Private vs Selective (1 Viewer)

[Sethio]

Hey guys, recently I decided to go to Baulko because i thought i would be able to further my academics (for fun). I also was able to make NSB and interview for Ruse (which I declined) and chose Baulko because of my brother, sport, and distance. I don't mind whatever school I took in the top 3, it was more for the experience. Anyway, i currently go to a private school that has been doing pretty well in the last few years and i flew under the radar for a good 3 years of my schooling life here. Started at just above average (100/250 ranked maybe) in Year 7 and decided to come on some academic arc and make my way up. So after telling the school that I was leaving (probs Sep), i was quite overwhelmed to find pretty much NO significant response from the school.

Until like legit a few days before the end of the year when i was contacted that someone wanted to talk. Now the school is desperate to keep me, partially because I dux'd the cohort, and they were telling me "oh I was projected a 99.95 and whatnot and I should stay". Also, I never had a scholarship cause i never applied for one but now it seems like they are trying to give me one (which i am not complaining), in an attempt to keep me. Don't get me wrong the school is amazing, some of the top kids are very high in the state in Academic Comps competing in AMO, Australian Chem and Phys Olympiads and Informatics Olympiads, but I just don't know what to choose.

Both have their pros and cons, specifically, if i looking for a course in Medicine, character development would benefit me at a private school, but my main concern is that its very risky if I don't consistently rank 1st across every subject. Tests are generally easier and thus it's very easy to slip up --> there is no separation between ranks and I could easily slip from 1st to 5th like that, which is not ideal. I have the benefits of sport which I am playing at the highest level, music, competitions and arguably better teaching offered at a private school. I would generally feel safer academically at Baulko because I'm 3 years out from the HSC and I can't plan for burnout at this age. Honestly I don't know, I thought it was a done deal for the last 2 months but now my old school seems like a promising option. However, I know how teachers generally "mark" at my current school and this varies across schools so if I try to push to the top at Baulko it'll be quite hard as ill have to adapt the way I answer questions, write essays and generally approach my test and I'm not sure whether 1 year is enough to adapt to this.

Not sure what I'm asking, but if there are some other things that I should weigh up please let me know. I should feel spoilt for choice but in hindsight, i am torn between what i chose because it could be a huge decision for my future.

Side Note: I don't actually know whether there is any difference between the top of my school and the top of Baulko. I would personally put some of our top kids ahead of Baulko but really its subjective because we have that "tail-end" to our cohort.

 

[WeiWeiMan]

Hey guys, recently I decided to go to Baulko because i thought i would be able to further my academics (for fun). I also was able to make NSB and interview for Ruse (which I declined) and chose Baulko because of my brother, sport, and distance. I don't mind whatever school I took in the top 3, it was more for the experience. Anyway, i currently go to a private school that has been doing pretty well in the last few years and i flew under the radar for a good 3 years of my schooling life here. Started at just above average (100/250 ranked maybe) in Year 7 and decided to come on some academic arc and make my way up. So after telling the school that I was leaving (probs Sep), i was quite overwhelmed to find pretty much NO significant response from the school.

Until like legit a few days before the end of the year when i was contacted that someone wanted to talk. Now the school is desperate to keep me, partially because I dux'd the cohort, and they were telling me "oh I was projected a 99.95 and whatnot and I should stay". Also, I never had a scholarship cause i never applied for one but now it seems like they are trying to give me one (which i am not complaining), in an attempt to keep me. Don't get me wrong the school is amazing, some of the top kids are very high in the state in Academic Comps competing in AMO, Australian Chem and Phys Olympiads and Informatics Olympiads, but I just don't know what to choose.

Both have their pros and cons, specifically, if i looking for a course in Medicine, character development would benefit me at a private school, but my main concern is that its very risky if I don't consistently rank 1st across every subject. Tests are generally easier and thus it's very easy to slip up --> there is no separation between ranks and I could easily slip from 1st to 5th like that, which is not ideal. I have the benefits of sport which I am playing at the highest level, music, competitions and arguably better teaching offered at a private school. I would generally feel safer academically at Baulko because I'm 3 years out from the HSC and I can't plan for burnout at this age. Honestly I don't know, I thought it was a done deal for the last 2 months but now my old school seems like a promising option. However, I know how teachers generally "mark" at my current school and this varies across schools so if I try to push to the top at Baulko it'll be quite hard as ill have to adapt the way I answer questions, write essays and generally approach my test and I'm not sure whether 1 year is enough to adapt to this.

