IN NEED OF HELP (failed Os)

lolcakes SG

I failed O levels miserably. Here are my grades as evidence to my statement:

English C6

Maths D7

Combined Science (Phy, Chem) D7

Combined Humans (SS, HISTORY) D7

MT B4

so of course with a total of 31 points i can forget about going to SP's biomedical science. Yes yes, I know very well that if I had already set my eyes on something, I should work for it. But I clearly didnt. At that time, as a sec 5 student, I was at a standstill bc I didn't know I could ever be a single pointer and I relied solely on Luck (another stupid thing to do I KNOW).

When I decided to just go with ITE, I got posted into Accounting, instead of Biotechnology (which would allow me to pursue biomed in poly). I appealed three times but the chances are slim as I am not at the TOP of my waiting list because of there are others who are better than me.

I was told to make Accounting MY choice and make it into something I LOVE - honestly I would but I can't bring myself to. A part of me wants to study science all my life, but another part of me wants to let go of the ambition I used to have and make a new one, by becoming an Accountant or something.

In all honesty, I wanted to study medicine in NUS. They said dream big. I did, but I. Did. Not. Work. Hard. For. It. Laugh at me and remind me that it is not impossible. But I came across a Biotech student managed to succeed in SP's biomed and I am guessing that now he is studying in NUS (his poly gpa was 3.6). That was my motivation. But all that was destroyed when I didn't get into the course of my choice.

I need advice.

Should I embrace accounting OR should I retake Os OR keep appealing and calling up the school of applied health sciences in ITE to take me in?

If i stick with accounting, will i be able to let go?

If i retake Os, from 31 pts to 8 pts (biomed science course COP), is that possible?

If i keep appealing, how should I go about doing it? I called, came down to the office and talked to my teachers, everyone is saying I have to wait but i want them to know that i REALLY want this course.

MyPillowTalks SG

If you look at SP's website, the entry requirements to qualify for Diploma in Biomedical Science is either Higher Nitec in 1. Biotechnology / Biochemical Technology or 2. Chemical Technology

Thus, even if you work very hard in accounting and apply for Diploma in Biomedical Science, it could be abit troublesome when u apply for the diploma.

How long more before you finish studying accouting?
If there is only a few months left, i will finish accounting and then retake O Levels.
Else, wait a while and see if they let you change course. If really they dun let u study biomedical, then i will retake o levels.

If you plan to retake O levels, i guess you will be doing it as a private student right? Does your parents have enough money for you to do so? You must be fast in grasping the concepts and be familiar with the subjects you failed initially. You don't want the journey of retaking O levels to be a wasted one.

There will be lots of work to be done from 31 points to 8 points, it is quite important to have good concept of chemistry and little bit of biology to study biomedical science. On top of that, you will need to score A2 for almost all of the subjects to achieve 8 points for ELR2B2.

Either options you take, I can only say you must work very hard.

If u can score 8 points for O levels, u should go straight to JC, then A levels, then apply for NUS medicine. Because from Poly to NUS Medicine is close to impossible.

In an event you can't get into Medicine, you can still study NUS Engineering course and maybe in the future get into biomedical science industry.

DragonMaster SG

I would suggest that you retake your O Levels if you are not interested in Accounting. The highest COP for polytechnic courses is usually 26 points except Nursing (28 points). With 31 points, it is impossible to enter any poly course. To get into a science course, you need to pass your Maths and Science and get a better ELR2B2 aggregate. Consider other science courses such as RP's Biomedical Sciences (COP 16 points) or Biotechnology (COP 21 points) if you retake your O Levels and don't score well enough to enter SP's Biomedical Science.

Your score for Science is D7 and you didn't take Biology so it might be difficult for you to catch up with students who took Biology (either as a pure science or combined science) in sec sch, even if you eventually manage to get into any Biomedical Science course.

You should plead with your secondary school principal to let you study at your secondary school again, as private schools are expensive (costs at least $3000+) and the quality of the teachers in private schools might not be on par with the teachers in secondary schools. Buy lots of assessment books and TYS and just keep practicing. Get tuition too if you could afford it.

