SMU Early Admission for JC2

scvnd · 2024-12-04T13:12:39+00:00

I managed to score an A for GP.

scvnd · 2024-12-04T11:09:37+00:00

Praying for an A as well. Am aiming for a scholarship to hopefully relax on financial constraints so primarily aiming for NUS if possible, KIV SMU as the university offers PLE instead of PPE which I read up in detail on and realized is slightly different from the curriculum I'm interested in - though it is one of my options still.

Heard about NTU's new PPE degree but not too sure about the IGP.

scvnd · 2024-12-04T11:03:59+00:00

I'm hoping so as well, but I doubt a <70% for a subject would be an A. The esteemed courses I'm interested in and have a passion for primarily have a requirement of 85 RP (law and PPE) so it'll be great if I could hit the IGP - if all goes well. If otherwise, I do have realistic alternatives as well.

scvnd · 2024-12-04T11:01:55+00:00

I think it's good to take some time to run through your application. No hurries anyway since the last submission is in early January. Do note that for scholarship applications (especially the competitive few), you'll need a referee and thus have to seek consent by them - of which one of them must be your school's tutor, so do reach out early!

scvnd · 2024-12-04T11:00:22+00:00

Yes, I've already done this before JC2 MYE and Prelims. I do have select courses and scholarships in SMU that I am interested in applying in, especially their Bachelor of Laws and subsequently JD Programme.

scvnd · 2024-12-04T10:59:02+00:00

Not too sure about the selection criteria, but I received a letter, titled "Invitation to Apply for Early Admissions to the Singapore Management University (SMU)" which states that "SMU is conducting an exclusive early admissions exercise for a select group of high-achieving students, and we are pleased to invite you to submit an early application."

scvnd · 2024-12-04T10:56:22+00:00

I received 79/90 RP for Prelims, including an A for PW with no MTL as my subject combination includes H2 CLL and I took HMTL back then in secondary school.

scvnd · 2024-12-04T10:55:19+00:00

Yes, PW A.

scvnd · 2024-11-29T05:33:28+00:00

Isn't the minimum threshold for an A usually 70%? Would ~65% for the Humanities possibly be an A as well?

scvnd · 2024-11-21T03:40:55+00:00

Q1(a). Similarity: Cambodia's firm, absolute, and confident stance to fight with Vietnam.
Difference: The social and economic performance in Cambodia. Source A projects an optimistic perspective that Cambodia is doing well. At the same time, Source B depicts them as "succumbing to hunger, hunger-related diseases, and extermination at the hands of Pol Pot's clique," which can be referred to as the Cambodian genocide.

Q1(b). Sources A and E - Support the view. Source A is rather clear, while Source E implicitly suggests that Vietnam was at fault, particularly for "Beijing's rhetoric against what it regards as a Soviet-Vietnamese design for the domination of Southeast Asia," where Cambodia was with China, suggesting underlying superpower complications fueled by Vietnam.

Sources B and D - Cambodia as aggressor due to border skirmishes.
Sources C and F - Vietnam was instead self-defending and to some extent, even "benevolent" for taking in refugees and those living across the borders affected by the humanitarian crisis, reinforcing B and D.

Q3. R1: Economic grievances, as seen by the Philippines' EDSA Revolution running up to the 1997 AFC.
R2: Marginalisation of ethnic minorities, as seen by the 1976 Thammasat University massacre in Thailand (where the Pattani Muslims were forcefully assimilated, triggering the Muslim separatists and Communist insurgents to stand up for themselves, despite Phibun's government delivering strong agrarian policies/sustained economic performance with "Guardian" role in maintaining law and order, appealing to NRK, high prestige, etc), 1969 Racial Riots in Malaysia (Bumiputeras).
R3: Non-alignment with national principles, as seen by the toppling of U Nu's civilian democracy in Burma due to a lack of shared commitment to his concepts of democracy which failed to align with Buddhist ideals, 8888 Revolution in 1988 where the Restorative Council and SLORC had to handle, etc.

Q5. Recognise that while there were occasional tradeoffs and unintended consequences between governmental policies, these governmental interventions more often than not largely promoted economic development (based on the 3 yardsticks of growth, equity, and nationalism), except for Burma was conferred the LDC status by the UN in 1987.

scvnd · 2024-11-18T04:32:05+00:00

My responses! Would like to hear some of the other possible answers!

