Studying Literature in NUS High: An Account

'Studying Literature in NUS High: An Account'

Annabeth Leow

Hello, delicious friends.

In this post, I will be talking a little about studying English Literature in NUS High School.

For those who are considering taking a Major in English Literature (because Honours modules are not available for Humanities, Arts & Music), or for those who are wondering if they should apply to NUS High to study Literature, there are two things you should know:

a) Very, very few people take Literature. You are almost guaranteed to feel alone sometimes if you have a serious interest in the subject. Physics geeks tend to be the most represented cliques here.

b) We are a very rigorous Literature curriculum, with a wide scope of material and extremely dedicated teachers. (So you can go ahead and be a lit geek anyway.)

It's like a good news-bad news flip, isn't it?

At present, the system is such that, at Year 1 and 2, English Literature is part of the English Language syllabus, while Geography and History are combined into Integrated Humanities. At Year 3, students may pick one subject to follow, while at Year 5, they decide whether they want to continue with it as a subject major, or to do triple sciences, or to do only three subject majors (one maths + two science). Keep this in mind, because I will be describing my experience with the old system, where we could take an unlimited number of Humanities modules up till Year 4.

(Steph and the Class of 2010 could probably tell you about the even older system, with Critical Electives &c., which was replaced two or three years back. Yes, I know it looks like our Humanities syllabus is constantly in flux, but I am assured that the changes made a couple weeks ago - not changes to the structure of the system, but to the course content - will be the last changes for quite a while.)

I entered the school in 2006, and took in that first year the core modules in all three Humanities subjects. I took Introduction to Literature; From Colony to Nation; and People, Place and Nation. I also took an enrichment module in Literature (Reading Narnia, which was about children's literature). The next year, I took the History and Geography core modules (one on the history of Southeast Asia excluding Brunei, and the other on foundational physical geography), as well as the core Literature module (Drama) and an elective (Animal Farm). In Year 3, I took all three Humanities subjects again - The Modern World Between the Wars; Human Population Dynamics; and The Novel I. Last year, I studied The Novel II and Modern Poetry, while this year I've taken Postcolonialism in Literature, and Gender Studies.

From this you can see the immense breadth of our school's Humanities curriculum, a quality that has not been curtailed even with all the changes to the structure of the modular system, and even despite the subsuming of English Literature into the Department of English Language last year. This is, I honestly believe, the strongest point of our school's system - not so much its flexibility, which no longer exists, but its wonderful scope. Rather than sticking with one fixed text to be covered in a year, as so many mainstream schools do, we learn across topics, genres, and movements.

Let me attempt to elaborate by giving an overview of each English Literature module I've studied.

Introduction to Literature

At 101 level - and, I assure you, we were very much at 101 level - we received a grounding in many of the techniques used in literature. This is where we learnt onomatopoeia, the difference between metaphor and simile, the use of metonymy, and so forth. Basic stuff, really. We also read works in short fiction, poetry, and drama. It was quite simple, looking back, but the examples given in the module were very diverse. Among other things, we read James Hurst's The Scarlet Ibis, Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart, Dylan Thomas's Do not go Gentle into that Good Night, and Do not stand at my grave and weep. I also remember extracts from Macbeth ('To-morrow and to-morrow and to-morrow…') and from Eliot's Rhapsody on a Windy Night (which I would revisit many years later).

(If we read Poe… looking back, I wonder whether it would have been amusing or not to read Lovecraft's Shadow Over Innsmouth? Then again, perhaps Year 1 is too young to learn about allegory, racism, and anti-miscegenation bigots.)

