Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Direct School Admission: NUSH Open House & Important Dates

The NUS High School of Maths and Science Open House for primary school students ended last Saturday and I must say that they have done a wonderful job, a whole level better than previous years in my opinion. Not many major changes in their programme have been made, though there are some points that the principal of NUSH mentioned that I think was worth taking note of. In this blog post, we will share with you some of the important information we picked up during the open house just in case some of the parents and students wanted to go but had no time. No comparisons with other schools yet. Through all these, we hope that you as a parent or a student can be better prepared in making a sound judgement and decision. 

Student Recruitment (Year 1)
Phase 1: 1800 Applicants (estimated) will go through Maths and Science Tests, from which 400 students will be shortlisted. Those shortlisted will then have to go through a 2 day DSA camp comprising of activities in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and English. It was mentioned that although English is not a selection criteria, the school wishes to ensure that students have at least a minimum standard of English. About 153 students will be selected from this phase.

Phase 2: Admission based on PSLE score, however, only 17 will be shortlisted for the school during this phase.

Curriculum Framework
The NUSH curriculum framework follows a 6 year integrated programme with a 2-2-2 year curriculum and is based on a modular system. Also, students are graded using the Grade Point System. In my opinion what really stands out for NUSH is the modular system. With the modular system, students are able to push themselves to their limits and take elective or enrichment modules in addition to the already demanding core modules. For example, a very enthusiastic Chemistry student may wish to take up elective modules such as Kitchen Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry in addition to the core modules such as Structure and Molecular Models which ALL students are required to take.

One would also notice that NUSH students do not have combined Science in Year 1 and 2. Once they enter the school, they will be exposed to Science split into Biology, Chemistry and Physics branches while their peers in other schools will still be taking combined Science.

Conclusion
NUSH is a fantastic school for students who are really keen in developing their interest in Maths and Science. Not only are their teachers of top quality, their laboratories are also diverse and specialized. Furthermore, their talent development programmes are almost perfect in producing one of the best students in Singapore and the world. Although NUSH does stress that students are still exposed to humanities and the arts, we do not recommend humanities-inclined students for this school. Also, this school may not be the best for students who have yet to make up their mind whether they are more science-inclined or humanities-inclined. 

Do take a look at the programmes of other schools too before making a well-informed decisions. Below is an incomplete list of Open House Dates:

Nanyang Girls High School - 21 May
Hwa Chong Insitution - 21 May
Raffles Institution - 21 May 
Raffles Girls School - 21 May
Dunman High School - 28 May


Do email krtc.promotions@gmail.com to find out more about DSA information or to find out about the diverse tuition programmes we are offering for both primary and secondary students. Do remember that PSLE preparation should start NOW, so do not hesitate!