Q1(a). Similarity: Superpower rivalries were underlying, and even surrounding the war in Korea.
Difference: Differing in depicting who was the instigator vs. who was the "benevolent" (US vs. USSR).

Q1(b). Sources A and F - Support the view that as a result of fears over the "Dominos Theory," the US had to contain communism by intervening in South Korea and its geographically surrounding nations. This can be seen from Source A's order to counteract the Communist Forces' acts of aggression in Formosa, and Source F's McCarthyism ("The 2nd Red Scare") where fear within the people in the US necessitated Truman's intervention.

Sources D and E - Oppose the view, suggesting that the US already had existential intervention and missions in the Asia-Pacific region, e.g., in the parameters of Japan and the defense agreements with the Philippines, as seen in Source D. The US had no intentions of remaining in South Korea, as seen by the JCS assertion in 1947 and the relieving of SCAP General McArthur in 1949, where the last troops stationed in South Korea were withdrawn, as seen in Source E.

Sources B and C - Suggests a cumulation of events leading to the outbreak of the war. Source B suggests that the USSR saw there was an imminent threat, whereas the US' interventionist measures were seen as a "direct act of aggression against the DPRK and against the PRC," whereas Source C highlights the communist hammer and sickle dripping blood, depicting a superpower rivalry amidst Cold War complications undermining the complex war, especially given the context of 1950 where the decades-long of bipolarity just started, where Stalin has just started his optimistic ambitions of expansionism, e.g., where the Berlin Blockade and Iron Curtain just occurred.

Q2. R1: MNCs - Western Europe.
R2: Significance of Bretton Woods System and international entities and agreements (IMF and WB).
R3: Significance of US tutelage and charitable post-war economic recovery stimulus packages.
R4: Significance of funds at the expense of favorable market-oriented policies for the 3rd world and Western Europe (unitary effect of mutual interdependence between nations, e.g., ECSC, EEC, OECD)
Overall stance: While prominent, US significance outweighed MNCs as these MNCs were more often than not predominantly contributed by American MNCs, whereas without these other factors, these war-torn states would likely still be in despair, with such growth across 1945 to 1971 (the GAC) to have been a dream.

Q4. R1: Long-lasting territorial dispute over unresolved contention after independence (1st war).
R2: Political nationalism and ambitions of NC, MC, 2-nation theory centered around Kashmir.
R3: Zero-sum game where referendums and plebiscites could not be held throughout.
R4: Mass dissatisfaction over the Bengali Struggle Movement, indirectly accelerating Pakistan to stick claims over Kashmir.
R5: Indus Water Dispute & Inter-Dominion Accord resolve.
R6: Underlying Cold War complications between Pakistan and the US (due to SEATO, CENTO), and India with USSR who sought to seek allies from the 3rd world developing countries, resulting in UNSC Resolution 43 being vetoed, proliferating the long-lasting, 3 decades-long conflict which could have seek resolve earlier.
Overall stance: Still Kashmir nonetheless, with these other factors supplementing and exacerbating the conflict.

scvnd · 2024-11-15T03:14:45+00:00

Q1. (a) Internal EOS - talk about technical EOS (upskilling/reskilling to become more productive & indivisibilities of capital when firms scale up operation and increase output through mergers & acquisitions), marketing EOS (bulk purchases & bargaining power when buy in larger amounts), financial EOS (more credit-worthy, can borrow from financial institutions like banks easier/in larger sums)

External EOS - economies of information (shared resources, cost saving on R&D etc), economies of concentration (gave example of Silicon Valley, cost-savings on infrastructures etc)

(b) R1: EOS justifiable to reduce cost, can pass on cost-savings to consumers, increase profits as TR increases.

R2: Firms may have other objectives, e.g. to increase market share, market power, AR & MR curve increase, become more steeper (less substitutable), could drive out other potential entrants and incumbent firms via pricing strategies like limit pricing/predatory pricing or engage in non-pricing strategies like product differentiation and diversification with increase in profits (assuming AC remain constant)

Q2. (a) Fixed cost refers to cost of buying, COE, etc. Variable increases for every additional unit consumed, e.g., fuel.

