<p>similar sort of qn: do they cut you some slack if you do badly for internal exams since they are normally harder? eg. internal exam i had a C for HCL (ip sch) but A2 for O levels HCL. </p>
<p>^ talk about getting an A2 for hcl…i got a A2 for prelims and im from a SAP school…yet i was sick on the examinations, so i failed…gotta be able to explain myself pretty well now…</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>and that leads me to another question…any idea how i can give a really credible explanation to any university on how i managed the impossible such as failing a language? besides me being sick, any other suggeestions that i can give to the addcoms? or should i just take the A levels to prove that its just not the case?</p>
<p>Oh gosh you guys talking about 'O’s got me reallyyy nervous! I’m Sec 3 this year and i guess i’m preparing for the later years… </p>
<p>What should i do to get all geared up?</p>
<p>some schools require recommendation from the secondary counselor
or in the CommonApp itself there is a part for the secondary counselor to fill in
i don’t really know if my secondary school has one?</p>
<p>umm… that’s secondary school according to the US… for you, it’ll probably be your JC counselor. if not, your principal, VP, headmaster or any other teacher in school (who’s not doing your teacher recs) can be your counselor.</p>
<p>
Usually Civics Tutor writes sec sch counselor rec.</p>
<p>
HAHAHA Omigod I got a D in H1 Chinese… But I didn’t send that A level transcript <em>laughs at you A-level students</em></p>
<p>@fiona_: i guess it’s different in different schools- for my school we had 2 teachers to write the sec. school recs for the whole school (and they don’t give a flying hoot about whether they know you or not- they just write generic stuff!!)- maybe it’s different for RJ and your school- cuz i’m guessing a much larger number apply to the US unis from 'em…</p>
<p>At my old JC (I was an IP student) you wrote your own “counselor” recommendation and the teacher just signed off on it unless s/he strongly disagreed with what you wrote. Depends really. Counselor is like our person who knows about our curriculum and person but not an academic teacher (something like a CT/form teacher).</p>
<p>Also about reasons for poor grades IMHO it’s better to have them from an official source e.g. teacher includes in rec “despite illness, X was still able to achieve a grade of Y in Exam Z.” And about marks, they judge you in the context of your school/country.</p>
<p>so do we have to do anything with our secondary schools?
I ask because I know no one in my secondary school who can give me a recommendation.
Can I just get everything from my current JC teachers?</p>
<p>^ you can get everything from your jc: counselor recommendation, teacher’s recommendation, school report etc. In fact, my official college counselor (who’s reasonably knowledgeable) says that you should get recommendations from JC teachers.</p>
<p>regarding the grades thing:
-if you’ve done poorly due to illness, just get your ct to explain it somewhere. i’m sure they won’t fault you for that. in any case, i don’t think they really look at O level grades.
-unis understand that prelims and school exams are usually harder than O/A level. my HMT grade was the worst among my IP subjects but i still got a1 for O level.</p>
<p>Anyone knows whats proper documentation for immunizations? I have a few chops on a fade piece of paper and a very messy health booklet.</p>
<p>It’s generally recommended to get recs from 11th grade teachers for US applicants (we apply after 3-4 months of 12th grade), so JC recs are probably better than sec school recs.</p>
<p>Anyone in Singapore have these books for sale. We need for summer reading as well as few more. So if you have any plz pm me.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Let me ask something…if you have done very averagely in A Levels but still want to go to USA to study, you just have to take and score in the SATs or ACTs right? That’s the one that really matters to colleges right?</p>
<p>I am a parent, my son requires these for the coming school year at an international school…I thought maybe if anyone has them - an option instead of ordering online. Borders and Kinokuniya not always stocked.</p>
<p>
SAT I Reasoning OR ACT – competitive unis require this of all applicants. The school may also require you to submit SAT II Subject tests</p>
<p>A levels results are also considered.</p>
<p>Sorry to cause some confusion - </p>
<p>We are not looking for the AP practice Book per se but the novels that are to be read over the year for the Eng Lit course, including the summer reading…</p>
<ul>
<li> The Books of Genesis, Job, Jonah and Mark from the King James Bible. </li>
<li> The first four chapters of Edith Hamiltons Mythology. </li>
<li> Sophocles Oedipus Rex (any translation)</li>
<li> Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter
Plus
The Judeo-Christian creation story offered in Genesis.
Moby Dick.<br>
The story of Jesus Christ, as told in Mark,
Oedipus Rex
The Scarlet Letter</li>
</ul>
<p>And A-level results are heavily considered too - since they are the equivalent of US students’ high school transcripts.</p>
<p>pixeljig: try ordering online from borders and kino? failing which there’s always ebay 
or you can try asking fiona. she’s from a school that takes APs</p>