<p>Yeah, you have to really think about what is it that you want from a US education and from life. What have the things you have been doing for the past 4-6 years of your life mean to you. Then with a clear focus and direction, put together your application so that it shows what you intent to achieve and how it can be relevant to the school.</p>
<p>The reason why there are always “horror” stories about Singaporeans with straight As and perfect CCA records getting rejected by top US schools is because in Singapore we tend to assume that “holistic” just means grades plus CCAs. It’s very bad if your application portrays you as a mere collection of these two statistics.</p>
<p>HYPSM probably receives thousands of applications per year from people (both within the US and internationally) with near perfect CCA records and straight As. The admission officers would thus distinguish these students based on their essays and teacher recommendations. They would even be willing to overlook a less than stellar academic/CCA record if you have a compelling story to tell.</p>
<p>Still, I think one shouldn’t mistake exception for norm… getting straight As and a perfect CCA record will definitely boost your application. Just that it isn’t the sole determination of your worth as a potential college freshmen.</p>
<p>i got offered a h3 after all… haha. so according to your replies its still important to take h3 to show hardest course load? even if i don’t plan to apply for insanely competitive ivies with super alot of sporeans but rather top 10+ 20+ lacs? cos im really not that interested in it at all if not for uni apps. and also what sat 2 subject tests would you recommend to do (score easiest lol)? im only taking chem and math so still short of one subject.</p>
<p>Well, take SAT Chem and Math II. Your H3 might be important at the Top 10 LACs, top 20 a bit less important. Still, I think it is good to take it.</p>
<p>I am a sec 4 student this year, and am waiting for my O Level results.
With the holidays now, do you guys think that doing volunteer work now would aid in university admissions next time?</p>
<p>Long answer: Yes, but it would be better for you to demonstrate longer term commitment - over say your entire JC life. Doing a bit of volunteer work on its own isn’t going to help a lot.</p>
<p>hey, but do your know if SEAB allows private candidates to take A level chinese in summer in singapore? went overseas to study, and i need to go back to take the darned chinese certificate for university admissions…just kind of ****ed because teachers back at the old school dont know anything, and neither does SEAB…</p>
<p>oh speaking of rigour in university admissions, does taking the IB diploma constitute as having taken a rigourous course load?</p>
<p>Your school checks off the ‘level of rigor’ box anyway, but as long as you don’t set out to take the fluffiest subject combination possible you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Since you are already taking standardized tests at the end of your JC/high school education, I think most admissions departments would be smart enough to figure out whether you are taking the “most rigorous” courses or not.</p>
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<p>Quite true, but conversely there is no real “hard core” combination either - unless you count 13 AUs as one or something.</p>
<p>can i check with you guys, for the SAT prep books, how much does the content actually change ?? coz these books are kinda expensive and my brother’s friend has one but its from about 8 or 9 years ago so i’m wondering if i can still use it for this year’s/next year’s SATs without any issues in the syllabus. coz cambridge revises its syllabus like every 2/3 years, not sure how often this is done for SATs</p>
<p>Nope, probably not from 8 or 9 years ago. There is a major revision to the SAT (dropping the analogies section, increasing the difficulty of some parts and re-centering the scale, among others) so you should buy a new “Blue Book” (or the official College Board Guide to the SAT) at least.</p>
<p>hmm approximately how much will it cost in total ?? i also think i need 'em for chem and phys since i’ll be taking those.</p>
<p>also, what else is included in the chem/phys SAT tests thats not covered in O levels ?? i did the sample questions on the collegeboard website and could answer about 4/5 questions. anywhere i can find out what exactly is being tested ??</p>
<p>Should be around S$100 or so if you buy both Reasoning Test and Subject Test books. Not exactly in tune with the prices of SAT prep books any more so why not go down to Kinokuniya/Borders and check them out for yourself?</p>