Elite Versus Neighbourhood Schools | ZULA ChickChats | EP 36

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In this episode of ZULA ChickChats, we discuss the differences between elite and neighbourhood schools.
What defines an elite school? What are some stereotypes of elite and neighbourhood schools? Which type of school would you send your child to? Does the school you go to define your intelligence and capabilities?
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Something you'd like us to chat about? Leave it in the comments below!
About ZULA:
ZULA is a new website catered to Gen Y Singaporean females. We cover lifestyle, perspective and inspirational stories of women in Singapore.
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Wen Chuan - / wenchiizzle
Jewelyn Siew - / jewieeesiew
Jerrica Ang - / jerricakes
Leah Shannon - / mizchiefmagik
Edited by:
Jewelyn Siew - / jewieeesiew

[@bernardyong8954]

I am from Orchid Park too, pioneer batch. People always thought our school compound will have gardens by the bay style vibes.

[@namakutakpenting1929]

How about a more intense discussion. People from nus NTU verses others (sim and overseas unis). How is one better or worse off, in career, in character, in life values etc.. thanks!

[@Ranger629]

Oh, this is simple. The simplest question ever to be answered. People think that NUS will have an advantage over NTU in perhaps say Science (research department), and NTU will have an advantage over NUS in Engineering and business. Also, how good SMU is with their business school, etc. and once you're done comparing between these Universities. The next stereotype would be how SIT/SIM are inferior to these Universities and last but not least how overseas Universities will definitely be better than any other local Universities. When a person tells someone in Singapore "Oh, I was from University of Melbourne/London/Toronto, etc." everyone will go; you're so smart to get into these Universities. The stereotype and stigma will forever be there because of Singaporeans valuing name over content. Worse of all, these stereotypes are brought forward into the workplace, a person from NUS may find it easier to find a job than a person from SIM. However, when a person graduated from the University of Melbourne may find it easier to find a job in Singapore than a person from NUS or NTU. You can't remove these stigmas, you can talk about how you wish to change it but you can't. Simply because you're in Singapore and there's nothing you can do to change it at all.

[@doryfishie2]

Ranger629 However if private Us like SIM had more stringent admission criteria for eg, the stigma might be reduced. The reality is it's much easier to get into SIM than NUS. If it's tougher to enter, it's natural to assume that the quality is higher. I ask anyone who has a SIM degree to touch his/her heart and ask yourself why and how you ended up at SIM and not NUS/NTU/SMU. Is it because you thought SIM was superior and provided better quality, etc, or is it because you simply weren't good enough to enter a local U? Be honest with yourself. Conversely, let's say you managed to enter a local U, what does that mean relative to your peers? It means you, together with others who entered a local U like you, managed to beat all the other folks who tried but couldn't enter a local U, who now have to enter a private U or find other stuff to do. If you went to a local U, and you met someone from a private U, that's the guy who couldn't make it into a local U, whereas you did. Extend that to potential employers, esp if both candidates had very similar resumes. It's not rocket science. Singapore is small, almost everyone is funneled into the academic route, and there are only those few choices unless you're either good enough to score a place overseas or have a family with enough resources to send you there. There are reasons why the stigma exists and they're not all wrong. Also, this is not unique to Singapore. Go to any other country and just tell me that a SIM or NUS degree would ever be considered more favourably over a Harvard or Oxford degree.

[@joesr31]

@@Ranger629 agree with most of your points but imo when people say overseas universities, many people would think "oh those who cmi for local universities pay to go overseas". Unless you are talking about top schools like oxford, cambridge etc, don't think overseas university have a good rep

[@reubenlee3770]

Tbh, my firm prefers overseas grads to local grads. Most unis in Australia are ranked higher then the likes of SMU and NTU. Get your heads out of your asses if you think only those that can’t make it go overseas. I think it’s more of those who can’t afford it stay here. Don’t kid yourself. Doesn’t really matter now does it. It’s how successful you are now that matters.

[@alexanne998]

No hate but Leah is giving her judgements of people from “neighbourhood schools” when she wasn’t from an elite sec school? Chij sjc isn’t “elite” at all. Should have people from ri/hci/st nick/crescent girls to be on this talkshow to rep that end of the argument. Of coz scgs works well too :)

[@mizchiefmagik]

Alex Anne Hi! Point taken, but as I also disclaimed in the video, I do recognise that my school isn’t considered one of the top tier schools. However it does have some characteristics of an “elite” school or what people would define as an elite school. also i do have to host the discussion so I would naturally share my own perspective of the situation :)

[@zylunx]

1 clap for leah

[@jiaxinc6627]

i don’t think crescent is too elite... their cop is only 242 and schools like anderson secondary have cop of 247, nan hua high cop of 245 etc

[@cycoekiller119]

@@jiaxinc6627 Yeah true Crescent's environment is less of elite and more carefree. We have people who are like super super hardworking and some who dont care

[@fcukyouuuuus]

Wen Chuan would be a good dad!

