Please help. I'm stressing out. Regarding year 11 entry. (1 Viewer)

[ADHERETOLOGIC]

I'm currently in year 10 and am trying out for Girraween, Penrith and Normanhurst next year. My extracurriculars include lots of sports including Soccer, Oz Tag, Rugby, Basketball and Cricket. I've also done coding and peer support. My report last year and this year include mainly A's, some B's and a few C's in (albeit in rather unimportant subjects). This year however, due to corona, workload piled up and I focused on other subjects other than science (no test, only homework) for which I received Basic (D)... yikes. I had B last year for Science and I'm stressing out for this year and how that'll effect my selection. I've tried out for Girra for the past 3 years, always getting around 10th reserve in the HAST Exam. This is despite one my friend who received an A for literally everything last year however I got a higher reserve because I performed better in the test. Saying that, things might change and they might not consider me. Please help. Also I've received awards for 1st and 2nd places in Maths, English and History and credit in AMC (top 48%). How are my chances looking? Do I have to perform like I always do in the selection test, or should I try harder due to my bad grade in science as well as my comments in my report that usually were good, however some pretty bad.

 

[tito981]

tbh, they only really care about the exam, unless you have like tons of suspensions and get like D's for all your subjects. Your reserve 10 would get you in to year 11 at those schools but the student population increases for year 11 entries, but you will probably still get in.

 

[ADHERETOLOGIC]

tbh, they only really care about the exam, unless you have like tons of suspensions and get like D's for all your subjects. Your reserve 10 would get you in to year 11 at those schools but the student population increases for year 11 entries, but you will probably still get in.

Thanks so much. But how would it effect my Normo application? Or do they like Girra only care about the exam?

 

[ADHERETOLOGIC]

What subjects do you have A's and B's in so far?

This year: A for Maths, English, History, Commerce, Geography. B for PDHPE.
Last year: B for everything including science, except A for Commerce

 

[tito981]

Thanks so much. But how would it effect my Normo application? Or do they like Girra only care about the exam?

probably the same, but i reckon the schools won't consider your most recent report due to the effect of covid and the lack of assessments.

 

[quickoats]

Please don’t stress out too much regarding selective school entry. You can still achieve an amazing ATAR from a comprehensive school and sometimes the high pressure environment can be taxing on your mental health.

Don’t sweat it too much, because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter too much at all.

 

[helloxdxd]

For anyone that is trying out for Penrith here's some advice, I tried out last year with straight A's in my report, I had done a bunch of extracurricular activities (volunteering, leadership, charity, etc), I had a few distinctions in external comps, etc. When the results came out, I unfortunately didn't make it in, when I asked why they claimed that your outcomes apparently also need to be an A for your subjects also which was just bs. What I'm trying to say is that their selection committee can be at times, inconsistent. Make sure if you are trying out, ensure you limit your report to A's and B's only, possibly A's if you can. However, since there is a HAST test this year, their selection process may change but idk.

By outcomes I mean the table beneath your overall grade, like for example English:

View attachment 28531

omg, I had a similar application to your's but with straight A's for Fort Street a fews years back and I didn't get in as well (.
This year was worse tho, apparently my school didn't count some of assessment marks towards final grade because of corona (idk how they even generated that final grade without exams)?? So my report doesn't reflect on how well I went on exams...

 

[SplashJuice]

Please don’t stress out too much regarding selective school entry. You can still achieve an amazing ATAR from a comprehensive school and sometimes the high pressure environment can be taxing on your mental health.

Don’t sweat it too much, because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter too much at all.

Second this ; plenty of 99+ at ranked 400+ schools, a school isn't the be all end all. Most of the times a competitive environment aids students in achieving their best and that's pretty much the only advantage I can think of in a selective school, you can simulate the same at a comprehensive, get the textbooks and start working and you'll see results. Either way you're going to have to study a lot in either environment.

 

[c8]

I agree with others that have said you can achieve a high atar at any school, plus you get a more chill environment lol

I applied like two years ago and got in with 1A, a couple B's, 1D and the rest C's. Can sorta confirm from my case that it's all based on the test so yeah focus on doing your best in the test because that's like the only common way for them to differentiate everyone equally so it makes sense to weight that heavily. Also, if you've been consistently getting reserve 10th you might have a higher chance cos of the classes that open up in year 11 as others have said, but yeah I'd say try and do really well in the test if you truly want to get in, and if you don't then it really isn't a huge deal

 

[ADHERETOLOGIC]

I agree with others that have said you can achieve a high atar at any school, plus you get a more chill environment lol

I applied like two years ago and got in with 1A, a couple B's, 1D and the rest C's. Can sorta confirm from my case that it's all based on the test so yeah focus on doing your best in the test because that's like the only common way for them to differentiate everyone equally so it makes sense to weight that heavily. Also, if you've been consistently getting reserve 10th you might have a higher chance cos of the classes that open up in year 11 as others have said, but yeah I'd say try and do really well in the test if you truly want to get in, and if you don't then it really isn't a huge deal

Thanks a lot!