Not sure what I'm asking, but if there are some other things that I should weigh up please let me know. I should feel spoilt for choice but in hindsight, i am torn between what i chose because it could be a huge decision for my future.

Side Note: I don't actually know whether there is any difference between the top of my school and the top of Baulko. I would personally put some of our top kids ahead of Baulko but really its subjective because we have that "tail-end" to our cohort.

1st in kings school seems pretty cracked

 

[jimmysmith560]

First, congratulations on all your achievements so far! While it may be challenging to make an informed decision in your case, it would definitely be a privilege to be in this position in the first place.

From your post, your current school seems to foster an appropriate environment for students with a high-achieving mindset such as yourself, thanks to superior teaching quality, the incentive of a scholarship (which can act as a motivating factor), as well as elements such as sports (although Baulkham Hills High School seems to provide this too, as you mentioned), music and participation in competitions, all of which contribute to becoming well-rounded, as opposed to solely being academically capable. Whether this can also be achieved at BHHS seems unclear. It is also important to note that you can achieve a high ATAR at any school, as long as you place sufficiently high relative to your cohort and perform favourably in your HSC exams. An initial comparison of the benefits would indicate that you should probably stay at your current school.

This brings us to the other option, which is to attend BHHS. Here, an element that you may wish to consider is the competitive nature of the students. At a high-ranked selective school like BHHS, you are likely to encounter more students who display a high level of competitiveness compared to your current school. Your perception of this could influence your decision. For instance, if you feel that competition can motivate you to perform better, then perhaps BHHS would be a more appropriate option. On the other hand, if you feel that you may be overwhelmed by the competitiveness of other students in a way that would negatively impact your performance, then staying at your school would probably be the better option, as that would allow you to focus on your studies without having to worry other students (or at least not as much).

I hope this helps!

 

[Sethio]

First, congratulations on all your achievements so far! While it may be challenging to make an informed decision in your case, it would definitely be a privilege to be in this position in the first place.

From your post, your current school seems to foster an appropriate environment for students with a high-achieving mindset such as yourself, thanks to superior teaching quality, the incentive of a scholarship (which can act as a motivating factor), as well as elements such as sports (although Baulkham Hills High School seems to provide this too, as you mentioned), music and participation in competitions, all of which contribute to becoming well-rounded, as opposed to solely being academically capable. Whether this can also be achieved at BHHS seems unclear. It is also important to note that you can achieve a high ATAR at any school, as long as you place sufficiently high relative to your cohort and perform favourably in your HSC exams. An initial comparison of the benefits would indicate that you should probably stay at your current school.

This brings us to the other option, which is to attend BHHS. Here, an element that you may wish to consider is the competitive nature of the students. At a high-ranked selective school like BHHS, you are likely to encounter more students who display a high level of competitiveness compared to your current school. Your perception of this could influence your decision. For instance, if you feel that competition can motivate you to perform better, then perhaps BHHS would be a more appropriate option. On the other hand, if you feel that you may be overwhelmed by the competitiveness of other students in a way that would negatively impact your performance, then staying at your school would probably be the better option, as that would allow you to focus on your studies without having to worry other students (or at least not as much).

I hope this helps!

Thanks! Competition is an important consideration. But ultimately that's the challenge I'm putting myself into, but I feel like i could find my way just fine. Well-rounded learning is my biggest concern, many people attest to the "learning experience" you gain by putting yourself under time constraints. My brother and his fellow uni students say the kids who did well were the ones who did the most in high school because they were used to time management and smart learning. Thus I honestly think sacrificing that .5% in my atar to do other extracurricular activities might peak the benefits of solely getting that 99.95 or whatever. I will just learn more and come out as a better person. If I am good enough, academics into the course I want shouldn't be an issue because after you "make that course" no one cares about what ATAR you got. The only thing that sticks is your personality, extracurricular activities and study habits. Would you agree with this idea?

 

[stevie444]

Assuming you continue to progress as you have you will get stupidly high results no matter which school you go to. You can learn "time management and smart learning" as you phrase it, at either school given your current academic achievement and given your current results changing schools, assuming all else stays the same, won't implicate your atar in any noticeable way.

Depending on the private school you will have lots of opportunities to do a wider variety of extra-curricular activities which at the end of the day will be what can differentiate you from comparably smart/hard working people and is infinitely more valuable than any 0.05 or 0.1 difference in atar that you perceive that you might be sacrificing.