[@ngseowshian5655]

Stereotypes people have of government universities and private universities

[@acey9245]

i find it weird that sn is considered an elite school? i mean if you really want to make a distinct different btw the sch, u shld be comparing neighbourhood to schs like mgs, rgs, nygh, hci, ri

[@Msbouncy456]

I think they need people to speak from experience and there may not be people in the office who have that experience/people may not be comfortable speaking in front of the camera even if they were from those schools so they just have to make do :)

[@mochimochi1264]

sn as in st nicholas? the girl is from an ij sch not sn

[@tanyuyang9449]

just enrol your kids in the best school possible from as young as possible, start from an elite kindergarten

[@aboy5596]

didnt think orchid park would appear OMG MY SCHOOL but tbh orchid pack sec is quite popular in yishun

[@leeboonkang2]

School i choose is just the nearest available one for me.

[@varunv2584]

I scored 225 and got into St.Gabriels year 2013. St.Gab's neither elite nor neighbourhood, somewhere in-between.

[@andrewlim6759]

St Gabs is a total sheet skool

[@TheLittlemissghostly]

Can relate to Jewelyn when she mentioned about how people reacted to the name of our secondary school! I'm from OPSS too!

[@janicesim2910]

Im from scgs too ! im currently in P6, and im planning to continue, and go to scgs secondary after PSLE

[@mecat9853]

Lol hi so did u actually make it in?

[@Prankzterstarr]

IJ girl represents!

[@user-nw2mm7mv6x]

lol @ the girl at the utmost right why are you saying that you're from an elite school?? chij sjc isn't an elite school,,,, the only elite chij is st nicholas' lol

[@soapy2587]

renee Leah has already disclaimed in the video that she recognises her school isn’t considered “top tier” however it has some characteristics of what people may consider as elite. Also, she has to host the discussions so she would naturally share her perspectives.

[@youwillneverknow4111]

omg girl same im from scgs primary, scgs sec and im now in acjc

[@stayfrosty8404]

Nygh people are nice haha we are not that snooty and serious

[@jchen8902]

These stories are so funny I can't 😂

[@JoanneBeep]

Maybe you can include more people of various job histories/ family background. For example in you episode on tattoos and piercings most of you are in the creative industry. Would love to hear opinions on tattoos from people in the medical/business/sales industries

[@ebonyloveivory]

Leah is super salty and sore about not going bowling during secondary school ahahahhaah She kept bringing it up from previous episodes LMAO

[@joeyt4999]

Please do a jc and poly on the next ep!

[@CAREgals]

Totally relate when people keep asking where Orchid Park is 😂

[@rachellim5218]

Carene Tan hi Carene

[@aforapple3678]

This question can be the next O Level english compo exam.

[@nathan-ls8yw]

agreed, coming from st andrews it was strange going to a publicly funded institution after spending ten years of my life at sa

[@sufonlim]

“premmy school”

[@jonathanstupidcheesespaghetti]

su fon AHAHAHHAHA PREMMY SCH

[@McFluffino]

Guilty of saying that lol😅

[@caleculating]

Well I was actually expecting some more elite schools? Like considering elite, I kinda expected two from the neighbourhood schools and elite schools. This is because they kept talking about “what they heard” and comparing other “elite schools” but they weren’t any people from those schools to defend themselves. I mean, scgs isn’t realllyyyy considered the elite circle of schools in sg. I was expecting maybe two mgs, acs, ri, rgs, nygh and hci alumni.

[@user-nw2mm7mv6x]

oh ok then what school are u in hm?

[@tamiang8825]

love jewie!!!

[@shaynachong3765]

I was in a elite school and just entered a neighbourhood school then when my classmates and Teachers knew what school I was from there were like huh u from this school ah?! And like I Guess I get more chances as compared to the rest that are all from neighbourhood schools like I wasn’t a prefect or a monitor even once, many opportunities were thrown at me without me going to ask like I was given the opportunity to be the chairperson while almost all my classmates who were prefects and monitors didn’t get any leadership roles

[@rachelweehuiling6982]

I am from OLGC too and just gotten my PSLE results. Planning to go on to SJC! Wish me luck that I can go to SJC cause I reallllly wanna go to SJC! BTW, which P6 class were you from if you were from OLGC?

