Advice for Applying to St. Mary's Senior High School? (2 Viewers)

[LiamRankine]

Hey!
Im one of the 2014 captains at SMSHS and honestly half the things that people are saying about SMSHS are only half true.

Yes, it is an adult learning environment. No, you are not expected to magically know everything on day 1. In spending the last 2 years there I can assure you that the teachers will support you in every possible way. The adult learning environment really means that they expect you to make the effort to come and see them if you're having problems with the course work. They will not spoon-feed you the answers, but they will never pass up an opportunity to share their knowledge. Almost all the teachers have degrees relevant to the subject (ie the legal teachers have law degrees, economics teachers have eco degrees, etc), and they will use their knowledge to show you the world outside the confines of the syllabus.

SMSHS is looking for students who want to see the world different, who want to talk about why things are the way they are, and who want to engage with everything outside of their box of comfort and ease. If you fit that bill, then definitely apply, and I promise you that you will not regret it for a second. You will fall in love with everything that we do with our SRC to foster a strong and vibrant SMSHS culture. You will fall in love with the teachers and the passion that each and every one of them has about their subjects. You will fall in love with learning, and THAT, i believe, is the heart of the adult learning environment. You will develop such great relationships with all of the teachers who will throw their experience and knowledge at you, and you will see the world in a completely different light. I could not recommend doing something more.

Sadly, there are 900-1000 students in both years, and so 400-500 students in a year. We receive more than double the amount of applications we can accept. It is a hard process and a lot of great and deserving people are rejected. It's not a matter of being asian like one of the people above said (I am definitely white), but it is about more than your marks. I can tell you that WE DO NOT LOOK AT MARKS. We are ranked fairly well and get good marks and that is for 2 reasons.
1 - Quality of teaching staff/support services (free tutoring, teachers running tutorials, etc)
2 - The people who get in are the sort of people who care about their education.
Expanding on 2, the entire school is full of bright people who want to do the best that they can and maximise the millions of opportunities that SMSHS offers them. SMSHS is looking for those bright people, who will be able to jump into St. Marys life from day 1. We want the people who will embrace the freedom and the maturity that our unique environment provides to come flooding through our gates every morning, not the people who will want to dip their toes in first and slowly settle in. There are only 7 terms in year 11 and 12, and anyone in year 12 will tell you that there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. SMSHS goes faster than usual because you're meeting 1000 new people at the same time as you're learning the layout of a new school and starting completely new subjects.
If you can prove in the application form that you will whole-heartedly embrace the energy and the culture of SMSHS, then you will bump your chances up extremely. They don't want to read about your 100% in your exams, they want to hear about your passions, your interests, what you love about SMSHS, how what you've heard makes you excited about learning, THAT is the stuff that St. Marys is all about.

Sorry for that being so long, but there are so many amazing things to say about SMSHS that it's hard to condense down into a sentence or 2 response. I hope that it helped you out a bit, and I'll be sure to look out for you during the open days and stuff later on in the year!

 

[LiamRankine]

HEY GUYZZ! I heard somewhere that in SMSHS, it is compulsory to do an after school sport!!!???!?!??!?! IS THIS TRUEEEEEEEEEEE---THIS CANT BE TRUUUUUUUU!!!

Nuuuuuuuuu, you (quote unquote) have to do sport outside of school, but it's something like 30 hours over a year in compliance with the Board of Studies rules because we don't do school sporting carnivals. That being said, I know nobody that has done it in my year or in the grade above, so long as you hand in a form saying you've done it it's fine hahahaha

 

[LiamRankine]

They normally select on the basis of behaviour and involvement within community as supposed to your academic merit like other selective schools. Other than that you should be fine, also add some certificates you achieved from your school and show that you interact well with other lol

It's a great school with very welcoming people and staff. The culture and warmth you receive there is amazing!! but yes you have to be independent and push yourself.

All this coming from a student who just graduated last year from there



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Definitely! You'd have to push yourself over the next 2 years regardless of what school you were at, but the staff at SMSHS are super helpful and just amazing at giving constructive and regular feedback. The push comes from a hugely increased workload from year 10, and the competition between all the students. The total amount of students doing 1 subject may be bigger than the amount of students in your entire year at your previous school, so a mark can be worth a whooolleeee lot hahahaha

 

[LiamRankine]

It's an amazing school & you'll love it so much you wouldn't want to leave!

