One strategic step closer to HKIS, CIS, AISHK, CDNIS & ICS

bobbycheung

I wouldn't say putting a kid in IS would effectively strip him the chance of getting into top universities.  I feel that it very much depends on the individual child and the support given to him by his family.  For example, looking at the records below, I can't say that CIS students' record of getting into top universities is any worse off than that of DGS or SPC.
http://www.cis.edu.hk/programme/university-counselling/index.aspx
http://www.dgs.edu.hk/index.php/ ... larships-and-awards
http://www.spcc.edu.hk/english/academic/university_offers

The record of GSIS is similar in that out of a total of around 50 students, 6 went to Oxbridge and 3 went to Ivy league in 2011/2012.  

As regard to the records of IS getting into good overseas high school, I heard that Westminster School has accepted a number of GSIS students into its Sixth Form this coming year alone.  So I wouldn't say IS records are really that bad either in this regard.     

At the end of the day, if you want to do well, you have to work hard.  If you want to do exceedingly well, you have to work extremely hard.  There is no shortcut or exception.  IS in the senior years is every bit as competitive as LS.  Having the "connection" or "money" alone doesn't necessarily guarantee you a place in the top universities as demonstrated in this recent case (http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20121010/18036820)   
Of course, it would be different if your dad were Li Ka Shing.  But then if your dad were Li Ka Shing, why bother going to a unversity and getting a degree (as Richard Li shows you it really isn't necessary)?

md23

jolalee 發表於 13-2-24 02:18
I agree to shadelayer here and that's why I'm picking IS over LS all the way through. I've done prim ...

Montessori school without a doubt.

jolalee

md23 發表於 13-2-25 08:35
Montessori school without a doubt.

Let me play devil's advocate here (since I lean towards Montessori myself):
- Montessori is great academically, but lacks in-class group interaction compared with other Int'l Kindies.

- In the early education circle, I wonder how Montessori is viewed? I know at least one teacher who does not like the Montessori system, and another story where a child was penalized for reading out the letter sound instead of the letter name upon the teacher testing the child on the alphabets during an interview at a school I listed.[fyi Montessori teaches the letter sound instead of the letter names to help the children learn to read faster] I think Montessori kids are viewed as too individualistic?

- The Montessori school my son attends does not have primary affliation. The only one that has (IMS) is impossible to get into and I think my son failed the application this year. So what are my options when P1 application comes along?

- The ESF 2013-14 K1 class, on the other hand, still has ESF P1 interview priority, so it is at the moment still a great system to fall back on, in case the target schools listed above do not accept him.


May I know why you'd pick Montessori? And what are your kids' education paths?

21Ckid

回復 bobbycheung 的帖子

It is a known fact that CIS and GSIS recruited a lot of top grade LS students. It is still better to start at LS, if academic is what u look for. I know girl started at st Stephen girls at early secondary, then to DGS then to GSIS then to a top overseas high school!!
I know people at CIS and most good university placements go to alumni, sponsors and top students from LS. For home breed middle class families, it is not as good as it seems .Still, I believe in pedigree and CIS is certainly still my top target.

Your example is not correct, that's why I am always sceptical of media. The market price for sponsoring one student is US$5 million, not 2.2 million for two. I think they know the price but want to go to "back door" way . Or perhaps their background is not good enough.

jolalee

21Ckid 發表於 13-2-25 00:05
If you need to ask about IB scores, you care about academics and good university placement and i am  ...

Thank you 21Ckid! Your initial post seemed counterproductive but upon further explaining yourself, I now understand you're just being objective and see where you're coming from. It's true we often kid ourselves on what we really want and i think you saw through the loopholes. At the end of the day we cannot have our cake and eat it too. Between topping scores, going into Oxbridge/Ivy league and having a happier lifestyle with a better-rounded personality, i'd still choose the later. However my husband might think otherwise, so it's best to really talk it through before we proceed with planning our child's education future.

Shrimpiggy

in fact, there are many top students go to famous boarding schools in UK such ad Westminster thus they need to solicit LS top student to join.
bear in mind that those top boarding schools in UK have more than 50% graduates manage to get into oxbridge

Shootastar

回復 bobbycheung 的帖子

"At the end of the day, if you want to do well, you have to work hard.  If you want to do exceedingly well, you have to work extremely hard.  There is no shortcut or exception"

There is nothing but truth in your statement, Thanks for giving us the timely reminder.

md23

jolalee 發表於 13-2-25 14:04
Let me play devil's advocate here (since I lean towards Montessori myself):
- Montessori is great a ...

