St Marys Senior High (2 Viewers)

[omgd.]

Hey guys,

I'm currently in year 10, and very keen on going to SMSHS for year 11 and 12.

I was just wondering, what are the standards for selection are like? I have heard that only half of the applicants are offered spots. I am an above average student, and just curious of what my chances are of gaining a place.

Thank you for the help in advance.

Dont listen to lolsmith. if you talk to someone from st marys they they will never tell you that.

Basically for the selection process youre expected to write 2 essays, i remember one was about why you should be selected. It would be wise to say that you want to get in because St marys offers subjects that you want to do, that your school doesnt ( they take this into consideration). I would also recommend that you have really good comments on your reports. They dont particularly care about your results, they will help you with marks, theyre more concerned about whether you will have the right attitude to adapt to such an open and free environment, so you have to show that you are mature and an independent worker ( make sure your report shows these qualities if you can). Also, if you can name people that you know went to the school ( family members preferebly) they give you higher consideration. I would also mention future aspirations in your essay to show your dedication.

Overall, in contrast to what Lolsmith said, id like to say. From everyone ive spoken to at the school, we all agree it is a fanstastic school ! You have just as much freedom as uni. You have the choice of wearing what you want, calling your teachers by first names, going to classes that you want to go to and skipping those you see irrevalent and leaving the school grounds during your breaks and frees. Mondays and fridays are an automatic finish at 12.30ish, and if you organise your timetable properly you can finish at 12 on a wednesday too. Everyone there is picked on personality so youll find that youll love almost everyone you meet because everyone is really nice and mature.
The teachers are also fantastic, especially if you plan on getting a high atar. They have all been working at the school for 10-18 years ( and i mean all of them ! you dont get newbies/ incompetent teachers/ random substitutes etc) and because they specialise in HSC they have a wealth of knowledge and resources.

And yup you were right, about 850 apply on average and only 400 get in.

Honestly id definetely recommend this school. Ive been to 4 different highschools because of moving a lot and this was teh best ever. The teachers treat you with so much respect, youre on a friend to friend basis. No one ever gets told off. literally. no one needs to, everyone is so mature. I still keep in touch with 2 of my teachers, and theyve even helped me so much with uni in terms of getting experience in the workforce ( its amazing how far connections can get you)

I can go on in on about this schoool lol. two of the best years of my life. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a buzz.

=]

EDIT: reading some of the posts above mine, yes you have to be able to work independently, but that was the best bit about st marys. For example, before trials i took about 1-2 weeks off to do the work on my own because school was going at a slower pace to me, so id often stay home and study and do past papers and just grab the notes off friends and teachers completely understand this and they would mark the papers id do at home. Same with before hsc. If you have assignmnts due youre able to get out of classes to do that. No one forces you to be anywhere, so youre able to manage your time the way you want. And that was really helpful.

PPS: the science faculty sucks, and the humanities literally own, if you pick up humanties just listen to everything your teachers tell you and use their notes and no doubt you will get top marks. Esp for subs like society n culture( dave is awsome)/legal/eco ( mel is awsome)/history/religion etc. and with english, make sure you get a teacher called gurdy, she gives fanstastic resources. and if you can, id avoid the tall man called michael ( trust me on this. )

 

[omgd.]

Thanks for the great reply. I feel that I am a very independent learner, and I'm not one of those students who go to school because they have to, but because I strive to succeed. I have a strong feeling it's the right school for me.

In that case you will love it ! And i really hope you get in ! i wish i was still there lol

 

[exiled]

Dont listen to lolsmith. if you talk to someone from st marys they they will never tell you that.

Basically for the selection process youre expected to write 2 essays, i remember one was about why you should be selected. It would be wise to say that you want to get in because St marys offers subjects that you want to do, that your school doesnt ( they take this into consideration). I would also recommend that you have really good comments on your reports. They dont particularly care about your results, they will help you with marks, theyre more concerned about whether you will have the right attitude to adapt to such an open and free environment, so you have to show that you are mature and an independent worker ( make sure your report shows these qualities if you can). Also, if you can name people that you know went to the school ( family members preferebly) they give you higher consideration. I would also mention future aspirations in your essay to show your dedication.

