Should a O-Level grad choose to go to a JC or a Polytechnic?
Since many students and parents ask me this question every year, here is my opinion on the matter.
The answer is: It depends on several factors:
(a) Your method of learning;
(b) How sure you are about what you want to do as a career;
(c) Your strength in English and Mother Tongue;
(d) Which university you want to go to;
(e) Your level of self-discipline.
Let’s examine each one in detail:
(a) Your method of learning:
In general, if you learn more by reading, go to JC. If you learn more through hands-on activities and projects, go to Poly. If you learn well via both methods equally, go to part (b).
(b) How sure you are about what you want to do as a career:
In general, if you are undecided, go to JC. If you know what you want, go to
the Poly offering your course. For example, if you are sure you want to be a
physiotherapist, go to Nanyang Poly.
(c) Your strength in English and Mother Tongue:
In JC, you must take General Paper and Mother Tongue. If you are weak in English especially, you will suffer terribly in JC. In general, if you are not confident of vastly improving your English in a short time, go to Poly. Of course the Poly also expects you to write English well, but not at the level GP demands.
(d) Which university you want to go to:
If you insist on going to NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD or SUSS, please go to JC and work hard. If you go to Poly, you have to work extra hard to be the top 5 or 10% of your cohort or course, then you can be admitted to a local public university. However, SIT is a university that takes in lots of Poly grads. More than 70% of JC students make it to the local universities every year, so the chances of getting into the local universities are higher through JC than through Poly. If you go to Poly and don’t do well enough, be prepared to go to an overseas university (which is not a bad idea; don’t worry, money can be borrowed).
(e) Your level of self-discipline:
In JC, you are more supervised. Poly environment is like that of a university; you have to be more independent and responsible. I have ex-students from both sides regretting their choice, because they didn’t think about this issue.
There’s one more route that people often overlook: doing a three-year pre-university course at the Millenia Institute (MI). Bear in mind that only MI offers Management of Business and Principles of Accounting as A-level courses.
Lastly, please bear in mind that the above are just guidelines. Central to all forms of academic success is pure hard work and a thinking disposition.
I wish all O-Level graduates great success in their future endeavours.
Best Rgds,
Ilyasa
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Which one to choose? The IB or the A-levels?
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H2 PHYSICS PRACTICAL
H2 CHEMISTRY PRACTICAL
H2 BIOLOGY PRACTICAL
I’ve had the privilege of teaching and tutoring students Math and Physics in both the A-level and IB programmes, so here I’m sharing with you my sincere thoughts on the two programmes.
Whether you choose to do the IB progamme or the A-levels depends on several factors:
(1) Your method of studying.
If you are the lazy type and you prefer to just study VERY intensively for three months prior to a high-stakes exam, then do the A-levels. If you can continually work hard and can cope with the pressure of being constantly assessed, then do the IB Diploma programme. This is serious. I have a student who dropped out of IB to do the the A-levels, precisely because he was not able to cope with being continually FORMALLY assessed.
(2) The university you want to go to:
If you are Singaporean and you intend to go to a local university such as NUS or NTU, it’s better for you to do the A-Levels. This is because you will be compared only with local students performing the same exam in your country, as far as I have been informed. At the moment, a lot of local students doing the IB are from ACS (I), who only take in students who obtained a minimum score of 247 at the PSLE or those who obtained an L1R5 of 5 (incl. bonus points) at the O-Levels. So not surprisingly, the average score at ACS (I) for the IB exams last year was a whopping 41.65! Do you know that a score of 36 and above in the IB diploma exams is considered excellent by educators?
Imagine that you have obtained a score of 40 in the IB exam. In the world, you will be considered a top student. But at ACS (I), you are below average! Thus you may find yourself rejected by NUS but accepted by Oxford or Cambridge University! This weird situation was first highlighted to me by a parent of my tutee a few years ago. She regretted sending her daughter to ACS (I) because although the latter obtained a score of 38 and thus a top student for the rest of the world, she was rejected by a local university (reason being she was below average for her IB cohort) and finally applied to do teaching at the NIE as she did not want to go overseas.
Thus if you are a local student and you intend to study overseas for your degree, then by all means do the IB programme.
