private candidate

[kateeeex_]

hi! i am new here so i do not know if i posted this in the right forum. if i didn't, sorry, but please do take the time to read through this because i am desperate.
i sat for my O levels in 2015, did fairly well (10-2) and i got into a JC that is not my choice but it is still a good JC. However, despite being in the school for nearly a month now, i am still unable to fit in and i am very unhappy. I am also a rather slow learner, and since secondary school, most of my learning were done at home at my own pace since i cannot keep up in class and generally have a short attention span.
I am thinking about dropping to a private candidate and studying independently with the help of my tutors ( i have tutors for all subjects that i am taking ). I know it is a risky and tough option so i would like some advice. The subjects i am taking are H2 Econs Lit Geog and H1 Math, no sciences at all.
I am thankful for the position in the JC i am in but i'm so unhappy to the point i come back crying everyday since school started but i do want to sit for my A levels because i want to get into a local university.
Please do advice me on what to do because i really am very desperate...

 

[teresa90]

Personally, I'd advice you to stick with your JC. Perhaps get some extra help from the teachers after school as well? Studying independently does work if you're highly motivated and committed 100% to your studies. But there are plenty of drawbacks as well. For one, there will always be the problem that (especially for essay based subjects such as yours) tutors might not necessarily have a full grasp of the type of formats or what precisely the examiners are looking for. There also comes the problem of whether you'll start to burn out halfway through, which comes easier when you're a private candidate due to the lack of structured tests at timely intervals.

Ultimately, it's your choice and up to you. But good luck nonetheless.

 

[FeeWhale]

Not only that, I feel that JC trains students on soft skills as well. Areas such as presentation skills will aid you far in life

 

[benmeimei]

personally think that you should stay with your JC, because there are activities you can participate unlike private candidates who are unable to experience school life. JC life can be boring and fast paced, but trust me, my Secondary school friends are closer to me than my JC, because all we do in (my) school is just study study study and then CCA till 10pm and go home chiong homework. It's only after As that my classmates start bonding hahah, I think it's pretty normal