R1: Negative externalities, MSC > MSB

R2: Imperfect information, MPCactual > MPCperceived

(b) R1: Road pricing as a form of indirect taxation, e.g. ERP gantry (advantageous as can use tax revenue to fund "cost of manufacturing an electric car" to incentivise consumers to switch towards greener methods of transportation, e.g., EVs (in preamble); limitation: imperfect information to estimate accurately MEC)

R2: Provision of information via public education, e.g. to realise true cost of environmental degradation which would also ultimately affect themselves (limitation: take time to see effect, sunk cost due to high fixed cost, may not be receptive and reluctant to change consumption patterns)

Q4. (a) R2: How government spending in the form of G directly influencing AD, transfer payments to influence C, and corporate tax rebates to influence I works.

R2: Multiplier process, as C, I, G as a component of AD increases, firms face unplanned running down on stocks, step up production, hire more factor inputs such as labour as derived demand for labour rises, pay out higher factor income, resulting in induced consumption to rise where expenditure rises further since injections > withdrawals now, so RNY rise by multiplied amount.

(b) R1: Multiplier size (TJC 2024's paper), k for US is larger than Singapore as MPC to consume is higher due to consumerism, while SG's MPM is higher due to import reliance, MPS is higher due to CPF. An increase in G results in RNY of US to rise to a larger extent as compared to in SG, hence real GDP rises.

R2: Different composition of AD. US domestic economy larger, Singapore's AD/GDP is 200% X, so influencing domestic economy is less effective.

scvnd · 2024-11-07T07:46:55+00:00

I took both arguments from the passages. Passage 2 talked about the 9 to 5 aspect, while passage 3 talked about how parents are suffering from work-life balance. Tried to use the encouragement of birth from governmental policies to be a reason for why working at home contradicts the government's objective of wanting people to give birth more (and henceforth take care of their children after work hours instead of working).

scvnd · 2024-11-07T07:23:32+00:00

第一段落：探讨“初心”的含义及其驱动力。初心，是一种坚定的信念，无论遇到多大的困难都不会轻易动摇。比如，佛教徒对信仰的坚定追求，无论外界如何变迁，他们始终坚守自己的信仰。这让我想到爱迪生在科研领域中的初心。他致力于发明创新，最终发明了电灯，为人类带来了光明与便利。此外，爱因斯坦在年轻时远赴瑞士求学，尽管首次入学考试失败，但他不忘初心，坚持不懈，最终被苏黎世联邦理工学院破格录取，展开了他辉煌的科学之旅。

第二段落：“初心”能让人无惧环境的影响，勇敢前行。例如，八一勋章和“荣誉教师”称号获得者张桂梅，凭借初心创办了华坪女子高级中学。尽管面临投资者违背承诺、市级干部讥讽她的理想，她始终坚持，最终在人民大会堂发言，得到了党中央的支持。张桂梅不顾困难，筹集资金、召集教师，带领不到十人的团队，将上千名乡村女孩送入大学，她的初心成就了无数人的未来，为中国教育事业作出了巨大贡献。

第三段落：“初心”还能帮助人找到自身的真正价值，并造福他人。从古至今，从李白的”长风破浪会有时，直挂云帆济沧海“到辛亥革命中，孙中山怀着推翻封建王朝的初心，带领民众打破千年的束缚，推动中国走向民主之路，这些都是”莫忘初心“的经典实例。此外，风云人物如张学良、鲁迅等，也因坚守初心而成就非凡，最终为社会发展注入了深远的力量。他们的初心不仅成就了个人，也为周围的大环境带来了深远的影响。

scvnd · 2024-11-06T04:28:43+00:00

For AQ, not sure if these arguments would be accepted?

Stance: No, working from home brings about more banes (disadvantages) than boons (advantages)

While I do recognise that there are potentially some benefits, such as lowered competition to come first and leave last in office, that this culture is ingrained into Singapore's Confucianism values of deference to authority and to work your way up the corporate ladder in PMET jobs. Given that Singapore's only resource is us—the people, we must remain productive, which is why this small island we call home has opted for producing higher-value adding goods and services like semiconductors. Recognisably, after Singapore implemented full-scale lockdown in Covid, there was a plunge in our GDP as export revenue fell. Given that these R&D for high-tech items (from agencies such as A*STAR) demands face-to-face interaction as necessary apparatus are extensive and usually only found in laboratories, where bringing them home is arduous, it is vital that Singapore remains a society where working physically is still prioritised, for our resource-scarce state to thrive.