Overall, in contrast to what Lolsmith said, id like to say. From everyone ive spoken to at the school, we all agree it is a fanstastic school ! You have just as much freedom as uni. You have the choice of wearing what you want, calling your teachers by first names, going to classes that you want to go to and skipping those you see irrevalent and leaving the school grounds during your breaks and frees. Mondays and fridays are an automatic finish at 12.30ish, and if you organise your timetable properly you can finish at 12 on a wednesday too. Everyone there is picked on personality so youll find that youll love almost everyone you meet because everyone is really nice and mature.
The teachers are also fantastic, especially if you plan on getting a high atar. They have all been working at the school for 10-18 years ( and i mean all of them ! you dont get newbies/ incompetent teachers/ random substitutes etc) and because they specialise in HSC they have a wealth of knowledge and resources.

And yup you were right, about 850 apply on average and only 400 get in.

Honestly id definetely recommend this school. Ive been to 4 different highschools because of moving a lot and this was teh best ever. The teachers treat you with so much respect, youre on a friend to friend basis. No one ever gets told off. literally. no one needs to, everyone is so mature. I still keep in touch with 2 of my teachers, and theyve even helped me so much with uni in terms of getting experience in the workforce ( its amazing how far connections can get you)

I can go on in on about this schoool lol. two of the best years of my life. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a buzz.

=]

EDIT: reading some of the posts above mine, yes you have to be able to work independently, but that was the best bit about st marys. For example, before trials i took about 1-2 weeks off to do the work on my own because school was going at a slower pace to me, so id often stay home and study and do past papers and just grab the notes off friends and teachers completely understand this and they would mark the papers id do at home. Same with before hsc. If you have assignmnts due youre able to get out of classes to do that. No one forces you to be anywhere, so youre able to manage your time the way you want. And that was really helpful.

PPS: the science faculty sucks, and the humanities literally own, if you pick up humanties just listen to everything your teachers tell you and use their notes and no doubt you will get top marks. Esp for subs like society n culture( dave is awsome)/legal/eco ( mel is awsome)/history/religion etc. and with english, make sure you get a teacher called gurdy, she gives fanstastic resources. and if you can, id avoid the tall man called michael ( trust me on this. )

By the essays, do you mean the personal profile on the application form? What is the second one? And I think my chances are pretty good, most teachers are often happy with my attitude and maturity towards leaning, SMSHS also has the subjects I need in contrast with my current school, and I also have family members who have attended the school as well.

 

[4025808]

its similar to blackwattle bay in a way but with more people and shittier....

there are a few brighter people there, from what my friend told me...

chances are i think you'll be able to make it if you're above average.

 

[hvf26]

lol be grateful... i'm so jealous of selective kids

its not all that its hyped up to be
did you apply for a selective HS for senior school?

Shit school.

lol +1.

 

[omgd.]

By the essays, do you mean the personal profile on the application form? What is the second one? And I think my chances are pretty good, most teachers are often happy with my attitude and maturity towards leaning, SMSHS also has the subjects I need in contrast with my current school, and I also have family members who have attended the school as well.

I dont particularly remember, it was way too long ago. I remember i had to write an essay about why i wanted to go there, and answer some smaller questions i think. Im not sure if they've changed the layout of the form.

And in any case, if all those are going for you, your chances are quite good. =)

 

[riya03]

It is relatively easy to get accepted into st marys senior high. I was accepted last year but declined as i was offered a seat at another school.

A lot of kids from my school applied last year, and I can tell you that they werent that bright. They're not particularly interested in ur grades, they want to see whether you're an independant learner coz thats what the school is about. Also, you need to show that you're involved in a lot of co-curricular activities.

Hope that helps

 

[kr73114]

there are quite a lot of intelligent people, its just with 450 in one grade theres equally just as many unintelligent people

 

[ministoj]

I applied for this school at the end of year 11 as i was unhappy with my school. Unfortunately , they said they had no spots available :/

PPS: the science faculty sucks

Well luckily for me the science teachers at my school are wonderful. Maybe its a good thing i wasn't accepted considering i do Bio,Chem,Phys .

 

[HSdropout:D]

st marys is easy to get into as long as you have good attendance in yr 10

 

[peachiee]

when you enrol, do they only check the yr 10 half yearly report?

 

[OMGITzJustin]

when you enrol, do they only check the yr 10 half yearly report?

Enter school at own risk

 

[Galapagos]

If you're looking for an "independent" school, for "independent" learners, then I suggest that you go to TAFE and not St Mary's High.

