Asean Scholarships Form 3 or Form 5?

[Anthony]

My brother is Form Three this year...
Shud he take ASEAN scholarship now or After Form 5?

[el_empty]

personally i think he should go when he's F3. i think that's the most ripe time to assimilate into the singaporean system, as you would still have the opportunity to connect with the local students at the secondary level. typically i feel those who went in only for pre-university have a harder time in adapting to the singapore flavor of things, and at the same time, possibly, find it difficult to catch up with the singaporean standards in education.

[DecentMerson]

i think if ur brother want to enjoy a bit of a Singapore student's life, he shld go now....(i mean for Form 3), coz Junior College(JC) is the hardest part of Singapore Education system...(according to most ppl)

but, secondary school in Singapore is much the same as in Malaysia... just that it is in English...(even more so because currently, sciences are taught in English back in Malaysia)

I've only been there for JC (for 8 months), so i couldn't really compare it with secondary school or wat... but, JC is much tougher than A-levels in local colleges...

however, one thing that u have to keep in mind is that whether ur brother want to wait til Form 5 and apply for JPA... or other scholarships becoz by going there since form 3, virtually, he has no return to local Uni... meaning, he has to go private colleges or futher his studies at overseas' Uni no matter wat...

IT IS A ONE WAY TICKET!!!

and another thing, u r quite confident that ur bro will get the Asean Pre-U scholarship after form 5... optimistic is good.... since he has been awarded Asean once, then, he will be able to get it for another time...

just my 2 cents...

and what's ur bro's ambition? if it is medicine, then, i don't think it is wise to go to Singapore.

[ElansarGelmir]

And also, the MOE is more strict in allocating the JCs among the flow throughs (the ASEAN scholars continuing from secondary school) than the directs (the ASEAN scholars who take SPM in Malaysia). However, a good thing of going to Singapore early is that he has more time to train for the NAPFA test... unlike me here *tsk tsk*...

[wil]

Sorry for my ignorance...if i get the Asean Scholarship using SPM forecast result and study in singapore since January. Later on, i found that i was eligible for JPA scholarship. Can i stop my study midway and return to M'sia for the JPA?

[nianz]

yes you can withdraw from ASEAN mid way.but there's a catch!you have to refund MOE the full liquidated amount of your expenditure plus a 10% intrest!

[DecentMerson]

yes you can withdraw from ASEAN mid way.but there's a catch!you have to refund MOE the full liquidated amount of your expenditure plus a 10% intrest!

want to clarify this further...

YES, you can definitely withdraw from ASEAN midway... and YES, you do have to pay with a 10% interest...

but if u are enrolled since January...(actually u will be going there at the end of December...still remember I went there on Christmas night 3 years ago...), the first 3 months is FREE OF CHARGE.... if u choose to withdraw within or exactly after the first 3 months, u are free to go, and without having to pay anything... (please clarify with them whether they have made any changes to this policy recently)...

if u withdraw after the first three months, u will have to pay all the monies they spent on you after March, with a 10% interest....

just to let u have a rough idea how expensive it is, my bill for five months...(April til Aug), cost SGD 6000... that's roughly about RM 13k, maybe more now(the exchange rate is cheaper back then, i supposed..) it's almost the price tag of an entire A-level course in local colleges...

[ElansarGelmir]

I don't think I was charged with 10% interest. In fact, I think they charged us less than what they should. But maybe it's because the first term is free.

However, things may change - they may learn how to prevent Malaysian students from returning to Malaysia and change the terms and conditions. Like how JPA changes its conditions... Just do more up-to-date research

[nianz]

but if u are enrolled since January...(actually u will be going there at the end of December...still remember I went there on Christmas night 3 years ago...), the first 3 months is FREE OF CHARGE.... if u choose to withdraw within or exactly after the first 3 months, u are free to go, and without having to pay anything... (please clarify with them whether they have made any changes to this policy recently)...

if u withdraw after the first three months, u will have to pay all the monies they spent on you after March, with a 10% interest....

..
the first three months is no longer free.they just changed the contract thing.they make you sign some annex thingy at the beginning or the year making you agree to pay even though you withdraw in the first three months.this year is the first year they are implementing this.
they made one of my friends pay even though he went to SG for only two weeks!!
i'm still waiting for my bill!!!!kekekekekeke!