Best decision ever.

skuxxxxxxxxxxx jerwin

 

[Kavaianas]

WOWOWOW THANK YOUUU! I love it when people actually give insightful asnwers! lol jk
No but seriously, that was a biiiiiig help. sorreh for the late reply. but I can't not let you know how much I (and all the random lurkers) appreciate this!

 

[Kensel]

gr8 sch00l 1 of da best evazzz!!

 

[natashax]

hello im in year 10 and i really want to go to smshs next year

what can i do to maximize my chances to get selected?

thanks in advance

 

[Kevin217]

oops too late now. Did ya make it in anyways?

 

[varundhawan]

Hey guys!

So, I'm currently in year 10 and I really want to go to SMSHS next year.
So could you tell me, how easy is it to get into SMSHS?
What advice would you give a year 10 student who is seeking to attend the school for their senior years?
What does SMSHS look for in a student? What do they prioritise when it comes down to the selection?

Thank you in advance! All help is really appreciated!

I'm a student about to join smshs 2016 this year and I forgot to buy the skirt! I wanted to know does anybody know where I could possibly purchase the skirt before school starts!?! PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[wowcool]

Any advice that focuses more recently to today?

 

[mrstripedshades]

Personally didn't apply, but a few of my friends and people I know did and went. Honestly, their grades dropped, but a lot of peoples rise a lot. And its a good school in terms of scaling, at least compared to a lot of schools in the West. To me those people focused way too much on socialising there and there wasnt really a balance.


How you have a good chance getting in is teacher references from what I've heard, I know someone with straight A's that didnt get in as opposed to someone that had average grades but teacher references, and they did. Your school also probably has an impact, they'll try to take kids from public schools/and possibly even focus on 'disadvantaged' ones. Also applying earlier probably also helps. cant remember if theres a slot of if you know someone already going there, but if you do that helps as well

 

[ak0]

Hi guys,
I am very keen on attending St Mary's Senior High School but need a bit of help. It is an unusual question but i would like to make my application pleasing for the staff to read. i have been told by a friend that the one page smshs provide for their personal profile is where you are supposed to write your entire essay...
Can i add an extra page or is one page only allowed?

 

[ShootingDuck]

Hi guys,
I am very keen on attending St Mary's Senior High School but need a bit of help. It is an unusual question but i would like to make my application pleasing for the staff to read. i have been told by a friend that the one page smshs provide for their personal profile is where you are supposed to write your entire essay...
Can i add an extra page or is one page only allowed?

To be honest it'd be better if you just stick to one page. From what I heard they just skip ones that are too lengthy or don't go straight to the point.

 

[wowcool]

Woohoo I made it anyone that goes there mind telling me what's it like especially concerning the uniform.

 

[strawberrye]

Woohoo I made it anyone that goes there mind telling me what's it like especially concerning the uniform.

Don't quote me on this but I don't think they have a uniform policy, i.e. you can wear whatever you want...

 

[ShootingDuck]

Woohoo I made it anyone that goes there mind telling me what's it like especially concerning the uniform.

You're only expected to wear the school uniform on special occasions. On a normal school day there is a "dress code." The dress code is plain green, grey, black, white or yellow clothing + nothing offensive or revealing.

 

[The_Hero_Comes]

since this is literally the third link from google when typing "st marys senior highschool", i thought i'd add some of my anecdotal advice for people who are ALREADY accepted.

but if you want help with the essay, just 1 up yourself and convince your audience that you have to be accepted, tell them that you need to be at this school because maybe you NEED that certain subject that isn't provided at your current school, or you NEED that independant environment to improve as a person. they will only pick people who are confident and are willing to change and adapt to this environment, while putting themselves out there, its about convincing them that you are the student they want and need for the school.

you've finally gotten into st marys, hooray! honestly, best decision you'll ever make. i came from a private school, and had second thoughts of moving to st marys, but i will never regret this decision. if you are looking for a 99.95 atar, probably not the best school, however this shouldn't stop you if you're determined enough. the only real reason you would come to this school is to become a better person. this school teaches you how to be independent and how to interact in a real world environment, with a safety net. here are some stuff to note

st marys is as independent as independent gets. most teachers are merely just supervisors, you'll be lucky if you get a teacher that cares about your individual mark and is willing to make sacrifices to help improve your individual marks. most people rely on tutors and study groups, which shows how uneffective some of the teachers' teaching can be (really just depends on what subject, from experience the more difficult subjects will have the more washed out teachers, however there are execptions, rosa the japanese/korean teacher is a great example of a great teacher, but these teachers are rare).

