<p>Hahaha okay whatever Galoisien, go on and decry GEPers lack of passion for intellectual subjects. Go on, please.</p>
<p>EDIT: 1000th post in this thread! :D</p>
<p>Don't laugh simply because it seems ironic or counter-intuitive. And of course, if you can't match some weird 3D shape of one 2D perspective with the same shape in another weird perspective in 15 seconds, clearly you must be forbidden from learning about philosophy, abstract algebra, the social contract, or linguistics in the classroom, amirite???</p>
<p>I speak from personal experience, so I find your theses quite ludicrous. My classmate did research on general relativity in the 11th grade, hardcore math. To say I'm specialised in any field would be ridiculous, but I'm interested in chemistry and politics.</p>
<p>I speak from the perspective of am outsider. Your peers are extremely hostile and bite their thumbs at anyone outside their stream. I am only reciprocating the same hostility back. Maybe had your peers been more receptive to discussion with outsiders without purposely isolating themselves and treating everyone outside their clique with disdain, they wouldn't be enjoying their current reputation as snobby.</p>
<p>Btw, I'm not making an absolute argument, so it's not like you can dismiss it with one exception. I'm not saying EVERYONE in the GEP has disappointing intellectual passion, but there are many kids there who are really only interested in mugging and prestige.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm only making am argument based on probability. You're the one speculating about parents - show me proof that they're a significant issue.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>nooooo not another "you're the one" childish finger pointing thing again. if you're making an argument based on probability, then SHOW ME THE PROBABILITY or you're just speculating. all i have been saying is "what if parents COULD write those brilliant essays? why CAN'T they?" now, you're the one going around making all sorts of baseless statements and accusations about GEP and GEPpers, Singapore and its political system and squatters, and parents. you, sir, are the king of speculation. you're so mired in the validity of your own arguments that, to you, all the substantiation that we need for your arguments is the fact that you came up with them. this is unbelieveable. </p>
<p>and please, i've never SEEN light being bent with my own eyes by gravitational lensing. so what if i see stars as a result of this? i'm just talking on the same, rock-bottom level as you when you said brilliant parent-assisted essays don't exist just because you haven't seen one. a brilliant parent-assisted essay might be staring you in the eye just like bent light from a background star, but ohh, just because you didn't actually SEE the parent write it, or because you didn't actually SEE the light BEING bent, means that the concept doesn't exist. it doesn't matter that Einstein might be able to work out the proof for gravitational lensing or that some parents out there are not be as dumb as you think. as long as the great galoisien hasn't seen them and doesn't think they can happen, they can't.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I speak from the perspective of am outsider. Your peers are extremely hostile and bite their thumbs at anyone outside their stream. I am only reciprocating the same hostility back.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>maybe you just couldn't fit in. if you didn't know, that's what usually happens to people who can't.</p>
<p>Amazingly, I've had no problem with peers of my own socioeconomic class. Maybe it 's because of you know, a lack of elitism. I've seen many parent-assisted essays - they're easy to spot. From what I have observed, parents do more harm than good to their children's essays - this is not mere speculation. But unless you can provide evidence to the contrary, your point remains speculation.</p>
<p>Also, with the loud concerns of intellectual groups both international and domestic, I fail to see how being concerned about Singapore's lack of liberty is baseless. You could also look at the writings of your fellow GEPer Gayle Goh.</p>
<p>this is the 2nd time u mentioned the same guy...pardon my ignorance but i've nvr heard of this dude before, u're kinda pushing it don't you think? besides, surely one man's voice cant speak for a population of 4 million? </p>
<p>i've already expressed my intention to leave SG for HK in the future, but that still doesnt change the fact that i've achieved what I could and much more in SG, sth that's not very likely elsewhere, and I'm grateful for that (even if it means paying 2 years to do NS)</p>
<p>honestly, i don't think parental involvement in essays actually help. the admission committees spot them pretty easily, they've read thousands and thousands of student written essays, you think the parent one won't stick out like a sore thumb? and what makes you think that most parents write well?</p>
<p>when i was applying for college, my form teacher was threatening to not write my recommendation because he felt that my essay for college admissions was too "childish". it really wasn't any of his business. i sent it in anyway. i sent the supposed "childish" essay to 5 out of 6 of the colleges i was applying to. guess which one was the only one that rejected me? thats right, the one that i sent the supposedly more mature essay to. and it was less selective than than the colleges that accepted me too.</p>
<p>bridgehead: btw gayle goh is a girl</p>
<p>bridgehead: then my sentiment is not unlike yours. I don't regret being a Singaporean - nay, I would not have it anyway else. But I'm talking about the future. (Gayle Goh, btw, ran a blog that attained national spotlight because of her posts on her growing unease with the Singapore system. She's quite famous in the political blogosphere. Try also Mr Wang and the Students' Sketchpad.)</p>
<p>And indeed she does not the represent the voices of four million, but the fact that she gained such a large readership shows that our concerns are far from baseless.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You could also look at the writings of your fellow GEPer Gayle Goh.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>i'm not a gepper. why do you think i am? i took the GEP test once at primary 3 and once after primary 6 and failed both times.</p>
<p>and forget it, since we're both speculating, this will be as endless as one of those obama vs mccain threads.</p>
<p>hi i'm new here. given the anti-rafflesian and gep sentiments then I guess I must be the most hated here haha. but seriously, gep is just in name only. with ip, we all learn the same things and the difference is minimal, just maybe class allocation, which is now starting to be mixed too. anyway would it be a good decision to apply and attend LACs or stick to say NUS? given that I will be needing finaid and not too keen on spore govt scholarships. I doubt I have a chance at the ivies, as I am really a very average student despite being gep. my dream job is to work in an organization with an intl environment dealing with human rights and stuff so I guess I will want to go to grad school after being an UG. also, I think I would prefer the US college system of being able to study different things. ultimately would NUS or a LAC be better for me? (sorry for this confusing mess!)</p>
<p>NUS has a reasonably good political science department from what I hear - but in the sense of getting you a job, not fulfilling a passion. Perhaps you should email a few of the professors to see how they would regard your passion. LACs are good for your desired field but are they worth the cost for undergrad? Bear in mind that the average student changes his or her major at least once.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Bear in mind that the average student changes his or her major at least once.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Precisely, the choice of the LAC. You wouldn't find the quality and style of a LAC education in Singapore. Singapore's education is in-depth and job-oriented, quite a contrast from the broad-based, holistic and learning-oriented LAC. Bear in mind the no-name factor though. Small companies may not have heard of your LAC, but MNCs and graduate school admission departments will definitely have heard of it. Since you intend to attend graduate school, LACs are a fantastic choice. They also have a reputation of offering good financial aid to internationals, though you will be competing with fellow Singaporeans, a very competitive pool. Not all LACs are equal though, so do read up.</p>
<p>us rocks! singapore sucks!:)</p>
<p>I am persuaded.</p>