ESF (both in kindergarten and elementary school), in my opinion, simply does not challenge kids enough. Personally, I would not want to sacrifice a few years of education, i.e., in a ESF kindergarten, in order to guarantee a place in a mediocre school in the future.
For Montessori schools, I have heard nothing but praise from my friends about them. Their kids all turn out fine, most went to ivy or equivalent schools in the US (Harvard, Northwestern, Chicago, Duke, etc). Maybe they are the exceptions but given the similarity of our backgrounds, I value their opinions a lot. As for my own kids, unfortunately there are no Montessori schools nearby and I would not put my kids in a school bus for two hours a day so that option is not available to me.

I'm pretty surprised many parents are willing to send their children to boarding schools overseas. Is family time or bonding not valued? At least as high as the academic success of the children?

Lastly, between local schools and international schools, choose international schools. I have enough experience teaching graduates from both schools to know that I do not want my kids to study in a local school, no matter what academic advantage they have.

bobbycheung

"....the record still does not reflect if the kids studies in the respective schools all the way through or has be transferred from other IS or LS..."

But then which school has no students coming in? Another point is that we can't just assume that the top students in IS are not those who study all the way through or that they are necessarily those who come from other IS or LS, can we?  I don't want to name names, but I know as a fact that there are many new students who need to take extra English class in order to catch up when they first join.  I don't want to argue, but I don't think it's right to give a blanket statement saying that putting a kid in IS would effectively strip him the chance of getting into top universities.  If it were the case, why would the LS kids wish to change to IS (and a lot of them are the top students in their own schools)?  Do they deliberately want to avoid getting into top universities?   I also don't think it's correct to say that all those who get into top universities are necessarily or mostly because of their own "connections".  If it were the case, how about the LS students (eg. those coming from SPC etc.)?  Do they need "connection" as well to get into top universities?  Or LS students need no "connection" because they are "special" in some way.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not saying or implying in any way IS is better than LS.  I just want to point out that you have students from both IS and LS getting into top universities every year and a lot of them don't rely on "connections".

bobbycheung

".......The market price for sponsoring one student is US$5 million, not 2.2 million for two....."

If US$5M can guarantee you a place in those top universities, then I guess they are going to be filled with students from China in no time.  

HKTHK

回復 md23 的帖子

Boarding school may not be for everyone but those who have gone through it tend to be more independent and mature.

21Ckid

回復 bobbycheung 的帖子

No. They vet the background as well. So even if I have that money , i would not help. There is no guarantee nor is it a published price. It is a ball park no that those in that circle knows. Of course ,if you are those mr li(s) they expect more. ( I heard it from my friends with kid in CIS and some top US high schools).
The top US universities will be swamped with mainland ( and Indian and Korean) students because their SAT scores are very very high.

bobbycheung

回復 21Ckid 的帖子

So it means that in order to get into a top university:-
(1) if you are from IS, you need "connection" and "background".
(2) if you are from LS, you only need good academic results.
Is that right?

21Ckid

回復 bobbycheung 的帖子

I always refrain from using the word "all" as we don't live in a all or nothing world. If you know friends whose kids are in CIS secondary planning for tertiary, you know what I am talking about.
Top IS is a good stepping stone, as my st Stephen / DGS/ GSIS girl example above. Also, many top SPCC students leave for top high schools at 13-15.

As I said, I like IS but we cannot insist it is good at everything. When you got something,it is more often than not that there is a price to be paid.

Shootastar

My two kids are from IS. I have no connection or background.

However, they managed to obtain offers from top colleges in the UK and USA.

21Ckid

回復 bobbycheung 的帖子

No. If you have money and good background, you can get into top university whichever high school you attended. Or, for most if not all parents here, you need top academic results. On this, LS does it better as they pushed the kids , that some may become book worms or unhappy is another question.

bobbycheung

"........in fact, there are many top students go to famous boarding schools in UK such ad Westminster thus they need to solicit LS top student to join...".

Westminster School's website says they usually have about 400 applicants and they offer between 65 and 75 places.  I am not sure if they need to solicit any students to join (be they students of LS or IS).

bobbycheung

回復 21Ckid 的帖子

Nobody said IS is good at everything.   I only want to say I disagree with you when you said that putting a kid into IS would effectively strips him the chance to become a doctor, and a lower chance to get into top universities,   

21Ckid

Also CIS has quite a number of parents who are alumni of those top universities. If they make regular donations ( which many will) it is easier for them to get in.

poonseelai

21Ckid 發表於 13-2-25 18:07
Also CIS has quite a number of parents who are alumni of those top universities. If they make regula ...

I would not be surprised if parents of elite LS are alumni of top overseas universities and they make regular dontations to these universities.