I wrote a review for www.jcguide.org and sent it to them
end August, but they took a long time to post it.
Here it is if anyone wants to look at it.
NB: The last section was largely contributed by other people.
Intro:
RJC is the Premier JC in Singapore. In most years, it is top in
rankings. Students come from a variety of backgrounds and schools,
and although many students are from RI and RGS (In the year 2001,
553 from RI and 421 from RGS of 1672 students), there is great
diversity.
RJC is located in Ghim Moh, though at some indeterminate point in
the future, it is supposed to move to beside where RI is now. With
the endless delays, however, this will probably happen when pigs
fly. RJ is located near ACJC, so you often see people from there at
Ghim Moh and at Buona Vista MRT station.
RJC is good in all subject areas, unlike NJC which has chosen to
specialise in Maths, and ACJC which specialises in, erm, well. Go
read the ACJC review when it comes up. There is room in RJ for both
slackers and muggers, so everyone can be happy.
Every other person appears so brilliant but you shouldn't be
intimidated because a lot of them are faking it. On the other hand,
some people like to pretend that they aren't studying at all when
they are actually true-blue muggers - great actors. There are
plenty of scholars in RJC, but it is not as replete with them as
HCJC (Hualalalala JC) is with PRCs.
The faculty concept/so-called fac spirit isn't worth pittance.
Especially now that with the emphasis on 'life sciences', the
'Medicine' (Biology) faculty has swollen to gargantuan
proportions.
Be prepared to see the same bunch of RI/RGS prefects playing for
the high-profile spots - the President and Vice-President of the
20th Students' Council were, respectively, the Head Boy and
Vice-Head Boy of RI.
Uniform:
The RJ uniform has, for a few years, been provided by a fine outlet
near Bukit Timah Plaza called 'Finest Fashion' - one of the
greatest misnomers of our time. There is a conspiracy among at
least 4 JCs (HCJC, RJC, VJC and NJC) to use some alien fabric
(worse than sackcloth or hair shirts) for their uniforms which is
fireproof, waterproof, coarse, hot and uncomfortable. The folks at
PJ might be on this plot as well, seeing how rough their uniform
is. To add insult to injury, the RJC uniform is a spooky purple
tint to boot. The uniform is good for Girls who don't
want to be seen as it is hard to glimpse anything under the
sackcloth as it is very thick and water won't make it any less
opaque. However, after half a year of washing, there isn't really
much difference.
Rejoice, those who yearn to wear normal uniforms. Harken to the
clarion call. The uniform is going to be changed in 2002 (so the
author is told by the Discipline Master). If this happy turn of
events does not come to pass, however, you can always wear illegal
uniforms (as many do) - the old RJ uniforms from Bibi and Baba,
older ones from relations, seniors and friends, Yangtse
Kiang blouses for the girls, or the RGS blouse for ex-RGS girls and
RI uniform for the guys.
The male outfit of white pleated shirt and white pleated pants for
the guys is acceptable, if a bit bland for those whose tastes lie
on the more adventurous side. You are labelled even if you do not
wear a badge by a 'Raffles' tag on the back pocket. The sleeves
come 'folded' back,
which might discomfit some who think that folded sleeves is a
feminine thing. Beware of glowing under UV light. Most guys wear
their uniform rather baggily.
Girls get to wear a green flare-type skirt, which is soft and which
allows you to sit with your legs wide open, if you choose. The
flexibility in seating positions (you can sit comfortably even on
the floor) will be welcomed by some, but dreaded by those who have
not mastered the Art of Sitting Properly. And may the Powers That
Be protect you if a draft - especially bad in the corridors of the
canteen comes and you are not holding on to your skirt. Worst comes
to worst, you can always wear shorts underneath. Some hate the
giant pleats on the skirt, and others
the green colour (The Chemistry department points out that the RJ
skirt is the exact same colour as copper (II) compounds like copper
(II) hydroxide), but it is up to an individual's preference.
Folding of sleeves (a tradition in RGS) also means girls tend to
keep a close watch on their personal grooming/hygiene or risk being
'shadowed'.
The PE attire is an RJC PE T-Shirt with black shorts. The colours
of the Shirt are disgusting, with the Crest being mainly in shades
of red and yellow and the word "Raffles" at the back being in a
font that would disgust even those who have abyssmal tastes. The
shorts sold at the
bookshop have a layer of black material to protect you from any who
might want to have a peek. Many people are fond of wearing FBT
shorts or the like, and many girls wear them indecently at the
waist (a la 'Hot Shorts'), such that their butts are exposed.
