Polytechnic graduate wanting take A Levels as private candidate

Kittycat97

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Currently in last semester in nyp, I'm thinking of taking private A Levels to open up more choices for my degree courses.
My gpa is still ok, 3.5, only can apply to nursing but I would like to go for other courses. However I signed up for a 3 year bond after my poly so can only take A Levels part time.

Anybody any tips/advices? Am I crazy? Haha
Which books are good to get? (have never been to jc before, now I regret not going :(
Thank you so much everyone
 

timzee

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hi, A Levels is not easy! Many are struggling there. Where ever you are at now, best to do your very best and explore how to upgrade within the industry. Or, consider another poly course! A levels has gotten more and more difficult especially in recent years with the syllabus changes etc
 

EPenderson

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Need more info. What subjects are you considering? How much of your secondary school stuff do you remember?

I think it's possible with discipline. Plus, you'd have 3 years. You could study at night (weekdays) and during the weekends.

Note, though, that you'd need three H2 subjects, one "contrasting" H1 subject, and H1 General Paper, if you wish to be considered as a "proper" Singapore-Cambridge GCE A Level candidate (like a JC/MI student).

A H1 subject is said to be half the curriculum time and content of a H2 subject.

If your A Levels don't "complete the set", then you'd basically be counting mainly on your polytechnic diploma as your "main" qualification, with the A Level subjects you've decided to take acting as bonuses that may help your application - by how much, though, I don't know.

If you wish to present A Levels as bonuses to your application rather than as your "main" qualification, and want something more manageable relative to Singapore A Levels, you could consider taking the international or UK A Levels through the British Council. Available boards are CIE and Edexcel. These may be easier (top grade is A* rather than A due to grade inflation), and the admissions department knows it. Then again, since you'd be relying mainly on your diploma anyway, they may still help your application overall.

For the Singapore A Levels there aren't any official textbooks, but there are endorsed textbooks for international/UK A Levels. They list it on their websites.

All the best :)
 
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yusoffb01

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No money and I heard Singapore private uni not really recognised

idk what your major is but sutd and sit lower gpa requirements.

doing a levels is a waste of time since u have poly.Subjects learnt in a levels also useless and dont apply to working world.

If you get local uni then apply for financial assistance. My local degree was free, and i received bursary every year.


nobody cares what uni you are from. They care more about work experience and certification. You know skills future? look up what courses are available related or are your interests. Some training is done in local poly and in the end you get certification. The gov also pay you for completing certain couses which requires more manpower in the industry.
 
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JuniorLion

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Dont bother taking A. easte of time
Go private uni route.

idk what your major is but sutd and sit lower gpa requirements.

doing a levels is a waste of time since u have poly.Subjects learnt in a levels also useless and dont apply to working world.

If you get local uni then apply for financial assistance. My local degree was free, and i received bursary every year.


nobody cares what uni you are from. They care more about work experience and certification. You know skills future? look up what courses are available related or are your interests. Some training is done in local poly and in the end you get certification. The gov also pay you for completing certain couses which requires more manpower in the industry.

No, and no. Entry-level jobs will depend a lot on your qualifications.
You talk only about working experience after you've worked for >5 years.

You can't even talk about working experience without being able to find a job.
 

meinteel

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If you are thinking of taking up GCE A Levels, try getting notes from friends who have gone to JC once they graduate. Read through the notes and attempt as many questions as you possibly can. You can ignore the top schools first until you have a better understanding of the topic.

Additionally, you can consider taking up preparatory courses for the A levels or to engage tutors to help you. If you are engaging tutors, it is better to find someone with teaching experience so that he/she can help you to grade your essays.

Private university need not be extremely expensive. You might want to try out SIM. Most of the degrees are relatively decent (in terms of recognition by local employers) and the costs isn't too steep for UOL & RMIT.
 

yoongi

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Currently in last semester in nyp, I'm thinking of taking private A Levels to open up more choices for my degree courses.
My gpa is still ok, 3.5, only can apply to nursing but I would like to go for other courses. However I signed up for a 3 year bond after my poly so can only take A Levels part time.

Anybody any tips/advices? Am I crazy? Haha
Which books are good to get? (have never been to jc before, now I regret not going :(
Thank you so much everyone

A levels is going to be extremely tough, especially since you are not familiar with the syllabus and some subjects might be completely new to you(depending on what subjects you choose to take). Furthermore, if you were to take science subjects, you would need to enroll in a private school since you have lab sessions. But if you are really keen in studying for As and you feel that you have the determination to study hard, then you can try sitting for As.

Most schools don't offer "textbooks", instead schools come up with their own notes for the students, so if you have any JC friends, ask them for their notes or you can buy JC notes from carousell. I think you should also go for tuition classes for subjects like math and sciences since H2 math is way tougher compared to Sec school math. If you want to study humanities subjects, it would be tougher finding tuition classes for them but I think you can actually self-study for them if you have a useful set of notes. GP is manageable if you read enough on current affairs and your grammar/vocab is alright.
 
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