Reading Narnia

As the name of the module states quite plainly, this was a module on C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. There were some deficits in the module - I don't think twelve- or thirteen-year-olds, from a variety of religious traditions, and at an age where critical thinking skills are still shaky, are ready to examine Lewis's trilemma ('Lord, Liar, or Lunatic'). In any case, I cannot judge, because this module was never run again. But Narnia was used as a springboard to study other things, too: we looked at children's literature as a whole (this is where I learnt the word 'didacticism'), we did some basic re-mything, and we were encouraged to write a novella aimed at children. I am horrified to reread what I wrote at that tender age, and I imagine the same goes for the other students in that class, but there you go - it was enriching and an exercise in creativity.

Drama

The only practical module I have taken, because the Shakespeare module was cancelled during my course of studies. We did do the Bard, of course, to an extent - I remember we had a workshop where we were divided into groups of seven and told to convey the seven ages of man from As You Like It. We learnt terms to analyse drama - anagnorisis, hubris, harmartia - and we went to two plays: an amateur production of Macbeth put on by the United World College drama troupe (the less said about that the better), and Pamela Oei in Titoudao. The course instructor offered to take us to see Miller's Crucible too; we turned down her offer. (Three years later I would see a semi-professional performance of The Crucible, shivering in my seat, and wonder whether I had missed out on a great opportunity when younger.) In any case, on the self-directed learning front, we also had to use Machinima to construct a contained film piece (the software we used was The Movies, fwiw), and had to adapt and present Haresh Sharma's More (the principal work studied in that module).

Animal Farm

An elective, but an examinable module. In the course of reading Orwell's Animal Farm, we delved quite a bit into history and philosophy. I remember watching not just the Animal Farm cartoon (paid for by the CIA!) while eating KFC, but also the Ben Kingsley Gandhi to learn about oppression and empire. The handouts distributed in that class exposed us to the works of many prominent Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment thinkers, such as Descartes and Paine, and of course Marx and Engels, and Aristotle and several other Greeks for good measure. The teacher was the same lady who taught Drama, and we had many bricolage days when we role-played scenes from the book. The point about control of the media under authoritarianism was reinforced by our project, which was to create in-character multimedia presentations about life on the Farm. My group was the press; there were, if I recall correctly, also Internet podcasts and fora, and radio. Test questions in this module included 'To what extent is Molly the only truly free animal in the book?' We also had to discuss the significance of the cat. I still don't know precisely what the cat means, because symbolism is in the eye of the beholder!

The Novel I

This module was the closest I have ever been to studying English Literature as it is done in the mainstream education system. There was plenty of sit-down thinking, and we were taught mainly the origin and evolution of the English Novel (thank you, Defoe; we had to suffer through extracts from Robinson Crusoe). We principally read Pride and Prejudice (Austen) and Hard Times (Dickens). Our projects entailed researching the origins of different genres; the guys, quite predictably, all did Science Fiction, but our group chose Gothic Romance and it was well worth it. (It brought my heart back to du Maurier's Rebecca, after all.)

The Novel II

By this point, the number of students studying Literature had been whittled down to three. It's the loss of the other students, though, because this was a very do-as-you-please module, the learning was very self-directed, and we looked at postmodernism, moving slightly into issues of gender, race, and nation. The two texts studied were Auster's The Music of Chance and Coetzee's Disgrace. The former provoked a lot of discussion on absurdism, and though we were just three of us, our interpretations differed wildly. Who says group-think permeates Singapore school culture? We could get into right arguments over whether or not Nashe had a conscious or unconscious death-wish. The exam questions included one that went along the lines of 'Michael Kochin argues that Disgrace depicts “a world without hope”. Discuss.'

Modern Poetry

Accretion occurred, and two students were left. It was slightly awkward, because the module was not focused on as happy-go-lucky a subject as postmodernism, with its lack of answers. Rather, it was all about the Great War in Europe (we read war poetry, including Sassoon), and its effect on English poetry. The two writers studied were Eliot (Rhapsody on a Windy Night; The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock; and The Waste Land) and Yeats (The Lake Isle of Innisfree; Sailing to Byzantium; and some of his more esoteric myth-poems). Because there was Yeats, we also studied a little about Irish nationalism, and would have watched The Wind that Shakes the Barley if not for a lack of time. The examination piece was The Second Coming.

