Selective school entrance (1 Viewer)

[northofnorth]

Hi guys i am in year 9 at the moment and go to an ordinary highschool. At the moment i am topping all of my subjects besides PE and one elective. Anyway i am sick to death of the ease and lack of seriousness which is taken in the matters of academia at my school. Everything is easy and i want a challange.
I wanted to know what going to a selective high school is like and is it worth the change?
Also is it wise for me to change and enter into a selective school in my school certificate year?
And finally how do you succed in a selective school?......Is it plain out work, talent.......AND MOST IMPORTANTLY IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET INTO A HIGH CLASS IF YOU ENTER IN YEAR 10?

 

[aussiechica7]

GET INTO A SELECTIVE SCHOOL!!! It will make life so much easier for you, particularly if you have a love of learning. Look up the selective schools in your area, go to their websites, and find out how to apply.

 

[sanjeevprasad99]

ahh dude....CHANGE SCHOOLS!!!!!!! GO SELECTIVE!!!! i so regret not trying out for selective (i came from nz n nva tried out)
me and all the smart ppl at my school [east hills boys] (onli a handfull) WISH we changed schools back in year 10, we regret it so badly!

 

[Shotgun Wedding]

If you are smart enough to get into a selective school, there is no way you will fail your SC. Plus, the SC is a joke and will more than likely not be around when you are supposed to do it.

 

[lala2]

Yes, you should most definitely apply. Don't worry about SC--it's a joke. Now is the best time--you don't want to have to think about settling into Year 11 at a new school if you apply next year (you effectively have only 1.5 years at that school plus the fact you would already have chosen your subjects by that stage, which your new school may not offer).

 

[aussiechica7]

school certificates r meaningless... i went on exchange in yr 10 so technically i don't have one... i do have my yr 12 certificate however, which was much higher than i could have hoped if i had stayed at my ghetto public school and not gone to a selective school in yr 9.

o and what do u want 2 study when u finish? half my yr 12 class r studying med or law right now. i think the results speak for themselves.

basically, it's worth it

 

[Zephyrio]

Give it a go!

I love it. Everyone's really smart but everyone's pretty supportive of eachother. =).

And about the SC:
It really depends on how quickly the school you will try out for has gone in each of their courses. BUT, for my SC, history and geography was only based on year ten work, and English... well... English is multiple choice with some writing tasks. Maths is good too, and science... Science for me was the hardest because it was both year 9 and 10 material. So out of those five subjects, around 3-4 of them are based solely on year ten work. In other words, if you transfer, you'll do well!

 

[northofnorth]

Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!
aussiechica7, when i finnish year 12 i will proberbly want to study law, shame everyone thinks lawyers are leeches. How hard is it to top a subject at a selective school, do you need to get 100% in every test? Same question with becomming DUX, do u need to be a genius?

 

[simonloo]

Thanks guys!!!!!!!!!!!
aussiechica7, when i finnish year 12 i will proberbly want to study law, shame everyone thinks lawyers are leeches. How hard is it to top a subject at a selective school, do you need to get 100% in every test? Same question with becomming DUX, do u need to be a genius?

Selective schools are not the creme de la creme of NSW secondary education, and students you find there are basically normal.

In regards to topping subjects, duxing the year in a selective high school- it depends, it just might be a bit harder to go for it. Some new people at High are damn smart, might I add, so of course you may already find yourself at top position in a selective school you've transferred at.

 

[Manwithaplan]

I won't be transferring but my brother in Year 9 is trying out for Baulkham Hills High School and Sydney Boys.

What should he sent?

He got thrre less than full marks in ELLA and similar in SNAP. Also, he got a few HDS in English and Maths Comp. Should he sent those?

 

[NamelessOne]

*snip*

 

[NamelessOne]

*snip*

 

[marxisming]

what does it take to be a selective high school student anyways?
or what do 'they' look for from the hundreds of student applications?
(besides the ultimate obvious)

is it the constant thirst for compettition?
drive and motivation?
the ability to cope with the extra stress?
etc

i'm in year 10 at the moment and thinking of trying out for a selective high school, but i was wondering if you have to be an all rounder excelling in all subjects. (i've always been a mid 80's or low 90's for science in comparison to my high 90's in the other subjects, and wondering if they consider that as well)

Do they also consider your current high school background as well?