If your principal won't let you back, maybe try the ITE General Education Programme. The teachers are current or retired MOE teachers and lessons are conducted once a week for every subject on weeknights and weekend mornings/afternoons. They offer most subjects and the fee is only $69 for each subject but if you repeat the course it's $680 for each subject as they only provide subsidies once. If you enrol in the GE programme, work hard so you don't have to repeat it.

Over the past few years, there have been 13 candidates from the prison school scoring 5 A1 in the O Levels and they only had 1 year to prepare for O Levels. I also read about some N(T) guy who took O Levels as a private candidate and scored 4A, 1B and 1C (B and C for languages). It is not impossible to do well if you are diligent.

For polytechnic graduates, O Level results consist of 20% of their university admission score (the other 80% come from their poly results) so if you retake your O Levels and do well, it would be helpful as your goal is to go to uni. ITE results are not considered for university admission; they are only considered for poly admission.

DragonMaster SG

If u can score 8 points for O levels, u should go straight to JC, then A levels, then apply for NUS medicine. Because from Poly to NUS Medicine is close to impossible.

He only has 5 subjects. If he wants to go to JC, he needs at least 6 subjects to compute L1R5

lolcakes SG

thank you all. the deadline for O levels is on the 21st of April.....and I have yet to make a decision.

I came across an article: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/education/story/how-david-hoe-fought-his-way-university-20140413

do u think they will allow this to happen again? enroll in a secondary school as a sec 3 express student, which would allow me to take one more course because as of now, i only have 5 subjects. i have been told, by many others and you guys, that JC>MED NUS is the most practical route. HOWEVER, the pre-requisite to MED-NUS is TWO H2 SCIENCE which would require me to take pure science

i am not financially stable right now, in fact, my family is undergoing serious money crisis. i saw the ITE GE thing...but can i pay through my PSEA ACCOUNT?

And I've checked....The minute I decide to stick with Accounting, I can only enter business related courses in Poly.

and like what you said, even if i do well in both ITE and POLY and eligible to apply for med-NUS, they will still look at my O LEVEL cert.

I am a first year Higher Nitec student in Accounting and I have 3 weeks before I make a withdrawal from the course.

DragonMaster SG

thank you all. the deadline for O levels is on the 21st of April.....and I have yet to make a decision.

I came across an article: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/education/story/how-david-hoe-fought-his-way-university-20140413

i am not financially stable right now, in fact, my family is undergoing serious money crisis. i saw the ITE GE thing...but can i pay through my PSEA ACCOUNT?

And I've checked....The minute I decide to stick with Accounting, I can only enter business related courses in Poly.

and like what you said, even if i do well in both ITE and POLY and eligible to apply for med-NUS, they will still look at my O LEVEL cert.

I am a first year Higher Nitec student in Accounting and I have 3 weeks before I make a withdrawal from the course.

Hi,

For O Level registration, if you wish to retake some subjects this year, register for the subjects first. They will cancel your registration if you haven't paid by 29 April. This would give you more time to consider. This is also the last year for you to retake English 1127 (if you want to retake English). From 2015 onwards, only English 1128 (new syllabus) is available and some people find that more difficult.

From the ITE GE FAQs, the GE programme does not qualify for funding under the Edusave or PSEA schemes. You don't have to withdraw from your course to pursue the GE programme. Current full-time ITE students could apply for the GE programme but they must first seek clearance, in writing, from the Section Head of their ITE Campus.

You could still apply for the GE programme at any ITE Customer Visitor Centre until 30 April 2014 but the classes have already started since 24 Feb 2014.

If you require financial assistance, you may approach your Centre Supervisor and he/she will explain the avenues to seek financial assistance (e.g. CDC and other self-help groups)

Spiritanto SG

It would be better if you retake the O levels and work hard for it.

It is not difficult to jump from 31 points to less than 20 points within 6 months. All you need is focus.

DragonMaster SG

lolcakes,

The David Hoe case is an exception. If you want to go back to secondary school, talk to your principal about it.

Please also bear in mind that there's an age limit for sec sch and JC:

14 to 18+ years old (for Sec 3)

16 to 20+ years (for JC1)

Once you exceed the age limit, they won't accept you. Poly and uni do not have an age limit but for certain polys, applicants above 30 years of age may have to attend an interview.