Postcolonialism

All my classmates had departed to study science, so this was my first module alone. It was a little lonely, and I have to warn those who plan on studying Literature that this may be their fate (or, considering how many of the Class of 2012 are taking Literature, maybe not). I studied a lot of postcolonial theory - Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong'o, mainly, although I wish I had discovered Chimamanda Adichie at that point in time. Among the multitude of texts I studied: Orwell's Shooting an Elephant; Kipling and Blake's colonial poems (The White Man's Burden and The Little Black Boy); Hwee Hwee Tan's Mammon Inc. (a book I do not recommend if you do not have much fortitude to stomach the oversaturation of pop culture references); Gopal Baratham's Sundowner; Andrew Koh's Orang cina bukan cina; Merle Collins's No Dialects Please; John Agard's Listen Mr Oxford Don; Wena Poon's The Man Who Was Afraid of ATMs and Alfian Sa'at's The Merlion. My project was a study of Edwin Thumboo's canon, so imagine how excited I was when he came to visit our school! The exam question was on Claire Tham's Lee.

Gender Studies

The most recent module, and also very good fun. Those who know me will know I have a strong interest in intersectional, third-wave feminism (look up intersectionality in Mapping the Margins, Crenshawe 1989), so I really enjoyed this class. It started with Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour and Susan Glaspell's A Jury of Her Peers, continued with Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, detoured into meta - de Beauvoir's 'Woman as Other' essay from The Second Sex and Rich's Compulsory Heterosexuality - and got really underway with the module project, which was an International Baccaleaurate-style extended essay - four thousand words on a self-chosen topic, which, for me, was 'Subverting the canon in feminist fanfiction'. *grin* Yeah, all things said, this was a pretty cool module. Examination questions included looking at gender presentation in Wilde, and relating either Carol Ann Duffy's Standing Female Nude or Alice Walker's The Color Purple to de Beauvoir's theories.

Gosh, what a wall of text! If you've made it this far, I congratulate you for your passion for lit. I hope that my recollections have given you an overview of what studying English Literature is like in NUS High School.

The methods and texts used are really diverse, so even if you don't like one particular approach, you are quite likely to enjoy the rest of your time in class. Also, the teachers in the department are also friendly and very approachable, so if your interest in literature exceeds your ability to write critical responses, or whatever, they will gladly help you, I'm sure.

(That said, the most important thing is still to keep reading, on your own, outside the classroom. You can't do lit without the ability to read and think.)

I know that the system is not fixed, and that the modules I have taken and texts I have studied will probably not be available to many of the newer students, but the teaching and learning culture is still the same. For example, the Year 2 students are learning about symbolism &c. through watching Burton's Corpse Bride in English class - and I spent two lessons in Gender Studies analysing music videos (now you see why I don't like pop music) - it's a very vibrant culture, and the students who have studied lit have often gone to participate in the Gifted Education's Branch Creative Arts Programme or get published in magazines/anthos. There are lots of opportunities out there for literature students, so hold on if you really like lit. :)

Whether or not you ultimately decide to study literature as a subject major - or if you're still weighing your decision to study at NUS High based on its English Literature culture - I hope you found this article edifying, and I wish you all the best.

Cheers,
nana

Regarding: Applying to Oxford, Tufts University and Subject Specialization

Hello! As this is the first time I'm writing for CollegeTalk, just a quick introduction - I'm Kylie, a Year 6 student at NUS High. The agenda of this post is up there^ in the title.

Firstly, please do revisit the previous post on Applying to Oxford, for some important edits regarding Oxford applications - namely that this year (may not be true for next year) there is no Oxford International Interview Application Form, and there is no other form to be filled up other than the UCAS form. Interviews will be done via Skype. However, if the department you are applying to requires additional documents to be sent, you will still have to send those. Cambridge applicants also have to pay more - 100 pounds as the interview fee, and 25 pounds for the processing of the COAF.