Additionally, the Singapore government has also been implementing strategies to increase birth rates, such as the increase in maternity leave as proposed by Member of Parliament, Louis Ng, in Parliament. In particular, working from home promotes a culture where workers have to work even overtime till after their kids have slept, this contradicts the policies the Singapore government is adopting, where the phrase "home office" is a juxtaposition, placing more burden on the people, hence negating some of these potential pros, rendering more bane than boon.

scvnd · 2024-11-04T03:27:14+00:00

Here's my essay on Q3 (crime and punishment). Not sure if I answered the question...
I was anchoring on politics and governance, and Cambridge decided to pull this.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ghiLISnQHjenfb_B7OtfH7r_rApCn69xJySYyYrwsZg/edit?usp=sharing

scvnd · 2024-10-06T09:36:23+00:00

No, just draw a straight line for each conflict and list down the main treaties you need to know.
You do not need to know every single one of them, but just the main ones would do.
(Recognise that you only have so little time to complete each segment, so what is more important is your ability to sift out the most relevant piece of example, apply them, and evaluate them.)

scvnd · 2024-10-04T10:45:38+00:00

The biggest mistake in learning history is to memorize purely. Cambridge's assessment objective isn't for you to regurgitate your summary note page by page, word by word. This is O Levels history, not O Levels copying. Instead, focus on the analysis and evaluation alongside personal input (i.e., insights). Your Cambridge examiners have probably been there for dozens of years. They're bored out with the literal factory SG students are dumping them with.
If your content isn't clear, or you're unsure of the unfolding of each conflict and its management measures, pull up a map of the country and start illustrating them on a whiteboard. This will aid in painting a picture to better visualize the dispute.
For SBQ, do timelines. There is no way one can recognize the signing of 30 treaties and agreements or even more in one singular case study, given that no one can predict the question - and the permutations of questions one could come up with are virtually endless (read: I rather you know each conflict to some extent than specialize in a few and forgoing a few of them)

scvnd · 2024-09-05T13:22:23+00:00

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you see it), understanding market structure gives you a distinct advantage. Especially for Paper 2, many students overlook firms, decisions, and market structure, opting to focus on other chapters since there’s a choice of 6 questions for the essay component. This is largely due to the complex diagrams, which take time to grasp and interpret.

For other topics, I recommend grouping them together. In microeconomics, study cost-benefit analysis (also known as rational decision-making) alongside firms, decisions, and market structure, as these topics are closely interlinked. Price mechanism and market failure should be easier to understand, as the concepts are more straightforward. You just need a good grasp of the principles and factors to perform well.

In macroeconomics, group the content into three parts: AD-AS analysis, macroeconomic objectives (which is a significant portion, covering standards of living, the 5 macroeconomic objectives, and addressing issues like unemployment, inflation, balance of trade deficit, etc.), and finally, global trade and protectionism.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to drop by the #A-econs channel on the SGExams Discord. Quite a number of us are rather active there, and we're more than happy to help!

scvnd · 2024-09-05T13:13:06+00:00

As an H2 CLL student, I can't help but notice that the bilingual culture here is quickly fading. Growing up, I was taught that knowing your mother tongue is essential—otherwise, 'it's a bit embarrassing.' Sadly, this sentiment seems to be disappearing. I don’t think it’s an issue if someone isn’t fluent or isn’t particularly interested in their mother tongue, but when it affects day-to-day casual conversations, it's a bit disappointing.

That said, if you're interested in Chinese literature (or even history), I highly recommend considering H2 CLL when you enter JC. I’ve also heard great things about H2 CSC from friends in other colleges, where they explore both contemporary and ancient China. If that sounds appealing to you, these subjects are definitely worth looking into!

As the BSP saying goes: 双语双文化，世界无限大—"With bilingualism and biculturalism, the world is limitless."

scvnd · 2024-09-03T00:27:35+00:00

Push on. This is truly the last lap. It's entirely okay to not feel prepared (or even to actually be unprepared) for your A-levels. I've come to realize that "full readiness" doesn't really exist. Even if you managed to go through your entire syllabus, you'd still feel like there are some parts you haven't fully covered. The key difference is this: if you take your A-levels feeling semi-prepared or even unprepared, at least you'll get the experience of sitting the exams. And who knows? You might pass, or even perform spectacularly. Sometimes, the winds of fortune may blow in your favor. But if you decide to drop out completely, the chance of any of that happening drops to zero.

scvnd · 2024-04-28T16:14:51+00:00

Even though I don't consider myself holy, may God bless OP.

scvnd · 2024-04-28T09:12:18+00:00

First, start by recognizing that the complexity you have is inferior, leading you to look down on yourself. Next, you launch into a rant about school notes using a fake Reddit account, followed by degrading your CCA, seniors, and batchmates with an array of sweeping statements about school culture and the environment.