At the end of the day you can do well academically, socially, and in any other way at both schools assuming you continue to work hard and seek out a wide variety of opportunity. Your specific school matters less than you think but it's what you make of it

 

[Sethio]

Assuming you continue to progress as you have you will get stupidly high results no matter which school you go to. You can learn "time management and smart learning" as you phrase it, at either school given your current academic achievement and given your current results changing schools, assuming all else stays the same, won't implicate your atar in any noticeable way.

Depending on the private school you will have lots of opportunities to do a wider variety of extra-curricular activities which at the end of the day will be what can differentiate you from comparably smart/hard working people and is infinitely more valuable than any 0.05 or 0.1 difference in atar that you perceive that you might be sacrificing.

At the end of the day you can do well academically, socially, and in any other way at both schools assuming you continue to work hard and seek out a wide variety of opportunity. Your specific school matters less than you think but it's what you make of it

Thanks! I needed to hear this because I think I was just overthinking it. Currently, both schools are amazing and I don't mind which one I take. However, maybe it is time for a change. I feel pretty secluded in my current private school despite all the "promises" that they will make if I stay. I feel it's just superficial and they are using me as an asset. Socially, changing should be interesting, and challenging but a very exciting experience. It's really up to me to decide the way I approach the new school but it should be fun. Thanks for your words of wisdom!

 

[jimmysmith560]

Thanks! Competition is an important consideration. But ultimately that's the challenge I'm putting myself into, but I feel like i could find my way just fine. Well-rounded learning is my biggest concern, many people attest to the "learning experience" you gain by putting yourself under time constraints. My brother and his fellow uni students say the kids who did well were the ones who did the most in high school because they were used to time management and smart learning. Thus I honestly think sacrificing that .5% in my atar to do other extracurricular activities might peak the benefits of solely getting that 99.95 or whatever. I will just learn more and come out as a better person. If I am good enough, academics into the course I want shouldn't be an issue because after you "make that course" no one cares about what ATAR you got. The only thing that sticks is your personality, extracurricular activities and study habits. Would you agree with this idea?

No worries! I agree with you. Academic capability is important, but being well-rounded is ideal. You are definitely correct in saying that the ATAR is simply a way to receive an offer for your dream course, after which it no longer matters. In such a case, unless you are aiming to study medicine, a 99.95 ATAR is not really needed. Even if you intend to study medicine, you may still be able to do so with an ATAR lower than 99.95.

 

[Sethio]

No worries! I agree with you. Academic capability is important, but being well-rounded is ideal. You are definitely correct in saying that the ATAR is simply a way to receive an offer for your dream course, after which it no longer matters. In such a case, unless you are aiming to study medicine, a 99.95 ATAR is not really needed. Even if you intend to study medicine, you may still be able to do so with an ATAR lower than 99.95.

Thanks, Jimmy! I think it's just up to how I approach each school. I believe that even at selective schools I can still attain a well-rounded portfolio, just I will have to take the initiative to engage in more activities as opposed to them being readily available at a private school. However, I feel in both cases I will do just fine. I'll weigh the options out in the next few weeks and hopefully make a decision. Thanks guys!

 

[Yes99]

Hey guys, recently I decided to go to Baulko because i thought i would be able to further my academics (for fun). I also was able to make NSB and interview for Ruse (which I declined) and chose Baulko because of my brother, sport, and distance. I don't mind whatever school I took in the top 3, it was more for the experience. Anyway, i currently go to a private school that has been doing pretty well in the last few years and i flew under the radar for a good 3 years of my schooling life here. Started at just above average (100/250 ranked maybe) in Year 7 and decided to come on some academic arc and make my way up. So after telling the school that I was leaving (probs Sep), i was quite overwhelmed to find pretty much NO significant response from the school.

Hey Sethio, congrats on multiple offers! enjoying the new dilemma?
based on our previous chats, you sounded like you wanted to go to baulko and scholarship wasn't even a thing you mentioned of. But, because they offered to you all of sudden, you are now in this dilemma. thats all I will say.
tbh, i wish you came to ruse but i think you will achieve whatever you want in any school, so don't worry.

side note: did nsb call your parents out of blue in october or novemeber and offered a position without a interview? happened to me as well. their process seem very random.

 

[Sethio]

Oh hey Yes99, I remember you back when we were stressing about acceptances

Thanks for your words of wisdom, I am partially regretting I didn't take Ruse but saves me from more mayhem at this point.

Also yeah nsb puts everyone on the reserve list (which is a fake reserve list) and I wouldn't even call it a reserve list cause they haven't accepted anyone at this point its just like they pull you to another stage. But really once you're on this list you're in. I don't know why they delayed it but yeah i honestly forgot I had applied for it and then they just accepted me and I was like 'oh yeah that existed'