With that said, the complexity of the forms should in no way deter you from applying to a school that you are interested in. Neither should the additional fees for the COAF (although, unfortunately, if it is the case, do talk to someone about it!) We're mentioning it to give you a better picture of the application process. Do your own research, and find out which suits you best!

Secondly, Vio has posted on the talk by Tufts University's Assistant Director for Admissions. More information on Tufts - after the talk, I wrote to him for further elaboration on how Tufts encourages globalism, citizenship and interdisciplinary studies. Here's a brief summary of the information gained:

Three major themes were mentioned: globalism, citizenship, and interdisciplinary studies, and in each instance, there is an organization within Tufts tasked with promoting that ideal throughout the school. Globalism is the charge of the Institute for Global Leadership. Citizenship is the purview of the Tisch College of Citizenship. Interdisciplinary Studies is the work of the ExCollege (Experimental College). The ExCollege works to find the cracks between disciplines and fill those cracks. They bring in professional experts who teach full classes on subjects that don't fit into traditional academic majors, and also work to recognize where interdisciplinary opportunities already exist and build the bridges so that students and faculty can work together. Tufts' International Relations major began this way, as did Community Health, Environmental Science, Women's Studies and the majority of the other interdisciplinary programs. The ExCollege provides the space to experiment with possible programs, as well as acting as the advocate for these programs so that traditional departments and faculty buy in.

On to the last topic on the agenda - Subject Specialization. Firstly, let us clarify a common myth: your Graduation CAP is not the be-all and end-all of your education here at NUS High. Although your CAP is and will probably still be an important tool in gauging academic performance, and one's CAP should at least be at an acceptable level, it is also what you do beyond your CAP which defines you as a learned and intelligent individual.

Take for example, while US applications do have a baseline standard of academic performance, US admissions officers tend to focus more on who you are and what you do. Similarly, although the UK admissions process tends to emphasize grades more, the interviews for Oxbridge, and your resume are also essential to your application. At a certain point, grades don't matter so much, anymore.

Do not shy away from taking Honors in a subject that you are passionate about, merely because you want to preserve a high graduation CAP. A more valid question is whether you will be able to cope, or more precisely, how much you are willing to push yourself. Honors modules really do enable you to delve deeper into a subject you are interested in; if you're doing research, this knowledge can also help you in the future. Also, admissions officers also take into consideration your curriculum rigor - the standard of your education.

Don't just go with the crowd - if you're interested in Arts and the Humanities, don't discount that interest just because everyone around you is majoring is Maths and the Science.

I have a few opinions on the different Majors and Honours, and I will share them here - I took Majors with Honours in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. However, please note that I'm just speaking about my experience. Someone else may have a totally different opinion. I also regret that I can't share more about Majors in Arts and the Humanities. (Would anyone like to write about this topic?)

Firstly, Math Honours and Physics Honours are complimentary, in that, hey, Calculus-Based Mechanics/Electricity & Magnetism isn't called 'Calculus-Based' for nothing. Maths helps in Physics. Secondly, an option that some people in my year chose was to do Physics Honours up till Year 5 Sem 1, complete their AP Physics B, and thereafter drop to Physics Majors and avoid two semesters of Calculus-Based Physics. In Year 6 Sem 1, they did not do their AP Physics C, thereby avoiding two APs and allowing themselves more time to focus on other pursuits such as the other APs, research, volunteering, etc. However, this choice will also require you to take Practical Circuitry 1 and Practical Circuitry 2 (that's 2 modules) in Year 6 Sem 2. If you would like to keep your options open, this is possible as well.

Although the Maths specialization Tracks 1 to 4 have been changed to Majors/Majors with Honours, and so I don't know how much this will hold true in the coming years, I felt that Maths and Biology Honours were manageable, while Physics and Chemistry Honours were more challenging. Different people are talented in different areas, though, so what was true for me may not be the same for others! I'd just like to point out that the different between Biology Honours and Majors is only 2 modules, for people who are deliberating between the two.