(3) The breadth or depth of the subjects you want to learn:
Generally, the IB programme is broader in academic scope while the A-Levels is deeper. For example, when I was covering an IB Physics class, I was surprised to discover that they also learn Astrophysics and the Carnot Cycle, topics not covered in Singapore’s A-Level H2 Physics. Thus I feel that if you want a more holistic programme, do the IB diploma as you’ll be exposed to the Theory of Knowledge as well as doing a community service project.
The above are just my personal albeit informed views. What is clear and certain is that if you DON’T have a thinking disposition, you’ll do badly in either course. Good luck. : )
Rgds,
Ilyasa, M.Ed, PGDE, ex-MOE Teacher.
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List of ‘Top’ Courses of Polytechnics (2012) in Singapore by net Cut-Off ELR2B2 aggregate
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O-LEVEL PHYSICS PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL CHEMISTRY PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL BIOLOGY PRACTICAL
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O-LEVEL SCIENCE (CHEMISTRY) PRACTICAL
O-LEVEL SCIENCE (BIOLOGY) PRACTICAL
The table below shows the list of top or popular courses of Polytechnics in Singapore by net cut-off ELR2B2 aggregate. The net ELR2B2 aggregate score includes CCA Bonus Points.
Course | Course Code | Polytechnics | 2012 JAE COP |
International Business | N85 | Ngee Ann | 6 |
International Business | S36 | Singapore | 7 |
Biomedical Science | S98 | Singapore | 8 |
Biomedical Science | N59 | Ngee Ann | 9 |
Veterinary Bioscience | N90 | Ngee Ann | 9 |
Arts Business Management | N91 | Ngee Ann | 9 |
Banking & Financial Services | N53 | Ngee Ann | 9 |
Engineering Science | N93 | Ngee Ann | 9 |
Psychology Studies | N77 | Ngee Ann | 9 |
Psychology Studies | T48 | Temasek | 9 |
Molecular Biotechnology | N49 | Ngee Ann | 10 |
Tourism & Resort Management | N72 | Ngee Ann | 10 |
Mass Communication | N67 | Ngee Ann | 10 |
Biotechnology | S72 | Singapore | 10 |
Pharmacy Science | N73 | Ngee Ann | 11 |
Accountancy | N51 | Ngee Ann | 11 |
Business Studies | N45 | Ngee Ann | 11 |
Animation & 3D Arts | N92 | Ngee Ann | 11 |
Film, Sound & Video | N82 | Ngee Ann | 11 |
Banking & Financial | S76 | Singapore | 11 |
Business Innovation and Design | S34 | Singapore | 11 |
Creative Writing for Television and New Media | S41 | Singapore | 11 |
Biomedical Science | T27 | Temasek | 11 |
Veterinary Technology | T45 | Temasek | 11 |
Business & Social Enterprise | N79 | Ngee Ann | 12 |
Child Psychology & Early Education | N86 | Ngee Ann | 12 |
Advertising & Public Relations | N87 | Ngee Ann | 12 |
Chinese Media & Communication | N88 | Ngee Ann | 12 |
Applied Chemistry with Pharmaceutical Science | S64 | Singapore | 12 |
Accountancy | S75 | Singapore | 12 |
Business Administration | S71 | Singapore | 12 |
Human resource Management with Psychology | S48 | Singapore | 12 |
Tourism & Resort Management | S55 | Singapore | 12 |
Aeromautical Engineering | S88 | Singapore | 12 |
Applied Drama and Psychology | S43 | Singapore | 12 |
Music & Audio Technology | S97 | Singapore | 12 |
Accounting & Finance | T02 | Temasek | 12 |
Aviation Management Services | T04 | Temasek | 12 |
Accountancy & Finance | C98 | Nanyang | 13 |
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering | N56 | Ngee Ann | 13 |
Hotel & Leisure Facilities Management | N40 | Ngee Ann | 13 |
Business Information Technology | N61 | Ngee Ann | 13 |
Aerospace Technology | N65 | Ngee Ann | 13 |
Optometry | N83 | Ngee Ann | 13 |
Chinese Studies | N70 | Ngee Ann | 13 |
Chemical Engineering | S70 | Singapore | 13 |
Perfumery and Cosmetic Science | S38 | Singapore | 13 |
Nutrition, Health & Wellness | S44 | Singapore | 13 |
Financial Informatics | S46 | Singapore | 13 |
Optometry | S67 | Singapore | 13 |
Media and Communication | S86 | Singapore | 13 |
Biotechnology | T31 | Temasek | 13 |
Communications & Media Management | T40 | Temasek | 13 |