Many girls continue a RGS trend and wear oversized PE t-shirts so
as to hide any semblance of a figure (or lack thereof) and
hurriedly fold sleeves so they don't go past their elbows to their
wrists. (Some of course wear very very tight ones)
Canteen:
Most people don't have a very high opinion of the canteen food, but
it is passable.
If you have any dignity, avoid stall 4 - the pseudo-chicken rice
stall. A Chinese teacher who has taught in RJC for 9 years
commented that the stall owner has not learnt how to improve his
cooking for 9 years. The Malay food stall at stall 10 is maybe
second to stall 4 in (un)popularity. There might be some curse on
this one - it keeps changing hands. The most popular stall is
number 3, and the stall owner is so rich that he (allegedly) owns a
Mercedes. If you are on a budget, stay away from the Vegetarian
food as it is extremely expensive.
Most people traipse down to Ghim Moh market or even Holland Village
after 12:30 when they are allowed to leave the School, so if you
tire of the canteen food, it is not really a problem.
If you are vegetarian, do not fear (but for your wallet). There is
a vegetarian support group in RJC! Every breaktime, they will sit
down and drink the vile and disgusting liquid that passes for
coffee in RJC. Occasionally (and no wonder, considering the price),
they can be seen consuming produce from the vegetarian stall. Only
thing is, it's made up of teachers and so you may be a little
apprehensive. Do not be afraid of approaching them if you need
friendly advice.
Toilets:
Almost all of the toilets in RJC are terrible. The ones outside the
canteen and the below the Spectators' Gallery are usually dirty and
wet, with mud on the floors. One cubicle in the male canteen toilet
bears the grafitti, "Lee Fong Seng is a bastard". Some of the
toilet bowls smell
as if somebody has poured ammonia into them.
One of the female toilets has a tissue dispenser.
If you can be bothered to, climb to the second or third level
toilets, as these are generally better. Alternatively, use the
staff toilets. Tis rare that you will find a teacher lurking in
one, anyways.
Facilities:
RJC is famed for being poorly endowed, but the facilities are
passable. They look run down, but they do the job.
10 more air-conditioned "Temporary" Structures were added in June
2001, bringing the total to 20. The old ones are a little creaky,
though, and sometimes shake menacingly if you jump.
The track and field and sports facilities are passable, if a little
old. Paving stones are a little uneven here and there, but that's
what almost 20 years does to a campus.
The Weights Room is barely decent, but it's still very popular and
full between 5 and 7pm. Girls like the treadmill (and the chart on
the wall with 'figure building exercises').
The coldest LT in the school is LT2, so bring your jackets when
venturing into this fridge. Since the Operations Manager came in
2001, maintenance has generally been better, and the LT5 aircon no
longer breaks down every other week. The write tops in the LTs are
often loose - a devious plot on the part of the Administration to
keep students awake and alert during Lectures.
There are study areas throughout the school, but during certain
times, these will all be filled. Amuse yourself by reading the
'works' of past bored students. There is a semi-official
"Vandalised Table" outside 3-7, which is full of quirky
literature.
Most computers in the school are really lousy, but you can trek to
Computer Lab 2 with the modern terminals if you are prepared to be
disappointed by the hordes of PRCs or computing students swarming
about, as they have already staked out the lab.
There are reputed to be several escape points where one can
surreptitiously slip out of the school - one near the canal at the
basketball court and one near the railway track. Useful if you get
into a bind. Of course, one could stroll boldly out the front gate,
with little chance of being challenged.
The RJC library is adequate. Unlike NJC, which has a 3 storey
library with University texts for all to peruse, the RJC library is
rather smaller and has a less substantial, though still functional,
collection. The library stairs creak.
The librarians are well known throughout the school. The old
librarian was crazy and much rued by students, which explains the
rousing welcome given to the new one when she was introduced.
However, there is still the grumpy man who occasionally closes the
Media Centre when his wrath is incurred.
Teachers:
The quality of the teachers in RJ is debatable. Overall, they are
good, regardless of what some students may profess. A number of the
teachers are biased against Arts students, but this is common
throughout the JCs.
