Choosing schools for OC (opportunity class) test application - NSW (2 Viewers)

[s97127]

Tbh, the only benefit of going to OC is be surrounded with competitive students so you will try to study harder. If you're in OC class then you're likely to pass selective school test as your score will be scaled up. You won't learn much from OC/selective.

 

[yolo tengo]

]

Shut up and let ur kid have a life
Ur raising them like robots

this bro is crazy for arguing w a parent

 

[howcanibesmarter]

Tbh, the only benefit of going to OC is be surrounded with competitive students so you will try to study harder. If you're in OC class then you're likely to pass selective school test as your score will be scaled up. You won't learn much from OC/selective.

I back this up completely, though I'm not sure if its still the same tests/process now because I know selective changed to like thinking skills or something. Nevertheless, for context I managed to get into a top 10 OC class, my parents forced me to do it and I didn't really know what it was back then. I wouldn't say the pressure was high or anything, but the people around you are definitely smarter. This didn't stop us from having fun though, because thinking back its way better than high school. My scores given by the school was ridiculously high, (98 for maths, 96 for english which averaged to 97/100 for selective. When I did the selective it was out of 300 marks, 100 was school, the rest was your test) My sibling, who attended a OC class outside the top 10, only got roughly 85/100. I guess thats the only major advantage because the stuff u learn/fun stuff was the same as any other class.

 

[moonsuyoung]

Hi.. I am seeking some advice from students who went through Opportunity Class selection in recent times. Since there are only two schools to be chosen in the application form, it's a bit confusing and high-risk task given that we don't know the usual acceptance rate for each of the reputed schools. I can safely assume that the top 3 schools would be the most selective in terms of applications vs seats available ratio, but not necessary that the same amount of students applied for them in the first place, since the location of the school, population density of the region, etc may play a role too. This all is sort of a black box since we don't get info/ data anywhere. I have the following questions - your thoughts and advice will be highly appreciated.

1) How should we confidently assess the performance of the kid in order to choose the appropriate schools? Is the scoring/ rank in pre-uni leaderboard (that covers all centres) a good indicator at all? Given how many students show a very 'similar' performance in tests and also volatile scoring across the tests, it makes it a bit difficult to evaluate this and choose two right schools confidently for the application form where there are good chances of admission.

2) Do OC schools (let's say top 8 to 10 of Sydney) have any differences among them, as in pros and cons? There's not much info available online to compare schools from the OC perspective; I haven't found any forums either.

3) OC schools are small in numbers - how do kids usually manage traveling when their school is far from home (which would be the case for most families anyway)? Daily pick up and drop may not be practical for working parents since it would go on for two years, not a very short period really.

Hi!
Like @s97127 said, OC is more of getting surrounded by competitive students to try harder, thus a more likelier chance of getting into selective. I know people who got into OC but did not make it into selective and people not from OC but making it into JR. I didn't go to an OC school so I can't really answer 2 but I can for 1 and 3.

1) Ranks would probably be a good indicator or the "OC trial tests" scores. A mistake my parents made for selective and OC was being too ambitious. They put down schools that were too high for my capabilities and thus, the choices that could've been filled with "pretty good" schools were filled with the "best" schools, made me miss out on a lot of opportunities. If your child is consistently scoring top, then it's a good indicator they will likely make it into the top OC schools.

3) My manager at my workplace drove her son to his OC class everyday even if it took 30 minutes and she said it was worth every single minute and when he opened his atar, he wouldn't stop thanking his mum about the sacrifices she made for him. But I understand it may not be practical for working parents so you can always try metro + bus but always making sure your child is safe (maybe through location trackers, etc).

 

[SB257426]

We are in Cheltenham/ Beecroft. The nearest two schools (Beecroft and North Rocks) seem to be very competitive from the basic info that's available from the past - I still don't know how many kids usually choose those schools in their applications but just going by the marks required historically. Apart from these, the nearest other schools would be Artarmon, Waitara, Dural, and Ryde though all of them are quite far. While I would love to opt for the local school, it may be super competitive and I would unnecessarily lose one choice straight away among only two possible in the form - if you know what I mean. Hence, I am not sure which schools to choose for. Any insights on which of these could be a better choice? - Artarmon, Waitara, Dural, and Ryde.

I had a cousin who went to Artarmon, graduated 9 years ago and I heard really good reviews. I had a lot of friends as well who went to Artarmon and the school produces really talented students. Also heard that the teachers are really good, plus the school has lots of facilities, have been there myself