malcontent wrote: ↑Sun, 24 Apr 2022 8:38 am
I have also wondered the same thing. Some US schools seem to lump all “British pattern” education systems together, including Singapore… and with Singapore setting it’s own tougher standards, the same A level result here and other countries with lighter standards could put SIngapore marks at a disadvantage.
Also, the fact that within the Singapore pool of students, to be in the top 10% here means you’d probably be in the top 1% when compared globally. I kind of doubt that translates for many US schools.
If my daughter can’t get into the school she deserves, maybe attending a community college where she could easily knock it out of the park and be in the top 1% might be a way, but the number of transfer students accepted at the most selective schools presents yet another challenge.
One question though, most students applying for the best US schools won’t have their A level results at the time of application. I wonder how much weight is really put on this if not submitted in Feb, or if it’s even necessary. My daughter has exceptionally good grades (triple science and earned A or A+ for all classes) at Secondary… no O level because she is in IP. I have to believe that should count for something.
I don't know as have really just started to think about the next step. For sure, many students here can apply before the A Level results are out. But I don't know how many get accepted via early decision or before the A Level results are released (or just never send the A Level results).
My gut instinct is that many schools will be looking at Upper Sec - JC results, as I believe that's how many students in the US are judged? I.e. there is no one test with purely a quantitative score that sets your place in the queuing system (i.e. PSLE). From what I've read, I think Cambridge, etc are similar in that they will make conditional offers before the A Level results are out, and as long as your scores meet the requirement your offer will be valid (i.e. they were evaluating more than just the A Level result).
I have also wondered whether there is a disconnect between the annual promotion criteria of some schools and your complete transcript/what may be looked at by some US universities? I.e. I believe many schools here do not require you to put all of your classes/subjects in the annual GPA or MSG calculation and instead require something like L2R5. So if you take a lot of classes due to a) interest or b) just try out even if stretched because you know the lower scoring ones won't hit the calculation, that is good from a general learning and expanding oneself perspective. But does it look poorly if you blew-up on a class or two when someone in the U.S. reviews your transcript (if classified as local/domestic)? Most US kids will have very strong marks across the board, although the content standards may have been lower.
As for community college if one can't get what they are hoping for, my current belief is that I will suggest my child accept whatever they have and intend to finish out four years there. I think there is just so much more to do in uni life than worrying about moving house in a year or two. Add in that the transfer odds probably aren't great anyways, and I'm not sure thinking about it will put one in the best mindset. At some point, we need to be content with what we have, make the best out of it, and fight hard for the next round (which is a job for many). Of course, I think this is easier to type now than if my child is actually faced with this decision (i.e. not accepted to the schools he/she wanted most)...
