<p>it was from the university of wisconsin-madison, which is one of the top ones! that is why i was so shocked… in my email i did explain the a level system, and she just said if i was in the arts track i am “not competitive for admission”</p>
<p>pyrosphere: yes i do take math, but theres a separate requirement for math so i don’t think its considered a science =(</p>
<p>There are tons of arts students who go to US universities, so clearly the requirement is only meant for US students. Perhaps the person was misinformed.</p>
<p>@pyrosphere: Econs is only a dumping ground in JC because of the mandatory contrasting subject requirement. Most Singaporeans think that arts are useless subjects that are graded arbitrarily and therefore econs is considered the most safe and pragmatic option that can fulfil that requirement. Kind of defeats the point of mandating a contrasting subject IMO.</p>
<p>Also, econs in JC probably covers maybe the first semester of a degree-level course. It’s nowhere close to being a true representation of the subject, which involves a lot more math and data analysis.</p>
<p>Personally, I’ve always assumed the “X years of Y” requirement a bit differently due to the curriculum differences between US high schools and Singapore. </p>
<p>In a typical US high school, one would probably take:
Grade 9 - General Science
Grade 10 - Physics
Grade 11 - Chemistry
Grade 12 - Biology
Adding up to 4 years of lab science.</p>
<p>However, in Singapore, we take (or rather I took):
Sec 3 - Physics, Chemistry, Biology
Sec 4 - Physics, Chemistry, Biology
JC 1 - Physics, Chemistry
JC 2 - Physics, Chemistry
I am interpreting this to be 10 years of lab science instead of 4.</p>
<p>ok this makes me feel better… =)</p>
<p>Lol… so if u took triple science in sec sch and went arts stream, u would have 6 years of science making u more competitive than the other applicants there eh lol</p>
<p>^ Maybe, but you aren’t competing against Americans but other Singaporeans. It will only be an advantage if you are a US citizen studying in Singapore schools =p</p>
<p>How many of you are done with your applications??! Do we have to use our prelims results for the Mid Year Report? If no, then what do we substitute it with? As such, what are the results that you did/are going to use? Thanks!</p>
<p>Guys, fellow Singaporean here. I would most probably be going to Michigan to do Political Science and Communications next year and was wondering, since Michigan is not that hard to get into, is it in any way discredited (or not as highly esteemed) among employers in Singapore?</p>
<p>Also, would Berkeley be a better choice?</p>
<p>I understand that this is a much broached topic but I’m rather new to all these things so was hoping for some advice and feedback.</p>
<p>^ Berkeley would be a better choice - harder to get in but higher up in the rankings, but Michigan isn’t a bad school either, just that lots of Singaporeans are there already.</p>
<p>I doubt employers in Singapore will look unfavorably upon Michigan. Not when the majority of people they hire come from the local universities.</p>
<p>Right. So UMich would put me in a better stead as compared to, say, NUS or NTU yeah? I don’t want to fork out 34,000 in school fees to realize that it isn’t going to make a significant difference in the way employers view the resume. </p>
<p>Yea, Berkeley is ranked well within the States, but apparently to The-QS (world rankings), it’s ranked below Mich. Furthermore, Mich is ranked among the best for Pol Science. So was wondering if faculty rankings mattered more.</p>
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<p>Well, with respect, I think the THES-QS rankings is ********. By last year ranking, I would have been better off going to ANU instead of Stanford.</p>
<p>The THE-QS ranking is highly flawed as it relies heavily on opinions gathered through online surveys. The population data is obtained primarily from two academic research databases, one of which is UK-based. The final results are highly biased towards UK and Commonwealth institutions, no doubt partly due to the population from which they are drawn. And due to the nature of an opinion-based ranking system, rankings can fluctuate greatly from year to year (a top 40 school can drop to 150+ in the following year), which of course is nonsensical if the rankings are meant to signify the quality of education.</p>
<p>And I believe that Political Science departments for Berkeley and Michigan are equally well-regarded. Berkeley, usually referred to as the best public school in US, wins hands down for overall prestige and brand name though.</p>
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</p>
<p>The scoring system also fails to distinguish sufficiently between top schools in many of their ranking criteria - for instance - I don’t think academic peers and/or employers would rank Stanford, Michigan and McGill on an equal basis, but they all received a score of 99 or 100 in these 2 categories.</p>
<p>It is also interesting to note that Stanford ranked no lower than 9th in each of the 5 subject categories (Engineering, Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities) but is ranked 16th in the world overall.</p>
<p>oh, according to this ranking NUS scores full marks for “peer review”, “international student” and “international staff”. says it all really.</p>
<p>So if one has to fork out school fees for a US education, it’d be better off matriculating at NUS than Michigan?</p>
<p>^ If you believe the THES-QS rankings, yeah. The Singapore Government doesn’t believe in it though (or else A*STAR and PSC are wasting their money).</p>
<p>Hey, I plan to apply to NUS for next sem and I thought this was probably the best place to ask this. What would probably be considered a competitive SAT score and GPA for an international? I am heavily relying on my SATs to lift my somewhat typical application and I’d like to know beforehand whether I stand a chance or not.</p>
<p>^ The following describes the requirements for NUS High School (i.e. local school in Singapore affiliated to NUS) students applying to NUS. As a foreign student you should probably aim for scores higher than these.</p>
<p>Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT I and SAT II) Requirements
SAT I - Reasoning Test
SAT I consist of 3 Sections, Critical Reading Section, Writing Section and Mathematics Section. The minimum acceptable Reasoning Test scores are 600 for the Critical Reading Section, 600 for the Writing Section, and 650 for the Mathematics Section.
For SAT I, all 3 Sections (i.e. Critical Reading Section, Writing Section and Mathematic Section) have to be taken in one sitting. Mixing and matching of different sections scores from various sitting cannot be accepted. </p>
<p>SAT II - Subject Tests
SAT II consists of 3 Subjects Test. The Subject Test, Mathematics Level II is compulsory. The two other Subjects Tests may be of your choice.</p>
<p>Compulsory subjects for the Subject Tests include :
Mathematics Level II
A second subject of your choice (excluding Mathematics Level I)
A third subject of your choice (excluding Mathematics Level I)</p>
<p>For SAT II, the 3 subjects can be taken in no more than two sittings, but within the period of one year. All other combinations or mixing of scores cannot be accepted. Please note that the old test format (SAT I & II) and the new test format (Reasoning Test and Subject Tests) cannot be combined. The validity of scores is five years, e.g. for applications closing on 28 February 2010, the validity period is from 28 February 2005 to 28 February 2010 (both dates inclusive).</p>
<p>The second and third subjects should be chosen based on the subject prerequisites of the courses you are applying for at NUS. For example, if you are applying for Chemical Engineering, you will need to choose Physics and Chemistry. If, however, you are applying for Business Administration, you may choose any subjects except Mathematics Level I. Just FYI for the many students considering medicine, it’s Chemistry and Biology for medicine!
No minimum Subject Test scores have been stipulated. Mathematics Level II is a compulsory subject for all courses except Law. Applicants applying for admission to Law may take Mathematics Level I in lieu of Mathematics Level II.</p>