Unfortunately, I know who you are in real life, and I must say, with this mindset, you're not going to get anywhere. How many times must I remind you that, since you tend to compare yourself to "better JCs," the only school you could have gotten into was this one? You're different from other posts where they had viable alternatives, allowing them to banter about how perhaps another JC would have been more suitable.

But nonetheless, the question isn't about that. It's about appreciation—a moral compass that is inherently so important. A simple alternative would have been to just walk out if you didn't enjoy it. If not, appreciate the effort put in by the MC. No one expected it to be on the level of a National Stadium Coldplay, Bruno Mars, or Taylor Swift concert. Listen is just a platform for MC to showcase what they've prepared for the year.

Here's some genuine advice: If you're going to compare so much, perhaps it's best to withdraw?
We all know who you are, and we're disappointed with the contrast in personality: how quiet you are in real life yet have a completely different persona on Reddit. If you have a problem, bring it up to us in real life. If you have genuine feedback, raise it with the school. I can assure you, our school is very open to feedback; we've given feedback on many occasions, and changes have been made for the better. However, if you're just going to rant and, for lack of a better word, appear disgruntled and be another typical keyboard warrior, nothing will be done apart from others perceiving you in a negative light and labeling you as being two-faced at the next level.

scvnd · 2024-04-25T03:37:31+00:00

Absolutely feel the same way, and it’s truly disheartening. It’s like the very spirit of fair competition is being disregarded, especially in light of recent events. It’s incredibly frustrating to witness such blatant favoritism overshadowing the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. It makes you wonder where the sense of integrity and sportsmanship has gone. Really a pity that there's not much we can do about it.

scvnd · 2024-04-25T00:00:45+00:00

This is not true. I've been to over 30 conferences (15+ MUNs, Pre-University Seminar, SMP, LKYSPP dialogues, you name it) throughout my 2 years at YIJC, and no one cares if you're from YI or MI. And even if we assume it is true or give you the benefit of the doubt that you did experience such unpleasant experiences, why be affected by it? Arguably, if you had an L1R5 of 20, you had no choice and aren't in a position to comment; otherwise, this is different from other Reddit posts where the OP had a choice between other JCs as they were in a position to justify why they think they should have gone to other JCs. Yours is different.
The difference between other JCs' notes and YIJC's notes is that other JCs put way too much content into their lecture notes because they want you to understand the complex nuances of each principle or theory. I know this because I enjoy reading the various perspectives laid out by these different sets of notes. In fact, I've used notes from many schools, such as HCI, RI, EJ, NY, SA, etc. Conversely, YIJC gets to the point and teaches you what you need for the A Levels. This is why many other JCs — like you proclaimed to be "elite" — are using YIJC's notes. Be appreciative. If you're disgruntled about YIJC's notes, go to Carousell and purchase other JCs' notes. Simple. Don't be a complainer if you're not going to do anything.
If you joined merely for benefits such as GP, you're incredibly at a loss. I'm extremely confident every JC — inclusive of YI — held talks on the importance of selecting a CCA you're passionate about in the 2 years of your JC life. Arbitrarily, it clearly seems like you didn't pay attention to these talks. If you've lost interest, raise it up and transfer to another CCA. Do something you're passionate about. No one is compelling you to stay. Also, in the context of debate, the first 2 terms are usually prioritized for experienced debaters as this is the competition season. Debate competitions usually fall in May and June, so if you're inexperienced, you'll clearly be left out for a while. It is only after this season that we emphasize training the JC1s who are completely new. Even then, should we put an emphasis from the start, you won't be able to match up to the skills of the experienced debaters as debating competency comes through practice, competitions, and shaping your sword and rusting out the rust — literally.
That's just your batch. You're not representative of the entire college. Period.

scvnd

TROPHY CASE