i went to a selective school (in Newcastle) from yrs 7 to 10.
got straight in and all that jazz, no tutoring etc.
from day one i knew i wanted to be elsewhere. for 4 years i sat in the back of the classroom listening to the teachers harp on about the pressure of the HSC and how important the hsc is to the future.
this school was strong on science and maths scores, and i wasn't.
maths is not my subject, never was, so i didn't do too good in the maths classes. i needed a standard class and all the school ran were advanced classes. Badness.
Englich, history and science i was good at, but because of my maths scores i was given 'academic warnings' adn had teachers telling me that i didn't deserve to be at that school.
in the in dissapered. after i got the school certificate i walked out of the school and never looked back. my parents were angry with me, so i went away for a bit.
i went to work for two years, full time, got some life experience, rebuilt my 'self-respect' and worked out what it was i wanted to do with my life.
in the end I returned to school. I'm 19, and I'm a year 11 student. i'll be 20 when i complete the HSC.
AND i'm at a normal, streamline, government school. I like it, i should have started at that school.
selective schools are fine, as long as they stick with the idea that the smart kis go there to learn with other smart kids, not to become elietist students who *need* a 98+ UAI.
85+ is a fantastic UAI, 99+ is genius.
anyonw who wants to go to a selective school has my full support, any one who wants to get out of one also hs my full support.
it doesn't matter what school you go to, if you want to do well you will. if you want to get a 99+ and you work hard for it, you will probably get it. regardless of what schoo, you go to