I personally know people who went there and for the most part I can say that they are dole bludgers now. I am very much aware that this does not represent all students who go there, but these are the kinds of people who got in. Honestly you can do well at any school, but most people cannot handle St Mary's because it's too lenient, and the students are too immature to handle the new responsibility, and subsequently don't do very well.

There are some good TAFEs out there, and bad ones. I can recommend Bradfield College in North Sydney, Ultimo and St George. Bradfield is probably the best for HSC, but the others are good too. If you don't want to do TAFE/ travel that far, I suggest you go to Penrith High - it has MUCH better standards, and you can be an independent learner there too, but get the support when you need it.

 

[Eg155]

If you're looking for an "independent" school, for "independent" learners, then I suggest that you go to TAFE and not St Mary's High.

I personally know people who went there and for the most part I can say that they are dole bludgers now. I am very much aware that this does not represent all students who go there, but these are the kinds of people who got in. Honestly you can do well at any school, but most people cannot handle St Mary's because it's too lenient, and the students are too immature to handle the new responsibility, and subsequently don't do very well.

There are some good TAFEs out there, and bad ones. I can recommend Bradfield College in North Sydney, Ultimo and St George. Bradfield is probably the best for HSC, but the others are good too. If you don't want to do TAFE/ travel that far, I suggest you go to Penrith High - it has MUCH better standards, and you can be an independent learner there too, but get the support when you need it.

+1.
It's a highly over-rated school tbh. Do not trust the ranking.

 

[Eg155]

Dont listen to lolsmith. if you talk to someone from st marys they they will never tell you that.

Basically for the selection process youre expected to write 2 essays, i remember one was about why you should be selected. It would be wise to say that you want to get in because St marys offers subjects that you want to do, that your school doesnt ( they take this into consideration). I would also recommend that you have really good comments on your reports. They dont particularly care about your results, they will help you with marks, theyre more concerned about whether you will have the right attitude to adapt to such an open and free environment, so you have to show that you are mature and an independent worker ( make sure your report shows these qualities if you can). Also, if you can name people that you know went to the school ( family members preferebly) they give you higher consideration. I would also mention future aspirations in your essay to show your dedication.

Overall, in contrast to what Lolsmith said, id like to say. From everyone ive spoken to at the school, we all agree it is a fanstastic school ! You have just as much freedom as uni. You have the choice of wearing what you want, calling your teachers by first names, going to classes that you want to go to and skipping those you see irrevalent and leaving the school grounds during your breaks and frees. Mondays and fridays are an automatic finish at 12.30ish, and if you organise your timetable properly you can finish at 12 on a wednesday too. Everyone there is picked on personality so youll find that youll love almost everyone you meet because everyone is really nice and mature.
The teachers are also fantastic, especially if you plan on getting a high atar. They have all been working at the school for 10-18 years ( and i mean all of them ! you dont get newbies/ incompetent teachers/ random substitutes etc) and because they specialise in HSC they have a wealth of knowledge and resources.

And yup you were right, about 850 apply on average and only 400 get in.

Honestly id definetely recommend this school. Ive been to 4 different highschools because of moving a lot and this was teh best ever. The teachers treat you with so much respect, youre on a friend to friend basis. No one ever gets told off. literally. no one needs to, everyone is so mature. I still keep in touch with 2 of my teachers, and theyve even helped me so much with uni in terms of getting experience in the workforce ( its amazing how far connections can get you)

I can go on in on about this schoool lol. two of the best years of my life. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a buzz.

=]

EDIT: reading some of the posts above mine, yes you have to be able to work independently, but that was the best bit about st marys. For example, before trials i took about 1-2 weeks off to do the work on my own because school was going at a slower pace to me, so id often stay home and study and do past papers and just grab the notes off friends and teachers completely understand this and they would mark the papers id do at home. Same with before hsc. If you have assignmnts due youre able to get out of classes to do that. No one forces you to be anywhere, so youre able to manage your time the way you want. And that was really helpful.

