Comparison between Continuing in a JC and Re-starting A-levels in the UK
Sometimes, current Year 1 JC students missed the opportunity to join the January 18-month/5-term A-level course which has started in January this year. Or, some current JC students are not happy in their JC because they could not get into the JC of their choice, or they could not do the subjects they want, or they find JC life too stressful. They can re-start their A-Levels in UK in September this year and do the 2-year A-level course. Such students need not feel that they will lose out to their JC classmates. They do not. They just do not “save” one year, or start university studies one year earlier than their cohorts who have left Singapore to join the special 5-term course in January. However, they will still enter university together with their JC cohorts. This is shown below.
Continue in JC in Singapore |
Go to the UK and Re-start A-Levels |
||
Jan to Nov, 2012 |
JC 1 |
Sept 2012 to June 2013 |
Re-start A-Levels, Year 1 |
Jan to Nov, 2013 |
JC 2 |
Sept 2013 to June 2014 |
A-Levels, Year 2 |
March 2014 |
Results out |
August 2014 |
Results out |
September 2014 |
Enter UK University |
September 2014 |
Enter UK University |
In short, there is no difference. Both students enter a UK university in September, 2013, in this example. The only difference is that a JC student who finishes his/her A-levels here will have to wait 9 months for the UK university to start, whereas a student re-starting A-level studies in the UK will start his/her university studies immediately after the summer holidays. And, if he/she has been studying in a JC, he/she will be doubly strong by the time he/she joins the UK college in September, and so the first 8-9 months spent in JC1 are not a waste of time. The time spent will help them to score very high marks for their AS units, and this will help ensure that they get 4As ro even better in their second year.