[el_empty]

how scary...

but think of the possibilities you can achieve by staying on in singapore. jpa is rife with complains of double standards and awkward polilcies, not to mention the bizarre criteria for awarding scholarships.

whereas in singapore you can be sure they *really* want you and will go that extra mile in order to keep you comfortable - as long as you're willing to work hard.

true, that's not very patriotic of me for saying that. but i think you should go where your potential can be fully maximized. once you're done with the singapore system you can decide whether you want to return to malaysia or not.

[weich]

I was in S'pore for 6.5 years, got the scholarship after Form 1, have to say that secondary school life is great...not very stressful, you'll find very good teachers who really care about you and will help you achieve what you want, basically a lot of guidance & opportunities if you want them. One of my teachers even brought me & 2 other scholars out for supper almost every Friday night in our 1st year there so that we won't miss M'sia that much...

Can't say the same for JC though, one of the toughest time of my life (but have to admit I brought it to myself) since I was aiming for a scholarship at that time. So I wanted to appear all-rounded & outstanding...but as a result spent too much time coping with 3 CCAs...spend my days in JC from morning till about 8/9pm at night 6 days a week...and worst still was put in a class with 11 PRC scholars, 3 Malaysian scholars (including me), 2 Indonesian scholars, 1 Vietnamese scholar & only 5 Singaporeans (1 of them a Gold Chemistry Olympiad winner). So imagine the competitiveness there!

Also have to add that to get a scholarship to go overseas in S'pore isn't that easy as well! If you're confident of getting the JPA scholarship i think you should stay in M'sia.

also, i think if you intend on applying to unis like MIT/Caltech...stay in M'sia unless you're really brilliant! 'Cos teachers in S'pore won't write recommendations for you unless you've gone for international olympiads & all. (at least in my JC)

Also, for most overseas scholarships in S'pore, the only ones you can aim for are ST, GIC (by invitation only during my time - but recently I met new GIC scholars from Malaysia who were studying in Taylor's), PSC & A*Star scholarships - Also, most scholarships require you to convert to S'pore citizenship...and you need to outshine other S'poreans to be even considered.

Basically if you're ready for this, apply after Form 3 then, 'cos it gives you a headstart & also more time to settle in and adapt. If possible once you've got it, ask which school you'll be sent to 'cos the top schools are really different.

[el_empty]

also, i think if you intend on applying to unis like MIT/Caltech...stay in M'sia unless you're really brilliant! 'Cos teachers in S'pore won't write recommendations for you unless you've gone for international olympiads & all. (at least in my JC)


i disagree. you can't generalize singaporean teachers like that. i think it's up to you how you build your relationship with your respective teachers - during my jc days my secondary school history teacher wrote a winning recommendation for me. likewise, my jc biology teacher wrote one as well.

so it's really up to you which path you choose. as long as you're confident in your abilities (and you need to) and work really hard for something you want, i think you can go to mit and stanford and all those desirable schools everyone's talking about. all i can say is that if you want to try out some strong competition before going to these universities, i think you should go to singapore after f3 rather than jc.

lastly, remind yourself that sources of scholarships don't come only from malaysia and singapore. there are opportunities available through american and british universities as well.

weich: your class sounds like it's rj. wah piang...

[yeeyen]

i disagree. you can't generalize singaporean teachers like that. i think it's up to you how you build your relationship with your respective teachers - during my jc days my secondary school history teacher wrote a winning recommendation for me. likewise, my jc biology teacher wrote one as well.

well, though, i am against generalization, i must admit that Weich is not completely wrong in say what he did. I mean, look at it. I was from singapore and like him, i had classmates who were super-overacheivers. Ranked first in the world in olympiads and stuff. It's not about whether you have a good relationshop with your teachers or not. There, if in a top ranked JC, you'll be compared to top minds, and it's not easy to shine. Imagine, your classmate has a reference that says "top in the world in math" and your reference says "has a good mathematic ability".

And about coming back to malaysia. I left after F3. and now, i'm unable to get a place in a public university because i don't have SPM malay, I did A-levels and they consider STPM-leavers first, and i can't be considered under a foreign student category because i'm malaysian. So, i can only go private or overseas.

Oh, and about withdrawing from ASEAN, well, i had frens who just flunked everything and got sent away. I'm not sure whether you can still do that, though.

Personally, I don't regret going after F3. The system is a fairly good one, and the opportunities available, especially if you come from a small town like yours truly, are definitely better. For eg, lab equipment, and chances for competitions and things like that. ANd btw, i don't think it's unpatriotic to criticise our system. if we don't nothing will ever get done.

