Selective Entry Thread 2021 (Lockdown) (5 Viewers)

[joe mama]

oh, thats sad. So many things are pertinent to the school. is there any volunteering activities i could take up in year 7 or year 8?

in y7/8 there's less opportunities for volunteering. instead, id advise for u to take up competitions instead such as icas, australian math comp, history comp
and try out for some leadership opportunities + sport teams such as src and knockout teams

 

[kkk579]

in y7/8 there's less opportunities for volunteering. instead, id advise for u to take up competitions instead such as icas, australian math comp, history comp
and try out for some leadership opportunities + sport teams such as src and knockout teams

LOL my school doesn’t do any competitions sadly

 

[availmatty]

in y7/8 there's less opportunities for volunteering. instead, id advise for u to take up competitions instead such as icas, australian math comp, history comp
and try out for some leadership opportunities + sport teams such as src and knockout teams

i had applied for AMC seems they have been cancelled for the year. i had been the house captain and library monitor as part of my primary school. Alas! since only the last 2 years need to be showcased, all my credo's would get expired

 

[joe mama]

LOL my school doesn’t do any competitions sadly

ahhh what about some competitions that dont need to be sat through school? i remember viewing some but i cant remember their names, i think u should look into them though

 

[joe mama]

i had applied for AMC seems they have been cancelled for the year. i had been the house captain and library monitor as part of my primary school. Alas! since only the last 2 years need to be showcased, all my credo's would get expired

don't worry, you have time to join more extracurriculars from now until midway next yr (u r applying for 2023 entry right?)
if your grades are good though, u can worry about extracirruclars less

 

[availmatty]

don't worry, you have time to join more extracurriculars from now until midway next yr (u r applying for 2023 entry right?)
if your grades are good though, u can worry about extracirruclars less

i had applied for 2022 entry, yet to get any response from the school. So assuming worst its on its way. Will target now for 2023.

 

[ExtremelyBoredUser]

Make sure you do these activities out of your own self-interest and passion too, its very easy to recognise an individual who's doing an activity for the sake of pinning it down on their resume and you can get ignored for moving up the structure when higher-ups realise you're not committed beyond getting a referree. I've seen a lot of people join in extra-curriculars for one year then drop out which is a shame, please try to pursue activites beyond getting entry into selective, you'll find you would develop more important skills such as leadership, communication, confidence and responsibility which not only make you a better candidate for ANYTHING but also develops your character in general.

Extra-curriculars are too underlooked as opportunities to go further and they need the same focus as you would put in school as they are worth it in the end. One of my biggest regrets is sacrificing extra-curriculars for school, its not worth it at all.

Volunteering is great as well, demonstrates you're willing to support the community in times of need - Please do a good job when you're volunteering and don't half ass it, you'll feel really proud of yourself when you look back at the good things you did. Schools like when you volunteer and participate so make sure you do them as much as you can to demonstrate your active in your community.

 

[availmatty]

Make sure you do these activities out of your own self-interest and passion too, its very easy to recognise an individual who's doing an activity for the sake of pinning it down on their resume and you can get ignored for moving up the structure when higher-ups realise you're not committed beyond getting a referree. I've seen a lot of people join in extra-curriculars for one year then drop out which is a shame, please try to pursue activites beyond getting entry into selective, you'll find you would develop more important skills such as leadership, communication, confidence and responsibility which not only make you a better candidate for ANYTHING but also develops your character in general.

Extra-curriculars are too underlooked as opportunities to go further and they need the same focus as you would put in school as they are worth it in the end. One of my biggest regrets is sacrificing extra-curriculars for school, its not worth it at all.

Volunteering is great as well, demonstrates you're willing to support the community in times of need - Please do a good job when you're volunteering and don't half ass it, you'll feel really proud of yourself when you look back at the good things you did. Schools like when you volunteer and participate so make sure you do them as much as you can to demonstrate your active in your community.

Totally agree!

 

[Scimat]

I don't think extracurriculars are so important. I made it to a selective school and only had Taekwondo and src. I think extracurriculars are good, but if they take from your studying time then don't do them.

 

[wzsmartypants]

extracurriculars dont matter if u do well on the entrance test and get good grades
my cousin got into NSB y11 entry a few yrs ago with straight A's and doing well on the entrance test, he barely does any extracurriculars and has never went to tutoring

 

[availmatty]

I don't think extracurriculars are so important. I made it to a selective school and only had Taekwondo and src. I think extracurriculars are good, but if they take from your studying time then don't do them.