In summary, Do not be afraid of hard work. The graduation CAP is not everything. Follow your passion. And all the best!

A forum set up for our school students to talk about college admissions and more!

Hallo everyone!

Mr Allan has created a googlegroups for current and past students to discuss issues that we may be concerned with, be it about college admissions or anything else.

You can click this link to join: http://groups.google.com.sg/group/nus-high-school-discussion-forum?hl=en-GB

In the meantime, collegetalk will be still up and running for us to post 'longer' articles so if you want to be a writer for collegetalk, do let us know!

Cheers,
yingzhen

Independent Research

Research is something that confuses many people; parents, new NUSHS students (I shall hence call you all freshmen) and even existing NUSHS students. I shan't endeavour to define research, but let us take a look at research in NUS High and the opportunities it provides.

I'll like to start with the history of research in NUS High School. Details are sketchy, in 2005 some forms of research did exist and it was called IPW (Independent Project Work)[Thanks to Royston for providing the information]. The projects available at that time were not very in-depth due to the lack of equipment available; e.g. proper DNA extraction was not possible. Projects then latched mainly on external resources or were simple, investigative projects.

Sometime later in 2006 the programme would come to be known as Independent Research or IR for short. More students began taking up research projects since the Batch of 2005 was in their fourth year and the move to the new campus along Clementi Avenue 1 provided enhanced lab facilities. In 2007 the programme was formalized and a curriculum (of sorts) was drawn up. It was called AXIS. In that year the first Research Congress was held to showcase students' research work. From 2008 to 2009, the programme was renamed as Da Vinci after the famous polymath and all Year 5/6 students partake in research projects, (Advanced Research Projects, or ARPs) either with external organizations, or with internal mentors.

That being said, what's in it for everyone? Firstly, an ARP is a graduation requirement, meaning that you will either have to take a project in Year 5 or Year 6 and obtain a satisfactory grade. The nature of the project can vary - Some people opt to do high level research such as Quantum Mechanics, Femtochemistry or Proteomics with external organizations. This list is certainly not exhaustive. Others opt to do research in current, familiar areas such as alternative energy or just applying concepts learnt in NUS High School. Note that the burden for the former category is significantly higher, but as with all things, you will reap rewards proportional to the amount of effort put in.

Research from Year 1 to Year 4 is a bit tricky. You will recall I mentioned that in 2005 a number of research projects existed (even for Year 1s - I did one), but as of now the Year 1 to 3 programme is such that a series of workshops and courses are conducted to familiarize students with the requirements for research. These include things like problem solving and research methodology, and you will use these things subconsciously, if not consciously, when you begin your research projects. Some Year 4s do opt to begin their own research, but due to the limited number of projects it may not always be possible (More on this later!). My tip here for Year 4s or prospective Year 4s is that if you do so and your project excels, it may be wise to contemplate converting your project to an ARP. Inquire with relevant people for the procedures.

Ok, so now we know how research is like, but what's the big deal? Research speaks you on your CV as much as any other credential. It is hard to represent time spent by receiving an award for "Good Progress", but citing your research and any awards it might have received instantly says that you have put in significant effort and speaks volumes about your analytical skills. Some scholarships and awards will ask you to demonstrate that you have the necessary aptitude in Science, and research is a good way to put it across to them. Secondly, there are many opportunities for you to shine in research. Projects can be sent to conferences or fairs, or better still, published. For the uninitiated, conferences are events where you put up a poster or deliver a speech regarding your project. As such, these conferences are normally very specific. Invited papers to international conferences, should you be honoured, are very prestigious. Fairs, such as the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF), or the Singapore Youth Science Fair (SYSF), offer good awards. In particular, winning a gold at the SSEF is considered to be one of the highlights of JC Science life. Singapore's representatives to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) are selected from SSEF Gold medalists.