Law & Management | T09 | Temasek | 13 |
Early Childhood Studies | T54 | Temasek | 13 |
Digital Forensics | T55 | Temasek | 13 |
Banking & Financial Services | C96 | Nanyang | 14 |
Dental Hygiene & Therapy | C72 | Nanyang | 14 |
Social Sciences (Social Work) | C47 | Nanyang | 14 |
Early Childhood Education | N66 | Ngee Ann | 14 |
Multimedia & Animation | N55 | Ngee Ann | 14 |
Food, Science & Technology | S47 | Singapore | 14 |
Architecture | S66 | Singapore | 14 |
Hotel & Leisure Facilities Management | S95 | Singapore | 14 |
Integrated Events & Projects Management | S50 | Singapore | 14 |
Aerospace Electronics | S90 | Singapore | 14 |
Bioengineering | S58 | Singapore | 14 |
Infocomm Security Management | S54 | Singapore | 14 |
Visual Communication and Media Design | S93 | Singapore | 14 |
Pharmaceutical Science | T25 | Temasek | 14 |
Aerospace Engineering | T51 | Temasek | 14 |
Business Intelligience & Analytics | T57 | Temasek | 14 |
Visual Communication | T24 | Temasek | 14 |
Medicinal Chemistry | C45 | Nanyang | 15 |
Pharmaceutical Sciences | C65 | Nanyang | 15 |
Mass Media Management | C93 | Nanyang | 15 |
Real Estate Business | N48 | Ngee Ann | 15 |
Sustainable Urban Design & Engineering | N89 | Ngee Ann | 15 |
Aerospace Electronics | N75 | Ngee Ann | 15 |
Audio-visual Technology | N76 | Ngee Ann | 15 |
Biomedical Engineering | N60 | Ngee Ann | 15 |
Financial Information | N81 | Ngee Ann | 15 |
Materials Science | S37 | Singapore | 15 |
Environmental Management & Water Technology | S52 | Singapore | 15 |
Engineering with Business | S42 | Singapore | 15 |
Business Information Technology | S82 | Singapore | 15 |
Digital Animation | S35 | Singapore | 15 |
Business/Logistics & Operations Management/ Marketing | T01 | Temasek | 15 |
Hospitality & Tourism Management | T08 | Temasek | 15 |
Apparel Design & Merchandising | T20 | Temasek | 15 |
Related Links:
(1) List of ‘Top’ Secondary Schools (2012) in Singapore by median PSLE aggregate score (2011)
(2) List of ‘Top’ Primary Schools (2012) based on GEP classes and Awards achieved.
(3) List of ‘Top’ Secondary School (2012) in Singapore by Cut-Off PSLE aggregate score (2011)
Ilyasa, M.Ed., PGDE, full-time tutor of Math & Physics (h/p: 97860411)
_______________________________________
TUITION CLASSES:
_______________________________________________________________
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES:
______________________________________________________________
By EX-MOE TEACHERS & EXPERIENCED TUTORS
@ BLK 644, BUKIT BATOK CENTRAL, #01-68. S(650644).
CALL 65694897 OR SMS 98530744 OR 97860411.
List of recognised or approved universities and educational institutes in Singapore
It’s heartbreaking to enrol in a degree or diploma course and to find out later that your degree or diploma is not recognised or cannot be used to be registered as a practicising professional in Singapore. So use the following links before you decide to apply to a particular university, college or institute:
1. List of recognised Universities and Post-secondary Institutes with campuses in Singapore
2. List of Approved Universities for Admission to the Singapore Bar
3. List of Registrable Basic Medical Qualifications for practice in Singapore
Fyi, if you spend at least 3 years studying in the campus of an overseas university that is recognised by the government of that country, the degree is also valid in Singapore for the purpose of recognising you as a degree holder. For example, if you had spent 3 or 4 years doing a degree in the University of Malaya (which is recognised by the Malaysian government), you are also considered a degree-holder if you apply to work in the Singapore Civil Service. However, restrictions apply to professional courses such as Law, Medicine and Accountancy.
Related articles:
(a) Between JC and Poly.
(b) What subject combination to choose in JC.
(c) What to do if your A Level results are bad.
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