Nice to hear about your success and hope it rekindles the fire in every one
Which year did you get entry into also hows your current school ranking? Mine is 300+ so think trying to analyse why it didn't click for me. I had a good portfolio for this year, straight A's, good extra curricular can't understand where the gap crept it. Think HAST cancellation just worked bad following my school ranking

 

[wzsmartypants]

I don't think extracurriculars are so important. I made it to a selective school and only had Taekwondo and src. I think extracurriculars are good, but if they take from your studying time then don't do them.

you had heaps of certificates, decent ones

 

[joe mama]

i had applied for 2022 entry, yet to get any response from the school. So assuming worst its on its way. Will target now for 2023.

good luck! keep ur hopes up

 

[ExtremelyBoredUser]

Extra-curriculars don't guarantee school entries, they just support your presentation. They serve as a form of creditation to paint a picture of you, who you are and your traits. If you had in your resume that you played cricket and you won 3 championships, it would indicate that you were hardworking, diligent, responsible and sporty which would create interest in you as a person as you are more distinctive than the average candidate. By no means is doing extra-curriculars alone is good enough for entry into schools let alone selective schools, if you're doing poorly in performance but you're great at other activites, then there's no real incentive to select you.

Extra-curriculars assist in making you stand out/distinguish yourself from a sea of candidates and it helps paint a picture of who you are as a person and student. That is why it is important to make sure you stick to 1 or 2 activities and excel in them (if you can without taking away from your school time) so that you have reputable and high positions such as a leadership role or some form of achievement such as winning a tournament etc. It highlights your qualities and traits. You can also use them as a point of reference in your interview, to back up your claims of yourself and even get referees to comment on you which helps. They help a lot but by no means guarantee entry, they just paint a picture and when you're one of many candidates, that's crucial. However if you're just naturally talented at school and your report is stunning, then you should be just as noticeable and distinctive.

Its about standing out in a large pool of candidates, find something you can put down in your application that makes your name stick and get you an interview. This thread is extremely large so I recognise you all are very eager and determined to get into a school and I appreciate such effort and envy it, really good you're having it at this stage. Just know if you get it on or not, it doesn't really matter as long as your school is pretty average and you have the determination and grit, nothing can stop you from doing good in the HSC except yourself.

All the best once again.

 

[kkk579]

ahhh what about some competitions that dont need to be sat through school? i remember viewing some but i cant remember their names, i think u should look into them though

@saltshaker recommended me one which is the big science competition but sadly i haven’t been able to find more which don’t need school participation

 

[Scimat]

Nice to hear about your success and hope it rekindles the fire in every one
Which year did you get entry into also hows your current school ranking? Mine is 300+ so think trying to analyse why it didn't click for me. I had a good portfolio for this year, straight A's, good extra curricular can't understand where the gap crept it. Think HAST cancellation just worked bad following my school ranking

I made it into year 10. My school is rank 500+ so I don't think it matters.

 

[Eagle Mum]

duke of ed i think u have to be in yr9 to participate in it. the way most ppl do it is thru their school, usually the schools organise them.

You have to be 14 yrs old to participate in D of E. Many students are still 13 at the beginning of Yr 9, so it’s problematic as many students in the same year at school won’t be able to start at the same time and so can’t do the same levels of activities together.

 

[kkk579]

I made it into year 10. My school is rank 500+ so I don't think it matters.

Yeah the rank of ur current school doesnt really matter, if someone was in a rank 100 school and another person was in a rank 400 school, if rank 400’s academics and extracurriculars are stronger they‘ll take them regardless of rank.

 

[kkk579]

i had applied for 2022 entry, yet to get any response from the school. So assuming worst its on its way. Will target now for 2023.

What year r u in currently?

 

[kkk579]

extracurriculars dont matter if u do well on the entrance test and get good grades
my cousin got into NSB y11 entry a few yrs ago with straight A's and doing well on the entrance test, he barely does any extracurriculars and has never went to tutoring

Yeah extracurriculars arent a MASSIVE part of it but it is still good to have one or two because itll definitely enhance ur chances, if ur academics arent extremely top notch.