PPS: the science faculty sucks, and the humanities literally own, if you pick up humanties just listen to everything your teachers tell you and use their notes and no doubt you will get top marks. Esp for subs like society n culture( dave is awsome)/legal/eco ( mel is awsome)/history/religion etc. and with english, make sure you get a teacher called gurdy, she gives fanstastic resources. and if you can, id avoid the tall man called michael ( trust me on this. )

Not to be too much of a pain but having attended there here are my views on what u have said:
1. maturity. lawl. no,
2. no one forces you anywhere- yes because 'study periods' are shopping time and no work ever gets done. There is absolutely no structure to an avg st marys day. I found this extremely irritating because everywhere you turn there's always someone to talk to (bad and good in this)
3. Humanities are OK. Religion is not the best, one modern history teacher is good and that's cause she taught at ruse and she's just awesome. Legal is :L. Ancient i have heard is bad and society is great.
The problem I had the most with was English and since I do 4u it was very risky indeed. The english teachers just don't teach at all. They're not even in the room half the time. You get stung with a booklet of notes and are forced to teach yourself the course without any lecturing from a teacher or any class discussion on texts. Horrible Horrible. I love english but that whole experience made me hate going to any english class absolutely.
I found science to be very good infact. They hold tutorials after school each week for the main sciences -phys and chem. Very helpful.
Stay.away.from.visual.arts if you want a good atar. Have to be blunt here. A major work is like a mini project, it's quite ridiculous really.
On a positive note: MATHS IS FREAKING AMAZING THERE! Even I understood mx1 there! And I am not naturally gifted in this field.
One teacher named Iris is an angel. She is sooo strict with her maths, honestly, and people dislike her because of her strictness but when you get to know here she's the best person and very giving. I struggled with a few too many concepts in the course and she offered up her lunch times and a few hours after school on several days to help me out, no charge. On the mornings of exams she comes in to offer extra help too. Favourite teacher hands down. Such a blessing to have met a woman so passionate about what she teaches and how to teach it properly. Nothing but absolute praise for the maths faculty.


In all, if you can handle a rank social life and balance senior school + freedom with everything and don't care to much about the shamed subs above then it's a good school. I thoroughly enjoyed the experiences I had there and the people I met; being such a multicultural school you open up to a lot of different perspectives on life that I don't think I could have gained anywhere else. You learn tolerance and just grow as a person.

 

[ohexploitable]

lol be grateful... i'm so jealous of selective kids

what the fuck

 

[Eg155]

I was seriously considering going to St Mary's. I had the applications and everything!
if you're more of an independent learner st Mary's is the place for you
but the way they go about being an independent learner i believe won't help as a student and won't really help you for your HSC.
i heard they're really lenient and they don't push you to your limits. it's easy to jig and therefore people don't concentrate and focus on school that much.
also many of my friends who ended up going to that school changed. i found that in the past they were really smart and dedicated to school work but for some reason their grades are dropping.
i actually know someone who got accepted to St Mary's went to that school for about a term and a half but moved because he wasn't doing well. He actually moved to loyola senior high school and did so much better.

but when it comes to applying i heard way too much people apply. out of everyone who got applied in my school only half get accepted. the wierd thing is that some of the smartest people in our school didn't get accepted.

it's not like i'm dissing st mary's or anything, but if you're dedicated, you promise to focus in school and not get distracted you can do well but if you aren't the above i don't think st mary's is the right place to go.

some advice to help you get accedpted:
In your application form prove that you are dedicated to your study

^my grades didn't drop, in fact they rose (the tests are so easy, it's rather shameful and annoying- e.g the standards of your typical HSC chem exam are 1/4 in length and content). Easy marks if you do it to an average standard at times. But I still left anyway because my brain was turning to mush and couldn't concentrate with all the distractions, felt there was more rigour in my previous school. 3 people from my school who went there moved back to their previous school also.
IMHO a lot people are only there for the freedom and social life and not the academics. It's like 10% smart people really, most are average.
And I don't think they would refuse a smart person... ever. It elevates their image.

from my school tons were thinking about changing and about 6 could be bothered to put in their application. One of them was smart-ish (not a genius though) but really hard working and he went there and went well, however i think that had more to do with the him than the school. But it really isnt selective, cos i know way more people who are a, for lack of a better word, dumbass. and they go there because apparently you address teachers by their first name and a relaxed uniform policy.(compared to your typical catholic or private school)

Not wearing a uniform is a novelty that wears out quickly.

 

[Ryan_T90]

old thread is old

 

[Galapagos]

old thread is old

Pointless post is pointless.