Hey Deluge
Yeah, i'm a ruse chick- in yr 12 now too... and like you, i got an offer for yr 11. To be honest, its not all THAT different from my previous selective school, but having said that, i am glad that i have transfered. There's approx 30 ppl who will start new in yr 11, so whatever you are likely to experience, you won't be alone. The people are REALLY nice, and i'm sure you'll settle down in no time. No, its not massively competitive, we don't hide secret tips from each other or plan the murder of whoever is stopping us from getting 1st in the grade. If anything, i think Ruse people tend to be pretty open and honest in their study-sharing. Yes, maths is a big leap, and not many newbies manage to do 4U maths (you have to get a rank of 90 or above to do it). It depends on who you land as a teacher, but generally they are pretty responsible and skilled and are willing to slave for you and mark all your essays and so forth. They don't skip entire chapters or assume you know everything- although i'd say alot of people do go tutoring, but if you don't you'll manage as well. For chem, you have to research less than half of one of the chapters, and believe me- its not that hard at all, and they do go over it again afterwards. If you are especially aiming for good marks in sciences and maths, then i think Ruse will help you along the way. But not everyone's massively smart and hardworking, and it is very probable that after transfering, you end up getting marks similar to your old friends at your old school. But then, its great to experience a whole new school and form new friends.
I'll leave you to decide then!
And nah, the JR people I've met are pretty down to earth, so it's not like they're a whole bunch of geeks. They're cool, and very intelligent people.