I will dedicate a separate section to publishing and beyond. There is no exact Science to this, but there's a general rule of thumb that publishing and applying for a patent are extremely good accolades if you are able to reach that stage. Professors normally will encourage you to write a paper if your research is promising. For that matter, think for a moment how many people under the age of 18 will have actually published papers in international journals. A patent is much more complicated - It states that you have actually invented something, and you own the rights to that invention.

Getting research to that level however, requires a good amount of time invested in it. Research, like all subjects, requires practice. It is normal that the first research project you do will be a little lack-luster, and rightfully so, because you are not familiar with the ropes and the nature of the industry. Once you get used to the rhythm of research, you will be able to progress much quickly. As a rule of thumb, if you are lucky enough to get a good research mentor, stay with him and learn as much as you can. So long you work hard, you should be able to join a higher level project with the same mentor when you start your research again.

A number of organizations like A*Star (do a search or look up the College Councillors) open research projects to independent students. In other words, you can apply on your own. I personally recommend that you do not do so until you are about 15 years old, i.e. Year 3, because the rigour of industrial research attachments are even higher than that of scholastic environments. People there do research for profit and occasionally race against time to beat competitors to the market. It is however, valuable experience and such projects often have potential. Always remember that the key to research is to work at the cutting-edge. No one wants to know if you found out how many times a day sheep baa, but everyone will want to know if you managed to turn sheep manure into Methanol xD.

How many majors, and how many honours is enough? (Part I)

For those who are Year 4s, or are the few lucky Year 5s who can still choose what subjects you want to major/honours in, do seriously think about which subjects you want to continue on in Years 5 and 6. For people who know me, they kind of think I'm half crazy to actually do 4 honors and 1 major. If you would count the total number of MCs you need to fulfill (79) and the level's average of 2 honors and 2 majors (59), then you probably might agree with them. But by far and large, the message I want to bring forth is: more is (almost) never better.

I will address the question that is on this post's title. How many do I need than do I consider it to be enough?

As many as you can without your grades suffering. Below are a few of the quotes I've extracted from some of the universities many of our students want to apply to:

MIT: Overall, you should try to take the most stimulating courses available to you. If your high school doesn't offer courses that challenge you, you may want to explore other options, such as local college extension or summer programs.

Stanford: The primary criterion for admission to Stanford is academic excellence. We look for your preparation and potential to succeed. We expect you to challenge yourself throughout high school and to do very well. The most important credential that enables us to evaluate your academic record is the high school transcript. Remember, however, that our evaluation of your application goes beyond any numerical formula. There is no minimum GPA or test score; nor is there any specific number of AP or honors courses you must have on your transcript that will secure your admission to Stanford.

Harvard: Our principal message is that you should choose the most academically demanding courses you can find. You and your family will of course take your individual situation into account. Just as each student has different talents and interests that need to be developed, schools vary considerably in their particular strengths.

The universities are looking for people who have shown to be able to stretch themselves. But stretching oneself does not equate to taking the most number of courses. It is simply pointless if you take too many courses and you don't do well enough. Save for the few who can excel and reach peaks in academia (ie. international science fairs/international olympiads), I would urge most to take academics as the primary activity, and do other activities to show your passion!

For me, the compelling reason for me to take the sciences and history was quite unique. I originally intended to drop biology and take up history. But a change of heart, driven primarily because I still somewhat enjoyed biology, caused me to take up biology again. Thankfully, the history classes were scheduled during the elective time slot, allowing me to take the course. The question then becomes, aren't you worried about the workload?

In some sense, yes. The coursework for the sciences (8 MC of math, 6 MC of physics, 3 MC of biology, 3 MC of chemistry) in the first semester was enough a workload. There doesn't seem to be enough time for history isn't it? However, do note that I was then staying in hostel, so somewhat thankfully, I saved the 2 hours of commuting to and from school daily. Workload wise, it was quite similar to that of year 4.

