I decided maybe I should do this topic because I realised there's quite a bit of biasness against polytechnics.
Last week I had to leave class early for an interview to enter a polytechnic. I told the teacher about it and he was rather surprised I didn't want to go to a junior college. I honestly see no problem with it: after all I have my reasons for not choosing a JC.
Junior Colleges (Advantages)
→ 2 years, so you get to complete your education faster
→ Quite spread out across Singapore so they may be closer to your home
→ Don't really have to fret over what to wear cos uniforms
→ Higher chance of getting into universities (that is, if you did well in A levels)
→ (inserts whatever advantages you think are present)
Junior Colleges (Disadvantages)
→ Hectic
→ 2 years of education means you have to cram all you need to know in 1 and a half years (assuming the remaining half is used for revision for A levels). This is especially challenging and tough for H2 subjects like Geography, Biology, and anything else that is heavy in content.
→ (inserts whatever disadvantages that I can't think of)
All in all, JCs are more suitable for people who are more able to manage their time because it's all so hectic. I do have quite a big issue with that and also with cramming loads and loads of information into my brain.
I recently met up with a friend from Hwa Chong Instituition and I managed to catch a little glimpse of her H2 Biology notes. It was only on the topic of cells but it was already as thick as my pure geography textbook. Geez.
Polytechnics (Advantages)
→ 3 years, so you get to spread out your modules over 2.5 years (the remaining 0.5 is for your final year project) and be a little more relaxed than JCs.
→ Don't necessarily have school everyday
→ LONG SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
→ Wear whatever you want to school
→ Lessons are not simply theory based
→ Don't have to buy a lot of books
→ Internship in year 3 to equip you with skills for the workforce
→ (inserts whatever advantages here)
Polytechnics (Disadvantages)
→ You end up studying 1 more year so your education period is longer
→ School days are really long and tiring (I was told that it starts at 8 or 9am and ends at 6pm)
→ Again the content you have to learn is heavy, but this will vary from course to course.
→ You have to invest in a laptop
→ Polytechnics are located more towards the west and the north (or south), and the only one in the east is Temasek Polytechnic. So if you live in these areas you probably won't have an issue about travelling to school, but if you live at places like Punggol or Sengkang...... It's going to be quite a challenge.
→ You have to fret over what to wear
→ (inserts whatever disadvantages here)
So there you go. Polytechnics are more suited for kinesthetic learners (i.e. people who learn better through practical based lessons and have issues sitting still and paying attention to lessons for more than an hour). I decided I should apply into a polytechnic for the fact that I am a kinesthetic learner and I prefer practicals a lot more to boring theory lessons. JCs are more suited for visual and audio learners (i.e. people who learn best through looking or listening to lessons).
Polytechnics are also for people who already have a clear goal to what jobs they want in the future because it prepares you for that specific job. JCs, on the other hand, are more for people who are still not sure of what they really want to be except for those who want to be in the education industry.
Since I have a goal towards a course, I am a kinesthetic learner and I do have a genuine interest in the course I applied for, I decided to go for it. To the heck with biasness.
That's about all for now.
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