• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

To all those who went to selective high schools (1 Viewer)

andrew12678

Active Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
261
Gender
Male
HSC
2016
thankfully not everyone there is strange and weird. the guy who ended up dux at my year at a selective school didn't require tutoring.

there is a culture (not to be racist), but especially amongst the selective Asians, of not just reaching the A level but competitiveness. At my school though most people only really gave a deal once Year 11 came around.
Second this post, 7-10 was extremely chill and people only started caring around yr11-12!
 

dan964

what
Joined
Jun 3, 2014
Messages
3,479
Location
South of here
Gender
Male
HSC
2014
Uni Grad
2019
Yeah, I don’t think ALL selective people are like that. I was probably just unlucky, or the universe was showing me how not to act. Maybe I’m too much of a white girl, but I found the overly-competitive and jealous nature of some of my former classmates really, really unattractive. Moreover, the people who embodied such characteristics weren’t even the “top” students. The real “top” students (who were the only friends I had at that school tbh), however, were the nicest and least competitive, so it’s funny how that works.

I also don’t have that much respect for people (the “selective” Asian culture) who hold those kind of values TBH. Competitiveness with others, if not healthy, fuels jealously, and jealously results in one’s downfall. That’s why a lot of successful people preach “competing with yourself” instead of others, and admire and become inspired by those who are successful instead of trying to one-up them or “bring them down” just because you secretly hate yourself and have some deep-seated insecurity that can’t be mended, even through years of therapy and counselling. :) ALSO, you’re competing against the STATE, so how is it in anyway productive to narrow your comparison down to the what, 20-30 people in your class?

Healthy competition is good though, when you want the best for both yourself and others around you. I believe that is not only the formula to becoming successful, but also just being a decent human being in general, and most likely attributes as to why I couldn’t stand the thought of completing my education at my former, oh-so-prestigious “selective” school.

So as you can see by my long-winded rants, I obviously did not enjoy my experience at selective. And the guys there didn’t help either. Like, usually having a crush alleviates the torture of going to school, but I didn’t find any of them attractive at all. :/
I think it is more a comment on human nature, its human nature a little, to be jealous of those who are better or more skilled. Competition is something like the survival of the fittest, ironically, the self-absorbed seem to be the ones who want to push others rather than pull others up alongside them.
 

Ilovecarrots

New Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2017
Messages
26
Gender
Male
HSC
2019
It all really depends. I started year 11 this year at a selective mixed high school from a single-sex private school, and the first lesson someone came up to me and showed me around. Ever since then my social circle expanded rapidly. I got their snapchats from the first day, and felt like I was there since year 7. I was even invited to 2 parties and got roses on valentines day despite being there for only 3 days ;). Be hard working and stay humble, and you won't feel any competition at all.
 

D-BOSS

Active Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
Messages
110
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Seriously, a history tutor in Year 9? I can understand getting a tutor for math, English, science, etc, but really HISTORY? All for the sake of one-upping you? Wow...

You must've been really smart/amazing. Otherwise she wouldn't have targeted you like that.
Yeh. At least I can understand a history tutor for year 11 and year 12 if you chose a history related HSC subject...
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Messages
7
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
Very competitive (from my perspective at least). Competitive to the point where there would often be 'battles' between classes for a single subject and furthermore between the individuals within those classes. Ranks were the only thing everyone cared about (including me lol). We called it the 'Great Rank War of 17' *shivers*

I hope you look forward to the upcoming year now! :lol:
Dude what school did you even go to
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2020
Messages
7
Gender
Male
HSC
2020
Hi, i was wondering, just out of curosity, what is it actually like to go to a selective high school? Is the culture really as competitive as everyone says? Share your experiences :tongue:
Going to a selective school is pretty fun. Going to a primary school that was mostly Anglo made me feel left out cause of being the only asian with a diferent culture and not relating much to others. Going to a selective school where almost everyone was asian made it more relatable.

In primary, kids in my primary had no idea where Cabra was or what gong cha was but in high school everyone went to cabra to get gong cha and pho after school and talked about seeing teachers or each other at cabra moon fest.

There were a small handful of kids who were super competitive since Year 7 but no-one started actually tryharding until Year 11. Even then no-one was pissed off at someone for beating them in an exam, there was just jokes about what tutor they went to
 

Kurrison

Active Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2020
Messages
151
Gender
Male
HSC
2022
Coming from a top 5 selective school i have to say that the environment differs depending on how you are. Someone joined in year 11 but ended up leaving because the environment was too competitive for her. Some people really embrace the competition and it motivates them to aim higher.
No way....
 

idkkdi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
2,576
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
Then that is considered to be wasting the time of applying for selective application.
dude, from the perspective of people in the actual top selective schools, lower-ranked selectives are already pretty dropkicky. Comprehensives, we actually don't know what tf the average populace in them are doing. I would assume that studying-wise some people may be putting in the same amount of time, but pure brain-power wise, you should find classmates in your new school are a lot more perceptive in general, and some others that you straight up can't think like.

You can expect to not be the smartest dude at your new school if you have transferred in. You can also expect to not be the hardest working dude either.
Some people can't cope with going from the "big dog" to struggling to be average. Nor can some cope with how previously no one gave two shts about studying and now they are in a place where minimal care is given to other things.

Give or take, 150 people go tutoring in y12. Well half of them have to be below median but no one wants to be below median. That is the sad reality.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top