GSIS vs Harrow HK

nhi

Dear All,
My sister's son is a grade 5 student in GSIS. His math is excellent and he is expected to choose science subjects in senior high school. He is now studying English, and  German and Chinese as second languages. His language standard is of  average level.

My sister is thinking of applying for Harrow hk for him so that he can take AL exam, in which he can focus on the science subjects in the future, hoping he can secure higher score in general and go to a better university.

May I have your comments?

Another concern is that the students mix of GSIS is very much different from that of Harrow, so my sister is quite worried about the English speaking environment.

Thank you.

Luminous_HK

回覆 nhi 的帖子

Why did your sister mean by the student mix at GSIS and Harrow HK are very different.  Don't nearly all the students speak English at international schools?  Why would she worry about the English environment at at British international school

A friend of ours sent his girl to Harrow HK this past September.  So far he is very happy with the quality of education there.  Said mobile phones are locked away for most of the day to reduce distractions.  

Hoola

回覆 nhi 的帖子

The English requirement to enter Harrow is set quite high. So I wouldn't be worried about their English level.
Plus, the school offers so much support if English is below par.

However, I understand where you are coming from in saying student mix is very different.
Although English literacy is good at Harrow, students are mostly "black haired" kids.

So many people want to get into GSIS
Can you explain why A level is more desired in this case?
Is science not well supported at GSIS?

Hoola

回覆 Luminous_HK 的帖子

I really like this aspect - limiting phone (till it becomes a habit) while providing all sort of interesting things for students to engage in. Culturing the entire student population not to be obsessed with phone and enjoy all that life offers!

nhi

Hoola 發表於 24-1-17 12:58
回覆 nhi 的帖子

The English requirement to enter Harrow is set quite high. So I wouldn't be worried ...

Thank you very much for your reply. One friend of mine whose kid is in Harrow told me the students there are mostly from local and the Mainland. I have no prejudice against such students mix, but am still a bit reserved having to leave a truly reputable international school.

GSIS has very good support for science subjects. But we think it might be easier to get 4A* in AL than 44-45/45 in IB. IA EE and TOK seem time consuming and unpredictable, and getting 7 in Eng language A is difficult.

Maybe our thought is incorrect and that is why we asked for advice here.

nhi

Hoola 發表於 24-1-17 12:58
回覆 nhi 的帖子

The English requirement to enter Harrow is set quite high. So I wouldn't be worried ...

The English requirement is high and additional support are provided to students with relatively not that good in English, which seems to contradict each other.
In AL, students only focused on 4 subjects. So easier for those bookworm.....

Hoola

回覆 nhi 的帖子

At Harrow, most kids are Asian Descent, bought up in an English speaking environment.
If international mix is important to you, e.g. having peers from  different countries - in that sense, GSIS may be more suitable.


It sounds like your kid has excellent academic ability - and will do well no matter in IB or A-level.
After all, it is really necessary to aim for top top score (44/45)?
Above 40 + excellent character will do just as well : )

nhi

Hoola 發表於 24-1-17 14:12
回覆 nhi 的帖子

At Harrow, most kids are Asian Descent, bought up in an English speaking environmen ...

Medical school needs 43 minimum

nhi

Hoola 發表於 24-1-17 14:12
回覆 nhi 的帖子

At Harrow, most kids are Asian Descent, bought up in an English speaking environmen ...

I do not focus on the nationality of students, but rather the English-speaking ability. Hope you understand what i mean.....

Poyau

nhi 發表於 24-1-17 13:29
Thank you very much for your reply. One friend of mine whose kid is in Harrow told me the students t ...

In terms of % of candidates, AL 4A* is less than IB 44/45

Poyau

nhi 發表於 24-1-17 16:19
Medical school needs 43 minimum

It's for HKU/CUHK. IB 40+ should be good enough elsewhere.

Hoola

Another consideration: Children who are more exam-savvy tend to do better in the A-level exams, while the IB exams benefit students who are good at time management, independent learning and research.

nhi

Hoola 發表於 24-1-18 09:35
Another consideration: Children who are more exam-savvy tend to do better in the A-level exams, whil ...

Thank you very much for your input!! Really appreciate that.It's difficult to judge his ability now at such a young age.
Maybe no movement is better than any movement.

saikungmom

Poyau 發表於 24-1-17 21:33
It's for HKU/CUHK. IB 40+ should be good enough elsewhere.

No, you need 43. My son is in MBBS. His CUHK and HKU conditional offers are both 43. 2 of his friends got 42 last year, both appealed, one got in, the other one didn't.

Hoola

回覆 saikungmom 的帖子

Thanks for sharing. It is silly that someone’s career is dependent on a single point 42 vs 43. But unfortunately, this is how the competitive world goes!

saikungmom

Hoola 發表於 24-1-18 21:06
回覆 saikungmom 的帖子

Thanks for sharing. It is silly that someone’s career is dependent on a sin ...

I am sure they looked at interview results, which subject that person didn't get a 7 and how off in the breakdowns vs. predicated grades. The no. of students they can accept is limited, so can't easily give it to a 42 student who technically doesn't meet his/her condition, and not giving it to say a DSE kid.

poonseelai

SCMP reported on 18 Jan that the 2 medical schools say they can expand to take on 100 more students a year each to help solve healthcare staffing problems.  So the entry requirements may change over time.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3248947/hong-kongs-two-medical-schools-say-they-can-both-expand-take-100-more-students-year-help-solve

woyj

nhi 發表於 24-1-17 10:19
Dear All,
My sister's son is a grade 5 student in GSIS. His math is excellent and he is expected to ...

I think A Level syllabus of Physics /Chemistry / Maths are more in depth when compared to that in IBDP. Recently, exam questions of A Level are significantly harder compared to past few years.  If you lose 2 to 3 raw marks in one paper, you may end up with 1 grade lower.

You may further examine the pros and cons of these two curriculum and choose the one which he would perform better.

nhi

woyj 發表於 24-1-19 18:44
I think A Level syllabus of Physics /Chemistry / Maths are more in depth when compared to that in I ...

Thank you.Seems AL getting more difficult compared to past years.

Erminator

nhi 發表於 24-1-17 16:28
I do not focus on the nationality of students, but rather the English-speaking ability. Hope you und ...

So your concern is how well Harrow students speak Eng or some of them may not speak Eng at school?