you are also NOT forced into many of the various extra curricular activities that st marys provides, HOWEVER its definitely worth it, as thats what st marys is all about. anytime you can help out with ANYTHING, be it helping out at a stall during heritage day, doing charity work, being a part of a club, being a club leader (also, join pop culture club and anime club) or being src, ETC. you can learn a lot from it, can gain a lot of experience, and plus you can write it down as a reference at the end of year 12. you are given a reference sheet nearing graduation and shows all the various things that you could have done and you have to tick the stuff that you did, and honestly, mine was pretty empty. if you EVER have that opportunity, please do yourself a favour and consider it, it will definitely be worth your time and will be helpful in the future. you'll learn a lot from experiencing things you've never done. if you're willing enough, then you're already half way there! thats the spirit st marys looks for.

even if you aren't as social as most people, you'll be fine. personally, i was a fucken nervous wreck at the start of year 11. i only knew 2 other people going into st marys and just stuck to them, like a pest, then eventually stuck to myself for most of the first term. but as time came i met more and more people, and those people helped me become more confident in myself and was able to get out there and meet new people, and thats where i believe st marys does things right. the amount of social interaction with people will improve your ability to communicate, you will meet hundreds of new faces, and by the time its graduation, you probably wont even know everyone. don't make the same mistake as me, because i only knew faces and names but not their personalities.. get to know the people around you as much as you can and be someone that people want to be around. when graduation comes (and it comes quick), you'll probably never to get see those lovely faces anymore, so dont lose out on those opportunities.

probably one of my biggest mistakes was treating year 11 way too seriously and lost out on a lot of social outings, so hear me out and just take year 11 a lot more lax, and make all the friends that you can, go out of your way to enjoy time with friends, be it at the city, blacktown, vivid, abandoned train tracks, etc., enjoy highschool life before it gets serious, so that in year 12 you will have a group to help support you, and people who you can support. another way to look at it is, the greater your social web; the more resources. also, always make friends with your class, and make group chats on facebook to help each other out. also, never decline an invitation from a friend, its about the experiences with your friends that strengthens your bonds, be a yes person and be positive. st marys will bring you out of your comfort zone for the better, always take that opportunity to experiment to see what you are capable of. maybe try out for club leader, or maybe even higher like SRC, or even god damn school captain. if you are confident enough, its worth the experience.

important thing, don't be dumb like me and procrastinate in year 12. im literally writing this 3 days before my first hsc exam. learn to manage your time, listen and take notes in class, and know when you need to ask for help, especially if you are struggling.

also, first impressions don't matter. people will change within months time, heck even within a term. that guy who you thought dressed weird in the first term might be the coolest guy if you actually bothered to talk to him. if you see someone sitting alone, go up to them and have a little chat. just make friends with anyone and everyone. add them on facebook or somthin, say hey when you see them between periods. most importantly, never cut ties with someone. friendships and connections are what makes st marys a great school

and most important, focus on yourself. you came to this school for your own reason, make sure you accomplish what you were achieving, and on top of that achieving the best and more, and helping others achieve their goals. you cannot get through life alone, humans are social creatures and rely on the help of others while providing their own help. just remember, life isn't a competition, but a co-op campaign with your companions. you are only as fast as the slowest member, so help each other out.

anyways, yeah. st marys senior highschool has changed me a lot personally, i still remember stressing and looking at this thread to see if other people were in the same boat. i just wanted to give back, since st marys has given me a lot (just postgrad depresso hitting me tbh). good luck, make the most of it, you wont regret it.

class of 17 student, hope this helped.

 

[ShootingDuck]

you'll be lucky if you get a teacher that cares about your individual mark and is willing to make sacrifices to help improve your individual marks. most people rely on tutors and study groups, which shows how uneffective some of the teachers' teaching can be

This isn't exactly 100% true. Sure not all the teachers there are great, *cough* that one physics teacher *cough*. Most teachers such as Rosa are willing to help students if they ask for it. Like you said, St Mary's is an independent environment, so most of the teachers aren't going to spoon feed you. If teachers see you're making an effort to improve your marks they'll definitely help you. However I do agree with most of your points.