[@pearltasbur1984]

I CAN RELATE im from canberra secondary and some people thought it’s in Canberra, Australia...........

[@crystalhoon1018]

OMG SAME

[@crystalhoon1018]

SAME SCHOOL I MEAN

[@drastocedits2682]

people link my school to a high rate of ang mos

[@WernLim]

why is there a huuuuge gap on the couch between the neighbourhood school folks and elite school ones?

[@SubZero-qi9hk]

Your dad must hold some kind of. a position in a company and draw handsome pay to go to Elit Schools. At least must be some kind of supervisor in a company. But those dads who is just like a bus driver or normal jobs how to go? People will say bulls+++ lah. But this is the fact. Then mother is just a housewife or working part time.

[@isabeltan1247]

Omg my mom oso told me to go to a school near my houseee

[@angellimshuhuay2299]

OMG orchid park student here 🙋🙋🙋

[@Ranger629]

The fact that she (Jerrica) kept referring to her school as an "elite school" kinda indicates she's trying to show superiority over anyone else. Even my friends who came from RI and RJC doesn't refer to their school as elite. Simply because they are trying to wash away the concept of elitism. She consistently refers her school as an elite school kinda shows that she wishes to keep the elitism going on. I've met people from University of Oxford/Harvard/MIT (Ivy league Universities) and they don't even refer their Universities as Ivy league Universities. Simply because the school doesn't define you and that elitism is what will segregate people. If she believes that going to an elite school means that you'll have more fundings, etc. maybe she should consider sending her kids to UWCSEA, Overseas Family School or Canada Internation School? I mean they have even more fundings than her "elite" school, their school fees are by the thousands. Please kill the concept of elitism, it's just creating unnecessary stress on kids. When her kids can't make it to such elite school and kill themselves, she should watch back this video and ponder upon why did her hypothetical kids killed themselves.

[@totallyrandomkiddo]

Ranger629 To be fair, she is just answering the question "do you want to send your child to an elite school?" I'm sure many of the students from 'elite' schools are uncomfortable to be labelled as elite and do not refer to their schools in that manner. Since this video addresses the stereotype of neighbourhood and elite schools, they refer to their schools under their stereotyped category. Undeniably, independent schools do provide better opportunities to their students, giving students the chance to embark on etiquette classes, research programmes, or overseas trips. The cost of such trips are often borne by the student themselves, with grants from MOE subsidising the cost. Additionally, the school fees of independent schools are not as costly as those of international schools because independent schools still do receive funding from the government, albeit not as much as that of government schools. Therfore, it's unfair to say that the cost of school fees a student is paying is proportional to the funds/resources a school has.

[@Ranger629]

I'm just following and deducing from what she said. Since she believes elitism, she can find even more elitism in UWCSEA, OFS or CIS. I do not believe in elitism, simply because that does not justify anything at all. I've met people from all walks of life, I've seen people who had nothing and came from a "pai kia" school as they referred to climbing their way into Universities (Singapore or Overseas). They are the ones who define how one should not give up, and I've seen people from "elite" school falls to the bottom. Taking drugs, clubbing, finding prostitutes, etc. the concept of elites doesn't really show anything. Independent schools do not provide better opportunities, fyi. Opportunities are given to people who know how to showcase their work. Every single school is pretty much given the same amount of fundings by the government (since 2014 elite school had a funding cut). Finally, international school does not need that which puts them of a higher superiority than independent schools. Base on her explanation, that defines as elite school. Therefore, it is fair to say that the cost of school fees a student pays is proportional to the funds/resources a school has.

[@sitinursabrina2341]

to be fair too, i think its also the same as the others when they say "not elite school" this video is based on elite / neighbourhood schools so i think it really isn't a big deal. and actually your comment is really mean haha the last part... but just my opinion!

[@Ranger629]

It's a hypothetical scenario because let us face it. The constant attempt to get into elite school puts a huge tremendous stress on your kids. Look at the recent news, even parents forge their location to get their kids into such favorable schools. The concept of elitism brings the worse out of people. I mean when I'm talking to someone and if they start throwing out "I came from an Elite school". You'll see me walking out of that door in less than 3 seconds. They have to say it, if she's consistently saying her school is an "elite" school, any other school compared will be "non elite".

