly , wasting 15 marks )

  HMT - B3 , i believe the bell curve is low cus i didnt get above C5 in school before, maybe its the lucky situational writing topic

  My comments about my results aren't to show off (after all my o lvl marks are fixed ) its rather to give you all an idea of my academic performance in school with respect to the individual topics .

  I generally like studying almost everything except for bio and am prejudiced against lit and would prefer not to take it. Like most people, I like reading history and watching history related things but dislike the notion of having to memorise the entire subject, on the other hand I like analysing statistics and political cartoons and offering my opinion on them.

  Here are some of the schools I am considering , the top being most desireable

  1. National JC Sciences 5 - kinda try hard , yolo -1 hr trip

  2. National JC Arts - 7 , not sure if this is what i should pursue ? What are some negatives to taking arts ? Because i like the school,but im more of the standard math and science person, except im ok with humanities

  3.Temasek JC Sciences / Meridian JC Sciences

  TJ Pros:

   

  • Temasek because it has been in top 5 for quite some time and is more prestigious-ish , also the 100% admission to local university is enticing
  • I also like a study-centric atmostphere because i'm rather anti-social. 

   

  Worries for TJ :

   

  • Enter the worst class in TJ due to cut-off point
  • Tj is deproving,and is the furthest from my house with a travel time of 1hr 8min.
  • Tj focuses more on IP programme people because the teachers have already build rapport with those students

   

   

  Meridian pros : 

   

  • 6th in SG , 95% into local uni is acceptable
  • Will enter the better classes of meridian and receive better education-better teachers assigned to the 101 classes
  • Very near my house , 20 plus mins bus to meridian doorstep

  Meridian cons:

  • Excessively stressful- too much rigour, excessive workloads, not sure if its a decent amount for a jc , please enlighten me here
  • High l1r5 people might be too slack- affect competitive atmostphere? cut off point is 9
  • Retain rate is extremely high , scared that I am vulnerable
  • Exam paper - is it the right standards ? My senior says its very easy , but he still fails , so I'm at a lost here
  • Too hyper and too much social interaction ? 

  4. Anderson JC

  Pros:

  • Better academically than nanyang , for my points thats the only other choice I guess.Academically ok-ish
  • Decently near - 30/40 mins

  Cons:

  Read in forums math paper is overkill and demoralising - I like challenges but setting papers which are not reflective of A level standards are a sign that their methods of teaching may be ineffective

  
  

  5. Nanyang JC

  Pros:

  late start , decent school in terms of facilities , results so so 90% admission into local univeristy , very near like Meridian -20mins by mrt

  Cons: 

  Very lenient ,leading to students being way to lax and not being pushed enough to study extremely hard ( like MJ)

  Affiliated schools mean that more of higher l1r5 people can get into nanyang jc-again slack ? 
  
  The above comments are not intended to criticise or mock anyone, i dont think i did well so i most definitely dont deserve to do so . No offence to the individual jcs, Im just thinking i need to express all of my concerns clearly so that they can be properly addressed . Thank you

  
  

  Additional concerns :

  I am interested in architecture - so any specific subject combi i should take note of ?

  Is there a need to take geography ?

  Distance- Is it really that important ? Ofc im human and it is tiring and annoying having to go home late and wake up early , but i have done it for 4 years going to TK-and though i dont like it, it was the best school i could enter with my mediocre psle results

  Thank you for reading this extremely lengthy writing and I express my sincere gratitude to those who can help me address my concerns , all inputs are greatly appreciated ! 

   

   

  Your points about those jc are pretty valid, you did your research well. im from mjc 4/5 years ago so take it with a pinch of salt.

   

  Firstly I don't think you should worry about their % rate admission to uni. I wouldn't worry about difficult exam papers also, because it doesn't really affect anything unless you are applying for scholarships etc that makes use of your prelim results. 

   

  So here's what I can say or add on about mjc with reference to your points: 

   

  1.    It's true that the school hours are long. Even if it is not long, there will likely be make-up tutorials or additional remedial for you. So the worst, longest period will be 7/8am - 5.30pm! (last period is typically P.E. lesson,). Otherwise, it will be like until 2/3/4 pm on normal days. On the CCA day (should still be wednesday), lessons will be like from 9am to 12.30pm.

   

  2.    Despite all the ungodly hours, I guess it's kind of true that you won't be pushed, depending on your tutors. Like, you can still choose to pon the extra lessons afterall what. But I doubt you will do that. And the principal of mjc, who I believe to be the pillar of the school, has just left too. She was always the one who push and scold students for slacking and not perservering. 

   

  3.    The exam papers are kind of hard. If cambridge wants to suddenly dish out some difficult papers, that difficulty would be about it. The difficulty of mjc papers given to you tend to decrease over time as you move on. The physics and math department (math dept rocks) are more lenient. Chemistry dept (some handful of good tutors inside) is hard too, but then afterall, the a lvl papers since 2010 are equally crazy. With those level of difficulty, it's not surprising to fail many many times you know. I tried AJC's math paper before, the difficulty is ridiculous. It will probably take at least 6 hrs for me to finish (supposed to finish in 3 hrs each). But if the difficulty of the papers are not suitable for you, you can always outsource from other jcs mah.

   

  4.    I'm kind of anti-social but I love the hyper enviroment there, so I dunno about you...besides, you are not obliged to participate in the high-ness in those events, other than Orientation (it's fun!). 