I've rarely entered maths and science competitions, so in order to compensate that, would i need to send any duxes awards or any weird awards given by the school such as the "rawlin shield for fiction award'?

i know a reccomendation from teachers would be suss and highly bias, but would that be necessary if i have nothing else besides reports and school academic awards?

Would i need to send some of my writing pieces, test results, so they are aware of the capabilities and the potential from a student?

i've been thinking of transferring because i think the complacency is getting to me because i've been lacking in motivation. What makes me hesitant though, is the great relationships i have here with my teachers and friends. Despite that the conversations i have with some friends are dull, sometines boring and hard to relate to, i guess it's ok.

 

[scarletmelange]

what does it take to be a selective high school student anyways?
or what do 'they' look for from the hundreds of student applications?
(besides the ultimate obvious)

is it the constant thirst for compettition?
drive and motivation?
the ability to cope with the extra stress?
etc

i'm in year 10 at the moment and thinking of trying out for a selective high school, but i was wondering if you have to be an all rounder excelling in all subjects. (i've always been a mid 80's or low 90's for science in comparison to my high 90's in the other subjects, and wondering if they consider that as well)

Do they also consider your current high school background as well?

I've rarely entered maths and science competitions, so in order to compensate that, would i need to send any duxes awards or any weird awards given by the school such as the "rawlin shield for fiction award'?

i know a reccomendation from teachers would be suss and highly bias, but would that be necessary if i have nothing else besides reports and school academic awards?

Would i need to send some of my writing pieces, test results, so they are aware of the capabilities and the potential from a student?

i've been thinking of transferring because i think the complacency is getting to me because i've been lacking in motivation. What makes me hesitant though, is the great relationships i have here with my teachers and friends. Despite that the conversations i have with some friends are dull, sometines boring and hard to relate to, i guess it's ok.

Your marks at the moment seem pretty darn good, marxisming - one subject in the B grade won't drag your excellent academic reputation down very much.

However, participating in the UNSW Maths, English & Science competitions are a good way of demonstrating your ability. Consider entering them anyway, just to get a feel for them. If you receive a Distinction or higher, then congratulations, but if you don't, it doesn't matter. The selective high school you're applying for doesn't have to know about it.

Also, consider which selective high school you want to apply for. Some, like James Ruse Agricultural High, offer a full class of 30 places, while other smaller institutions will only offer what's available, which can sometimes be nothing.

But all in all, good luck!

... Why is everyone so freaked out about the School Certificate?! It does NOT affect your HSC mark in any way, so let's just take a deeeeeeep breath.

On the issue of competition, it can be tough, but it really depends on the person. Some girls have left our school because they have complained about the ongoing pressure to excel academically in a selective high school, but I've never felt this to the similar degree as them.

Selective high schools function in the same way as any other school. If you work hard, things are going to pay off. Big time.

 

[marxisming]

thanks scarletmelange and without wings for the info and advice.
i told my careers advisor about it and he asked me a question
'is it the school that gets you the marks or is it 'you'- the student that gets you the marks?'
i know he wanted me to say 'me' but i feel the school plays a part as well.
but anyways i've checked out the selective schools, i took a liking to james ruse, but then again 'slim chance' i thought- not to mention the arduous travelling!

but anyways, my teachers didn't want me to leave.
my teachers wanted their 'best students representing the school for the hsc'
although the competition is lacking, the more logical it is to seize the opportunity i guess =P i think it really doesn't matter when it gets to senior years, as long as i've got my main goals in focus.

well thanks anyways guys ! but i think i'll be staying at my crummy old school.
:wave:

 

[Kujah]

What selective schools did you also take an interest in apart from James Ruse?

Good luck as well!

 

[marxisming]

well, if my choice wasn't restricted with travelling it would've probably been sydney girls, or north sydney girls. i'd really prefer a co-ed but these girl schools just appealed to me more.

oh well, too bad the selective entries closed a couple of days ago. haha

but anyways good luck to you too