BTW, weich, ARE you from RJ?and if you are was it S01A? sounds like it. [/quote]

[mmng]

well...I guess another advantage of going in Sec 3 is that your bro be able to work for whatever JC he wants to go. the education system in singapore is undergoing a major revamp. the whole a-level syllabus will be entirely different from the one now starting 2006 (i think). you may want to find out more about it because it may influence your/ your bro's choice. then there'll only be one intake for JCs, i.e. after the release of o-level results after the first 2 months. that means if your bro does well in his O level, he can practically go to any JC he wants, as opposed to those who come only after form 5 and are posted by the MOE to the respective JCs. u may want to consider this if there are specific JCs which your bro wants to go to. It was more difficult currently and in the past because placement of scholasrs in the respective JCs depend entirely on the Prelims results, in which most ppl find it harder to score than the O level. Also, now, those who come in sec 3 can opt to go for Integrated Programmes, tenable only at certain JCs. that means when they come in Sec 3, they'll go directly into a JC but do a 4-yr integrated programme, thus skipping the O-level altogether. Their programme is aimed at taking the A levels. although they still do Sec3-4 stuff, they have more research, coursework, etc. It's quite demanding. Another good thing about the revamp is that CCA will be (somewhat) made less important with the points system abolished in JCs.

Well I think it's better to come earlier so as to get as much exposure as possible first. Secondary schools in sg are quite fun and are definitely more enriching than those in Malaysia (depending on what type of school you come from though). but sooner or later i'm sure you'll grow tired of life in singapore. maybe 4 yrs is enough, haha.

[weich]

weich: your class sounds like it's rj. wah piang...

yes...RJ

BTW, weich, ARE you from RJ?and if you are was it S01A? sounds like it.

yes...SO1A

...so predictable =)

[feifei]

well, this is my first year in singapore or rather i should say first half year... i m in sec 3 and i find that i made the correct choice to come here this year rather than applying after form 5.. because most other countries take only sec 3 and they do not have intake for jc. so, there are more chances for me to get to know ppl from other countries as we are all new to the system.
as for wat i see about jc, there are many malaysians and they tend to hang around with only malaysians and do not really get the chance to know others. undeniably, they know more malaysians which is not a bad thing. :D
i m fully aware that since i m here since sec 3, there will be no turning back for me if i wanna go to malaysia uni.. however, if u r coming with an intention to learn about other countries and know more about others, sec 3 is a good choice, i think..

[mutterfricken]

hi..... we have started a new SIG on Singapore Life and Education.... if u have any queries or opinion u want to post, do feel free to do it at the new SIG...... Thanx for u participation..... Have a nice day.

[evonne]

hello!!!ermm......i suggest ppl to accept the scholarship at sec 1...haha!!!like me.true.i'm here at singapore now n i'm sec 1.i just accept this scholarship like this year.it is really easy to fit in coz everyone is new in a sec sch.if it's me,i will suggest form 5 coz everyone is new in jc too.if he go in sec 3,it's kind of hard coz the syllubus is quite different n u hav to go to read sec 1 n too textbook.but if u come in jc,the syllubus is quite acceptable.besides,he only need to renew his scholarship for one year.haha.just my personal point of view.
addition:if he goes in sec 3,it'll be kind of awkward because in sec 3 the locals are getting along very well with each other already n then u suddenly "interfere",it's like kind of hard to fit in "socially".

[mhcheah]

elloz... penangnite currently in nus studyin med...been here since sec 3.. chen hoay mentioned u needed help...fr the replies... i think the community here has highlighted most of the reasons y us shd go aft f3 or f5... if u haf problems fittin in2 jc ud probably haf juz as much problems fittin in2 sec3 as its not so much of a 'familiarity' issue as much as it is ur approach towards ppl... however u will b denied entry in2 mal govt uni if u do not get ur choice of tertiery study in sg... if u make the most of ur time here u will benefit... studyin abroad n living on ur own is an interesting experience... u'll make lotsa frens singaporeans n foreigners alike... the education here may b challengin n demanding but being f3 or f5 doesnt really matter...i noe tis isnt very conclusive n it seems tat im tryin very hard not 2 take sides but tats cos in my time here ive seen ppl who haf thrived cos of the reasons cited by the community n oso left cos of the very same reasons... think it over well (go wif ur gut feelin if u muz) n all the best.. if u need nethin juz drop me a mail
u0403304@<hidden>