[@violet9968]

Ranger629 1. The title of the video is “Elite vs. Neighbourhood schools” Has it occurred to you that she repeatedly refers to her school as “elite” not because she believes so/is trying to be arrogant abt it but rather, so that wtv statement she is about to make can be relevant in the video? If you are upset with her referring to her own school as “elite”, you should be upset with the producers and video AS A WHOLE because they were the ones who put her on the show under the category of coming from an “elite school”. Both Chuan and Jewelyn referred to their own schools as neighborhood as well, sticking to the topic and video title, so that the references/judgments made remain relevant :-) 2. You mentioned that “Independent schools do not provide better opportunities.... opportunities are given to people who know how to showcase their work.” That is incorrect. Many independent schools have programmes such as Etiquette classes (may sound ridiculous but this is absolute truth) and Overseas exchange/CIP projects that are made *compulsory* for every single pupil at a certain level. It is part of their curriculum and they’re expected to report on it/write about it after they’re done w the programmes. As for funding, aside from subsidy, students are expected to be funded by their families. If a student truly has difficulty attending such compulsory programmes due to financial circumstances (often rare), sch admin processes will take place and help will be rendered some way or another such that they *definitely* will take these opportunities to complete their school curriculum. The moment you are part of that independent “so called elite” school, opportunities r automatically given, expected and must be taken up. 3. You have made your distaste towards elitism (along w Jerrica) very clear, however I feel that you may have judged her/many people too quickly. Just as you and user Michelle have said, students from those top schools often do not feel comfortable/declare themselves as coming from an “elite school”, so is it fair to believe that this elitism stems from their students? As an alumni of some better-known schools, I have never introduced or referred to myself as a member of an “elite” school before. I’m sure Jerrica does not harbour such condescending thoughts or aim to uphold elitism through this video, it is the fact that society itself continues to refer to top-tiered schools as “elite” -> hence reflected in video title and discussion -> hence she was placed into the category and asked to talk about it, no? the concept of elitism in our singaporean society doesn’t necessary stem from people who think they’re the better ones, it stems from stereotypes and how the larger community perceives the way graduates from better-known schools will think/act/behave/treat other people...and it is difficult to expect that it’ll one day cease to exist. many people will continue referring to those schools as “elite”, whether the students or others like it or not, don’t u think?

[@shalynashrn]

I knew it Leah is an IJ girl!

[@christinekoh2776]

I was from Balestier Hill too!!!

[@imaginefishes]

NJ is like half half sia haha q funny

[@kai-dp3cg]

my school is literally a mix its kind of nice

[@DrizzyDrake254]

British class system..divide and rule

[@-sarah-7465]

anyone from st. nicholas? im from there so yea.

[@khhthuiting]

OMGGGG Leah I am from the same secondary school😍

[@aranstrpro]

Im from holy innocent primary school

[@venecia2572]

AHAHAHAH SIMI WHY SUDDENLY GOT ENSEMBLE STARS ONE SEEING THEM FIGHT AND LIKE LEO , KAORU AND THE OTHERS GIVING NO SHIT AT THE FIGHT I LAUGH

[@janelleng1409]

SC PRIDE💚💛

[@imrainee9482]

I also from orchid park sec

[@saki110]

I guess u r considered elite sch when ur cop high, got one big ass family of other schools......

[@flashfsk]

Wait what? Leah you from CJC???

[@효이설]

SkhaiHigh aye yo any cjcians?

[@sintiayuliani9123]

omg dude from buffalo REPRESENT

[@mengyaooo1113]

Haha im from sjc

[@天陳宣漪]

loved the topic ! :')

[@Nekobloop]

BALESTIER HILL SEC

[@qqqoreo]

same sex relationships in singapore !!

[@jaschong]

jewelyn my idol!!!!!!!!!!

[@sheryllim6940]

First!!

[@dreammeme3143]

i saw my friend in your video!!

[@ChocoKeyBURY]

NUS peeps!

[@terrxng6691]

SAJC!!

[@vistory]

Nobody remembered Wee Shu Min?

[@kcjingable]

vistory if you watched the video, the girl which they all dramatically OMG-ed about was her

[@historylitstarstudies7488]

She was mentioned in the video.

[@homiyn8713]

I study in cchms... is dat an elite school? Idk lag. But I'm not rich at all. I no have car

[@28excellent]

Second from left. She looks so unease throughout the video. *Hint: her educational history*

[@qhbejabhv9fzlnjsr6by29]

408 views

[@lebijoudujour]

erm st josephs doesnt count?

[@wisdom32]

jerrica chio sia

[@bangtansonyeondan2383]

208 viewer :)))

[@faunleong2037]

bangtan sonyeondan no one cares lol