Finished your O level and contemplating whether to choose Junior College or Polytechnic? Let us help you make a decision by guiding you through the differences between the two!
I feel you totally. I have been through that phase of life you are currently in, thinking if Junior College suits me better or Polytechnic. Let me make a guess. You might be thinking how tough Junior College will be with the scary A Level that you will have to overcome as compared to O level. You might also be thinking that you do not want to learn English, Sciences and Mathematic subjects and hence you do not want to go to Junior College anymore. Your seniors might have told you how tough JC can be.
Too long didn’t read. My best advice for you is that if you are unsure of what you want to do after finishing O level and you wish to get into local universities (NUS, NTU and SMU), the best route you should follow is to go to JC as it would be relatively easier to get into local universities. Of course, if you know what you want to do, follow your heart! If you wish to know more about the differences between JC and Poly, read on for more details!
1) Junior College or Polytechnic? JC is academically more demanding than Poly.
For O level students, whatever difficulties you think you had in your subjects will be tripled or even quadrupled (this is my opinion!) when you go to JC. Here’s why:
JC
- Every A level subject in JC is academically more demanding in terms of content and difficulty as compared to O level subjects.
- Rote learning in secondary schools does not really apply in JC anymore. You are required to think critically.
- Are you very busy with your CCA in secondary schools? You are not required to have CCA in JC but if you do have CCA you will have to juggle with your studies which is a lot of content.
- In JC, most students will be taking General Paper (H1 GP). In this subject, you will have to learn how to write argumentative essays. Failing this subject in A level would spell disasters for your admission to universities.
- JC time table is very packed. You will have to attend schools from Monday to Friday every week unless there’s public holiday. Expect to be very tired at the end of the day.
- You are competing against students from IP schools.
Poly
- You no longer have to deal with the system of taking various subjects in English, Sciences and Mathematics. However, you are still required to apply what you have learnt in O level from time to time depending on the courses you chose in Poly. For example, if you are in engineering courses, then you are required to apply your A Math knowledge in your modules.
- Depending on the poly courses you go to, generally speaking time table wise poly would be less packed and on certain days, you are not required to go to school.
2) Admission to universities is easier if you go JC as compared to Poly.
Disclaimer : If you work hard and do well in either JC or Poly, admission to universities would be easier. I am not suggesting that going Poly would mean that admitting into universities is harder. Let me explain:
JC
- In JC, if you score well in A level, getting into local universities would not be hard. For students who wish to get into popular courses like Medicine, my best advice is that you should go to JC as I can assure you that most Medicine students are JC graduates. For your information, the maximum points (perfect score where you get straight As) for A level will be 90.
- Here’s my opinion of JC : You know what’s at stake if you go JC. If you do not do well in A level hence you cannot enter universities, you are worse off as compared to your peers that are on the Poly route. You would be pressured to work harder and seeing all your JC classmates study so hard day in day out, you would be motivated to work even harder to score decently well for A level. The environment and your classmates would likely make you think twice about slacking.
Poly
- In Poly, it is more competitive to get into local universities as you would have to maintain your Grade Point Average (GPA) and if you fall short you would miss your chance in your desired university course.
- Here’s my opinion of Poly : I had friends who told me that they slacked for a year during their time in Poly and that resulted in their drop in GPA. They regretted what they did because they are unable to proceed with their university application. Here’s my advice, the temptation to slack in Poly is likely higher as compared to JC. If you want to get into local universities, you have to be very consistent in Poly as all your grades in exams matter because they are all counted towards your GPA. Usually, only the top 20% of the poly cohort enters local universities.
Regardless of the differences between JC and Poly, both paths are great in their own rights. Like I have mentioned earlier, if you already know what you like to do in life, good for you! Choose the path that you love and follow your heart. If you wish to know more about the differences between JC and Poly, check out 3 Differences Between JC and Poly.
Ministry of Enkindled tutors wish you all the best in your decision and of course, study hard and enjoy life!