The main difference of course is that in year 4, humanities is compulsory, and in year 5/6, it isn't. I like history, which was the compelling reason for me to continue history. There are also several practical reasons I've come to realise(which I didn't consider actually):

1. History, or any humanities, is good to show that you have taken a diversity of subjects, rather than just sciences. There must be a reason why every JC student has to take a contrasting subject in A levels right?

2. It makes applying university easier. Because of the relatively small size of humanities classes, your humanities teacher will know you quite well. Why is it good? Because for the US application, they require teacher recommendations from a math/science teacher and also from a humanities teacher. Most people will ask their english teachers, but if you take humanities, you have one more to choose.

3. You get more general knowledge. It's both a big bonus for you be it conversation starters or scholarship applications.

Sorry if this post is quite a bit about why I took history. I'll talk a bit more in my next post specifically the workload and what implications you have if you take any of the honours/majors.

Questions about the many things that we do in school: Does it matter?

Many parents (including mine) often wonder about how much of the things that we do in school really count especially when our school diploma is still unknown relative to the A levels, when the lady in the fish market knows what A levels is but the taxi driver that drives by your house everyday doesnt know what "NUS High School" is.

So in this post I will talk about:
1. APs
2. Majors and honours
3. Rigour of curriculum and The CAP
And how much of a factor each plays in university and scholarship admissions.

Okay first of all I will describe university admission and scholarship admissions. I am not an expert so this is from my experience and knowledge. Please do ask the school straight if you want the school's perspective, this is just mine and no one else's (please dont kill me Dr Hang).

University admission is a judgment of your personality, ability, everything, based on some writing. That writing comprises of: 1. Your CAP, 2. Your curriculum/subject combinations, 3. Extracurriculars, 4. Standardized tests like SAT/IELTS/BMAT, 5. Awards, 6. Your essay.

Then there is the interview which you are expected to ace, for some universities, but not for most of them. So it's safe to conclude that it is more important to appear good on paper (bluntly speaking) because appearing good on paper means you are a really good person.

For scholarships, it is the same thing as university admissions, except that there is DEFINITELY ONE OR MORE interviews which YOU MUST ACE. So looking good on paper is no longer sufficient.

Okay so on to the next 4 things to talk about and my views.
1. APs: nearly useless for admissions, but no point not taking it. More and more top students from other schools such as RJC and HCI are taking APs as well, and they take loads at a go by self studying. APs are a lot easier than A levels, and these top students just cram the studying in a month or 2 and get 5s anyway. It's easier because APs test for breadth while A levels are more of 'depth', so knowing a little about everything will suffice for APs. Many Americans also take about 5 to 6 APs in their senior year.

So if top students are doing APs and some have A level results too does doing APs really give you the advantage? I dont think so.

I wont say that APs are entirely useless, because they lend credit to your curriculum and rigour. It's a standardized test after all, so getting a 5 in every AP exam says something when you are compared to the rest of the world. Being in a school with everyone getting 5s say something about your standard in comparison with everyone else, and that's what our school needs before people are willing to recognize our rigorous curriculum.

So when AP time comes, please do help one another because it raises the school name, now you are no longer competing against one another but competing with the rest of the world - some students dont seem to grasp that - it's one thing to be selfish during exam time, it's another to be selfish during AP time.

I am a little thankful for doing APs too because it allows me to skip some modules in US universities. I think A levels allow you to skip too (I am not sure) but for APs it's a definite. Each university has their policy online.

Another reason to do APs is because based on the school curriculum, you have enough knowledge to ace the APs so why not have a 5 on your paper than not have a 5? Makes you look better too.

In terms of university applications, schools tend to look at everything in context - including whether or not you have taken the most challenging courseload, so taking the maximum amount of APs would be an extra testament to that in addition to your majors and honours.

