KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Just a question - does anyone know how a student with A levels results applies to Poly if she didn't take O levels? I've had a look at some poly websites, and they direct applicants with A levels to apply through the JAE with their O level results (I'm not thinking of those courses which give some exemptions for those with relevant A level subjects). Any idea how the polys compare A level grades with O level grades? This will give me an idea which courses she is more likely to be able to get in.

My daughter didn't take O levels as we were overseas, but she will be taking A levels next year in Singapore, so won't count as an "international student". She has a report from her international school for grade 10, but that was in 2013 and I'm sure her A level grades will be more recognised. She's not a strong student and won't be able to apply through DSA. So how does she apply? Thanks for any info. I will check with MOE eventually, but thought it would be good to have a heads-up first.

Just curious. Why apply for poly? Shouldnt she apply for university if she is taking A-levels?

In any case, I believe only NYP might be a good choice if she has an A-level cert:

http://www.nyp.edu.sg/future-students/a ... ce-a-level

If she uses her A-level cert an NYP, she gets a 1-year exemption for some engineering courses.

Also, there are 4 health sciences courses at NYP that are exclusively for A-level grads only.

I agree. Since yr DD is studying in MI, why go to Poly?

My friends' kids got exempted for the first year and they used their A level results for their application. If you know which course your dd is keen in ,you can write to their incharge of that department. They will be able to tell you the details.

Why are we considering poly? Mainly because our daughter is not a strong student and is, because of some learning disabilities, not very mature for her age. We are not sure that she will be able to qualify for university, and even if she can scrape in, whether she is mature enough to get the most out of a university course. We are considering an additional 3 yrs in Poly as a way to give her more growing-up time with students chronologically younger than herself, which might actually be good for her. Having her equipped with some practical job-related skills will also be a benefit. She can always consider doing a university course later on if she can qualify, or even after working for a while. We ourselves really enjoyed our time in university, academically as well as in other ways, and we think it would be a waste for her to scrape in, struggle all the time and not enjoy herself.

We are not considering the poly courses that give a discount in time mainly because they are not in her areas of interest (she is taking Arts subjects), and as I have explained, we actually want to slow her down, not speed her up!

So back to my question - how does she apply? By the time the A level results come out, JAE will be over, and she doesn't have any O level results. DSA is not the right avenue for her. She is no longer an international student or a returning Singaporean. And we'd like to know (if anyone knows) how A level grades are equated to O level grades so we can identify the courses she is more likely to get into. Any info?

My friend rang up the Dean / Lecturer in charge of that particular Faculty / department in that polytechnic, which her son is interested in applying.

from there, the Officer in charge gave her guidance as to what they are looking for in applicants / candidates, asked her son to send in his academic results & all other supporting documents evidence, to them evaluate, consider. From there, they feedback to my friend what is the chance of her son entering that particular Polytechnic's Faculty like.

perhaps, you may follow similar approach.
may start off with a Polytechnic, & a Faculty of study, in mind, which your daughter is interested in. Then, contact the Officer in charge, for more detailed info of requirements, application

phtthp wrote:My friend rang up the Dean / Lecturer in charge of that particular Faculty / department in that polytechnic, which her son is interested in applying.

from there, the Officer in charge gave her guidance as to what they are looking for in applicants / candidates, asked her son to send in his academic results & all other supporting documents evidence, to them to evaluate, consider. From there, they feedback to my friend what is the chance of her son entering that particular Polytechnic's Faculty like.

perhaps, you may follow similar approach.
may start off with a Polytechnic, & a Faculty of study, in mind, which your daughter is interested in

Yes! Can email them too. All their emails in the poly websites

phttp & kitty2 - thanks! So it's an ad hoc application. I was wondering if there was some official route.

slmkhoo wrote:Why are we considering poly? Mainly because our daughter is not a strong student and is, because of some learning disabilities, not very mature for her age. We are not sure that she will be able to qualify for university, and even if she can scrape in, whether she is mature enough to get the most out of a university course. We are considering an additional 3 yrs in Poly as a way to give her more growing-up time with students chronologically younger than herself, which might actually be good for her. Having her equipped with some practical job-related skills will also be a benefit. She can always consider doing a university course later on if she can qualify, or even after working for a while. We ourselves really enjoyed our time in university, academically as well as in other ways, and we think it would be a waste for her to scrape in, struggle all the time and not enjoy herself.

We are not considering the poly courses that give a discount in time mainly because they are not in her areas of interest (she is taking Arts subjects), and as I have explained, we actually want to slow her down, not speed her up!

slmkhoo, thanks for sharing. So in other words, your DD will spend 3 years doing A levels and another 2-3 years doing Poly before she goes to the U? Don't you think its an extremely long route?

I am being curious - why didn't you just apply for Poly instead of MI in the first place? I think that the pace in Poly is definitely much slower n less stressful than JC. The 3 years in Poly will be just nice for her to develop her interest n skill. Furthermore what she learns in MI will be totally different from Poly. How does it help her?

slmkhoo wrote:
We are not considering the poly courses that give a discount in time mainly because they are not in her areas of interest (she is taking Arts subjects), and as I have explained, we actually want to slow her down, not speed her up!

Hi slmkhoo

Good decision making you having here. Your girl will have a higher chance of success with your 'long winded' planning as compared to getting the possible shorter route. The process is always very important as it will make her a much more confident person at the end as compared to if you want to 'short cut' her.

Poly studies, if one wants to excel, can be more difficult to JC as it requires more application than mugging (I feel it is always more difficult to apply than to mug for most people). However, if the objective is to pass with a decent average B grade, then the journey will be more pleasant (don't need to compete in cat fights). There's a higher chance of a student feeling herself 'stupid' in a university as compared to someone who is in a poly somehow.

You are baking a great cake and you are right to bake it with patience!