limnieng

Nadesh:

Difficult to say, undergrad application don't ask for a statement of purpose or something like a personal statement do they? If they do, then you can probably explain the language learning environment of Chinese as being native speakers, not as a Second Language.

Because I'm guessing US admission officers may not understand your how you could score such a low grade relative to your other grades, and the ethic factor involved (I'm assuming you're Indian, if you're Chinese....then....hmmmm....)

Some kids here in high school also takes languages as a subject. The difference here is they take all other languages besides English as second language, meaning the peg the standard pretty low. They may assume the same thing of Singapore, not understanding our language policy.

So.....give it a shot....difficult to say.

limnieng

Shib:

Everyone loves money.....

Nadash

Hm. In my school, if you get a B3, you're a god. =\ Blemish on my transcript. Oh well.

limnieng

Hmm....In my days, getting an A2 on Chinese is an utter disgrace........Well......gone were the good old days....

limnieng

This was posted on another thread but I thought Singaporeans would like to get some perspective on the GCE A Levels.

Shocking comparison between GCE and HKALE by UK NARIC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/doc/isd/press_20080125_eng.pdf

you just have to scroll down and look at the table.
for A levels
HKALE --> GCE
A->A
B->A
C->A
D->B
E->C/D
F->E/F

shib

Any opinions if I should apply to a safety like a less well known LAC (Smith, Wesleyan) etc. which gives fin aid to intls, or just enroll in a local U if I don't make it into my top choices. Clearly, going overseas for an education is very appealing if I get fin aid, but will I lose out in jobs when I come back due to the "prestige factor"? As witnessed by the poster who attended Tufts here, very amusing, but that incident clearly shows how ignorant the avg Singaporean employers are regarding overseas Unis which are less well known.

limnieng

Shib:

As a foreigner to the US, it's highly unlikely that LACs will (accept you and) give fin aid unless you're you have exceptional grades, regardless of it being 'less well known'. When you're thinking about safety, it tells me that you're unsure about your A level grades in the end. US citizens talk about safeties because at the end of the day, they still have to be in a college in the US. I do not think the concept of 'safeties' applies to foreigners like us. If we have to spend a few hundred thousand dollars for a undergrad education, we either:

1) get the government to pay for us (local scholarship)
2) get the LACs to pay for us (fin aid)
3) make sure we get into the very best colleges to level on the value that we'll get for that sort of money, in terms of prestige or quality of undergrad education. (read my previous post above on studying locally or overseas)

All of the above options requires us to get EXCEPTIONAL grades.....so unless you have that, I would have to say local U is the wise (and very good) option.

In terms of avg employers, I think they actually also have the same mentality I talked about. If they can't get a overseas grad with a degree from a college that gets 'wooh', 'wow' & 'ahhh' from the avg Singaporean, then it begs the question why do they have to get that a overseas grad when they could simply get a local grad. To any employers worth their salt, they would not foolishly think that all overseas grad are better than local ones; if they are, then I wouldn't want to be working for them because their lack of insight does not bode well for the company they lead.

shib

I don't really have exceptional grades I guess and I haven't ruled out the possibility of taking up a scholarship, just that I don't really want to be bonded for six years. I guess its hard to get into a lesser known LAC with financial aid, but I am hoping to get recruited at a sport. So another advantage is the experience of playing a varsity sport. obviously, I know that local universities give you a solid education but I believe that even the LACs can give a solid education. I'm not saying I want overseas employers to favour me over a local grad but will they at least take us at equals and not immediately downgrade me to the "you only went overseas cos you couldn't get in here" type.

limnieng

Yes, I would say the sports option is available, but again, you would also have to be exceptional in that sport. Think Nicolette Teo at UCLA, SEA games medalist and Olympic games contender. You would probably have to be at that level....Of course LAC can give a solid education, but our goal here is to get there without having to go broke...right?

We can't control how employers think unfotunately, we can only act upon how they think and plan accordingly.

Nadash

Anyone knows about the SPH scholarship? Is it hard to get? What will you do during that six years?

lOngbOWmeN

lol just a point of information

the rate of admission to both US AND UK unis are higher for RJ students compared to HC ones =)

shib

I looked at the rj page on us apps and they said to send in your o lvl results or ri/rgs transcript for IP. I wonder if anyone from ri/rgs could tell me if the transcript puts down your sec 4 grades only? the colleges will not see your sec 3 grades? I had a very bad sec 3 year ):
and how will the adcoms look at grades from ri/rgs as compared to o lvls as I assume it would be easier to earn an A in o lvls.

lOngbOWmeN

haha have you considered apply to the UK? its so much easier and straight forward with the UCAS =)

rj alumni wun bluff you de

vitalism

heyy longbowmen,

do you have the latest (2008 or 2007) admission stats for rjc students? i am really curious to see

loathed

does anyone here know...other than A levels, do they accept diplomas and O levels? if lets say i wanna apply for entry to college.