In terms of scholarship applications, cant really comment because I have never put any AP results on my scholarship applications - there isnt a space to put it on Brightsparks and when people ask you to submit your results you submit your school diploma (cos the curriculum is more rigorous) and not your AP results.

Overall verdict: After university it will be useful, dont expect it to boost your university application by too much though. Take it anyway cos it's a waste not to.

2. Majors and Honours. I always thought that taking 3 honours and 1 major would be a major disadvantage for me if I wanted to fight for a spot in top schools and scholarships. It turned out to be the best choice I made.

I took honours in biology, chemistry and math and a major in physics. In fact, I took the fast track in physics (i.e. I went along the honours track in physics, but dropped out after taking physics B in year 5). I thought I would be disadvantaged because as the adage goes, everyone prefers to take someone with a lower CAP but more challenging courseload instead of someone with a higher CAP but less challenging courseload. Right?

Not necessarily, I feel. It depends on how you spend that extra time.

In terms of university applications, your college counsellor (ie Mr. Allan or Ms. Sng) will have to rate your curriculum on whether it is most demanding, demanding, etc etc, and it is rumoured that top colleges will only take in those with the most demanding courseload.

There was this slide that serves as a guideline on what's demanding and what's most demanding, I am not a NUSHS student anymore so I dont have it but you probably will see it in 1 of those PTM slides. (Vanessa/ZM do you have it? If you do please edit my post and post it here, haha)

I dont know what Mr. Allan put for my courseload but I do remember my courseload was somewhere in between demanding and most demanding.

The reason why I didnt major with honours in physics was because I didnt like it. Admittedly, I was struggling in it too - the problem with modular system is the moment you screw up your basic modules you cant catch up - and I didnt want to waste another year doing physics when I could spend that time doing something else. So I dropped it, and I got to spend more time in council, external activities like ECO, YCM, etc.

My point is, dont take 4 honours if you dont enjoy the subject because that time can be spent doing something else that you like, and that's what colleges want to see - you doing something that you have a passion for, rather than just blindly studying and being on paper chase. At the same time I understand that your academics must be somewhat competitive to have a chance at all the top spots, so...it's a judgment call for you I guess. Take honours for the subjects you like better and dont force yourself if you dont like the subject?

Does it really matter in the big scheme of things? Well I have friends who took the most rigorous curriculum possible but are worse off (in terms of scholarships and unis) than friends who just took 3 majors with honours. My conclusion is that taking the most rigorous curriculum may give you a slight edge but there are more important other factors. Dont waste your time and youth taking classes you hate just for that extra writing on paper!

3. Rigour of curriculum. Okay I got good news and bad news. Bad news is that Dr Hang will kill me but I dont think the rigour of our curriculum is recognized yet. Good news is that it will probably be recognized by your time (in a few years).

I didnt think that people understood what a 4.36 cap meant. When I went for my PSC checkup yesterday, the nurse asked me so you must have scored all As in your A levels la! I said er we dont take A levels and the nurse looked so puzzled. "But I thought it's PSC?" "Yes I am from the math and science school. NUS High School?" "Oh... but you got all As right?" I just smiled. -.-

Is it bad? I dont think so. I feel so confident going to university right now because I have learnt more than others. You really do learn more and you will find that it's not just the curriculum, but the independent study techniques and time management skills that will be very helpful in the long run.

So does the CAP matter? Dr Hang once told us that scholarships expect you to have a minimum CAP (3.6) just to clear the 1st round, after that it depends on your interview - and I am inclined to agree with him. So dont spend 10 hours a day trying to push your CAP up from 4.2 to 4.3.

Some places have the tendency to equate an A in A levels to an A in our school diploma (such as Murdoch who expects a CAP of 5 for some courses). I feel that there is nothing you can do about that other than rue your luck and hope that they will recognize our diploma in a few years from now. :( On the other side, there are also universities like Cambridge who expect a CAP of 4.2 for some courses, so that's great.