   

  5.    Retainment rate - to me it's not high like most other ppl say. I only know a few (I estimate 10+ ish ppl) who got retained. They will always moderate your marks before recommending you for retainment. After you kena, you and your parents will need to see the tutor, and if worse, the principal. Then you will get a qualifying test as a chance. I'm not sure what happens if you fail the test, if I put it nicely, it would probably be that they will suggest you to retain. To put it badly, it could also be that they will psycho you to retain. To put it realistically, there are pros and cons of retaining to consider. Normally people like us will score around 40-50+ for a subject. The danger zone is that if you score like 0-30 for most of your content subjects. 

   

  6.    And if you want the competitive atmosphere, the few s100+ class series (they are 4 H2s people btw) are probably the one. But I would find it quite sad. 

• Shootme

  15 Jan 15, 00:14

  @ExpoldinTurnipman

  According to NUS:http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/apply/local/prerequisites/BYA-prerequisites.html

  Architecture: H1 pass in Chemistry or Mathematics or Physics; OR pass in 'O' level Additional Mathematics. (so yea, you have already attained the prerequisite for architecture)

  The JCs will divide students according to their subject combinations, so there is not best class or worst class.

  lol, why are you even comparing the University admission statistics? Better JCs have higher admission rate because their students are smarter, comparing them is like you saying that people living in landed properties are generally richer than those in HDBs.

  Yes, distance matters. You will not have enough sleep time in JCs, especially when you are in J2. I would advise you to go for the JC nearer to your house so that you have more time to sleep or revise. Last minute study would not work in JC since you have mentioned you did that for your O level.

  
  JC is just a stepping stone to university,

• floraet

  15 Jan 15, 00:22

  Haha my sch just turned ip, so it's cop raised from 247 to like 255 or sth Btw I'm sure you'll do fine!
• KillingUrFeelings4

  15 Jan 15, 13:46

  Honestly if you are willing to work hard I don't see why not . I graduated from Jurong west sec and our current principal was the VP of pjc and he shared stories to the school of his students who scored 17-19 for Os but managed AAB/B for A levels so I think it's alright uh honestly . about your English , I'll have to admit it's not going to be easy for sure cause gp is very demanding but it requires you to be well read and be able to give your opinions and what not . You still have a year to improve so I really think it's fine as long as you are willing to work hard 

• YctLeong

  15 Jan 15, 13:54

  Anybody going to Pjc next year ? :D

• Yuen Theng Chu Noelle추유엔텡

  26 Jan 15, 18:38

  @yctleong. Im going pjc next year hopefully. I put it as second choice, cjc my first, but pjc is like 10 mins away from my house. Cjc is 40 mins. Are you going pjc too? Xp we may be classmates haha

• a mugger

  26 Jan 15, 21:46

  Originally posted by KillingUrFeelings4:

  Honestly if you are willing to work hard I don't see why not . I graduated from Jurong west sec and our current principal was the VP of pjc and he shared stories to the school of his students who scored 17-19 for Os but managed AAB/B for A levels so I think it's alright uh honestly . about your English , I'll have to admit it's not going to be easy for sure cause gp is very demanding but it requires you to be well read and be able to give your opinions and what not . You still have a year to improve so I really think it's fine as long as you are willing to work hard 

  Guys,if you are going for Pj,take the abovementioned advice seriously. I am a senior from Jj in 2014 cohort,but I want to tell you that 17-19 pointers,can even excel in A levels!! I am a 17 pointer but yet to receive my results from my Jc,but I am actually targeting the AAB/B for A levels and A for Gp if possible.

  Short advice for you guys is:1.make as many mistakes as you can in school

  2.learn from them,ask teachers/best friends for help

  3.redo/ do a question that tests the similar concept

  4.keep repeating 1-3

   

  If you guys really desperate to score 4-5As as a 17 pointer,it's feasible!! One of the Pjcian from the 2010 cohort,managed a 5As for his A levels and was one of the few neighbourhood Jc students,that made it into pharmacy in NUS.Although,he is preparing to leave to Adelaide to study medicine after spending 1 year there.He is a friend of mine,just my two cents.

  Any of you wish to talk to him more,send me a pm~~

   

• fireflycns

  27 Jan 15, 20:28

  You will have to know that JC is more academical while Poly life is really where you have to be independent and have lots more hands-on opportunities. Both tracks will definitely be tough and if you're still not sure what you want in life, maybe JC will be good for you, especially if you plan on going university as chances will be higher. Most people who go poly will already know what they want in life or will study a course to pursue their interest. Hope you'll get into the school you want for the postings this thursday! (: 

• Spire Tutors | Agency

  16 Feb 15, 13:36

  Many paths to uni -poly, JC are 2 of the most common.

• jpe

  8 Apr 15, 23:12

  enough

• Crimson red ops

  17 May 15, 22:34

  I think its important to know what subjects you like most and whether these are offered at JC or poly - having an interest will help you power through your understanding of the subjects and work through all the challenging problems!

  Actually, speaking of problems - do any of you face problems with homework? Newspapers say that schools give like up to 9 hours worth of homework?! Anyone really experiencing that???

• weehunbronze

  31 May 15, 17:07

  .

• weehunbronze

  31 May 15, 17:12

  .

• weehunbronze

  31 May 15, 17:17

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• weehunbronze

  31 May 15, 17:22

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• Xiao Miao

  17 Jun 15, 17:39

  I think ou should just go JC. Poly hard to go uni. but why you die die want go uni le?

• FireIce

  17 Jun 15, 17:39

  no go uni got future?