If you score A1 or A2 for your O Level Combined Science, some JCs may allow you to take H2 Science.

To get into NUS medicine via the A Level route, you need to have at least a H2 pass in Chemistry and either Physics or Biology. Passing alone is not sufficient though. The Indicative Grade Profile for both NUS and NTU medicine is AAA/A (3H2/1H1). This means you would need to have at least four distinctions to even get shortlisted. For the IGP, Grade C is assumed for both General Paper and Project Work but some applicants will have better grades than C for those two H1 subjects. The intake is only 300 students and there would be lots of JC and poly students vying for it. Good grades are a must but not sufficient in itself. For NUS Medicine, you also need to have a good portfolio and do well in the Focused Skills Assessment (FSA) and Situational Judgement Test (SJT). For NTU medicine, you also need good BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) results.

Admission to law and medicine is extremely competitive, more so for poly students. For example, from 2007 to 2012, only about 1 to 3 poly students got into the local law undergraduate courses each year.

It's good to have an ambition but sometimes you have to be realistic. Think about what other courses you would like to take if you can't get into Medicine.

lolcakes SG

To even have thoughts of pursuing Medicine is completely out of the question, but I am obligated to try, right? Even if I don't land there, I know I tried. I want to try. I am completely aware that I don't stand a chance but for now, I am interested in the science field. I am not keen in joining the business industry in the near future so I am hesitant to stick with Accounting.

I've decided to retake my Os...but through the ITE GE programme. Anyone knows how the prog works? There are so many questions i'd like to ask right about now. I was told that it is 69$ per subject, but is it the course fee only? Just shower me with every information about the programme bc I am pretty dead set on giving it my all this time around.

Spiritanto SG

Does this website work?

http://www.ifaq.gov.sg/ITE/apps/fcd_faqmain.aspx?qst=2fN7e274RAp%2bbUzLdEL%2fmCxs7iwcgv8gv2atNDOvsLDD0mSnkeCxH%2fQbe7ZF2cK6UfLoNpRjuGzkFXy%2fluWeYgIChdWOcmFosa4lIspVh81FSoHsB4IZcleuFiCAFYKXDoszEtXD8QJgdHtbkaEepV%2bCJA1N59w%2b5GcLkSztGLhwL3E5D0y2jcc6j3bGAEf4kg7tlZbJPjXa2sbvbDicy1KiHPQ2lDscU8FMJRdbwHAbfOneC87BNg%3d%3d#FAQ_3494

Just trying to help.

DragonMaster SG

If you don't get into a medicine course, you might want to consider studying medicine overseas or apply to Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School after you get a Bachelor's degree in any discipline. For example, you could complete a Life Sciences degree first and then apply for Duke-NUS. The path would be longer but you would get there in the end if you succeed.

https://www.ite.edu.sg/wps/portal/pts.se.gep -> See "Training Schedules and Fees" for the 2014 fees.

You could take up to 7 subjects via the GE programme (if you meet the requirements).

Aside from the GE Programme, they also have Revision Courses for 4 subjects - English, E Maths, Science (Phy/Chem) and POA. See this link for more info: https://www.ite.edu.sg/wps/portal/pts.se.rc

Other useful information could be found in the FAQ mentioned above by Spiritanto.

M the name SG

If you are not the academic type or those who had the problem to study (no offence), then my suggestion is you can consider taking up WDA Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) System for Healthcare Support.

The good thing about this new WDA's qualification framework is, first it give you the 'recognition' to join the workforce and get the working experience, at the same time, this qualification might even allow you to study in SIM university, their university partner, or local polytechnic, you might like to contact WDA to find out more : http://www.wda.gov.sg/content/wdawebsite/L207-AboutWSQ/L307A-RecognitionArticulation.html

Finally as mention many times in homework forum, are you an N level student and scored good point for most of the subjects? Because nowsdays, local poly do accept N level students with good result into their polytechnic foundation programme. Hope this help.

Dannyhunter96 SG

im in the same situation all the best op

Genie99b SG

have you considered nursing?