The Physics department is said to be lousy, with several boring
teachers, one of which has only been seen smiling once in 2 years
and has never made a joke in 2 years and another of whom is a
famous personality's daughter and has been teaching for Eons but
seemingly knows Hutchings the
Chief Examiner personally, but they somehow manage to get the job
done every year. There is even a resident ghost, who is often seen
haunting the hallways of the school with her pound of makeup. The
Chemistry department is famous among the JCs, and all who take Chem
profess that it is their most difficult subject. There is even a Dr
Chan in their ranks who is very knowledgeable but
tries to communicate too much of all this in an unplatable manner.
The HOD of science is a Chemistry teacher and is very nice and her
trademark is having Winnie the Pooh graphics interspersed in her
Powerpoint slides in chemistry lectures. The Biology department is
supposed to be amusing and capable, though sadistic. They even have
their own Warrior Princess.
The Maths department varies in quality. There is a Maths C teacher
who is very bad at English but is extremely amusing. Another is
quick to anger and is disliked by all she teaches. The F Maths
branch is very good, with one teacher who is especially popular
with his students and is going
for a PhD in maths, though there is a walking Skeleton who,
contrary to appearances, is actually very nice, albeit strict. The
HOD's elocution leaves much to be desired, and he manages to mangle
even simple words.
The GP and English department has several capable teachers, but
some are accused of being dull. It would probably benefit you most
if you engaged in active discussion with them.
The History Unit has "2 of the worst History teachers in
Singapore", according to an ex-HCJCian who transferred after 2
months. They are very easy going and apparently don't know their
stuff. Independent learning is essential if one is to do well in
this subject.
The Economics department has a very funny and competent teacher
teaching J1'01. He is a part time sports commentator and used to
play on Lions United a few years ago. The HOD is very interesting
and lively. There used to be one lousy Economics teacher, but she
was transferred to YJC.
There are 3 teachers in RJ's computing department. Only one of them
qualifies as being competent. Generations of Computing Students and
Computer Science Club members have had the extreme misfortune to
encounter one of them. The other 2 teachers are, thankfully, much
better, so there's actually a chance you'll pass your computing.
The 2 music teachers are very nice and are "more friends than
teachers".
There is a female PE teacher (reputed to be a man) who, once in a
while, walks around the school compound with a ruler to measure
girls' skirt length. Skirt must be at most 8cm above the knee to
prevent students portraying an inappropriate image for the school.
She also walks around getting girls to tie up their hair. The
female PE teacher is also a national weightlifter, so nobody messes
around with her.
Chiobus & Yandaos:
Opinions on this vary. Some say that RJC has many ugly people,
while others beg to differ. A commonly held opinion is that the
people in RJC are getting uglier ever year (ie: the Class of 2000
looked better than the Class of 2001 which looks better than the
Class of 2002)
Some girls don't grow out of their single-sex school
basketball/track/related sport stereotype of tomboyishness, so
those of you offended by butches should temper your
sensibilities.
Eurasians/people of mixed heritage seem to dominate the perceived
"chio" population. Examples are Thereis, Aurora, Faye Chin
Robinson. In the J1 batch of 2001, there are several notable/famous
people - one very tall ex-RGS prefect who is being chased by lots
of guys and hangs out in the canteen after school to be seen,
Stephanie (Sun Yan Zi) Sun's sister (who looks just like her and
has a great voice to boot), Teo Liqing, Eva Tan and others. The
outgoing J2 batch is not short of notables too, with Sarah Lin,
Rika Tandean and one person who looks like a puppy.
RJC is one of the few JCs with touch rugby for girls, so you can
see them touching each other during practice.
There is a whole class of ugly girls in J2 2001. The Geog (A03)
people are the weirdest, and according to some, the chioest
(considering that they are 99.9% female) in the school.
Gareth Wong Wei Han in council and track and field is supposedly
the handsomest and has a good body. Another notable one is Percy
Hung from basketball. Others: Luokai.
The most popular ecas include Odac, sailing, canoeing, interact,
chorale, dance and so the most popular (and usually good looking)
people can be found there. Rumour has it practically every guy (and
possibly girl) in canoeing and rugby is on Creatine. This is
believable seeing their bulk. Great for those who like
ogling.
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Air!
______________________________
http://www.geocities.com/gssq/
[This message has been edited by gssq (edited 09 March 2002).]
