Private A'levels, is it worth it?

[Happily Insane]

If Pakistan is ur first priority, dont even think of doing a levels. ull have to go through a hell lot of trouble later on! and i mean it, im sorry if it sounds horrible. But for pakistani unis, 50% of ur aggregate is of the entry test, which is impossible if you havnt done FSC! ull have to read, infact lick fsc books after ur done with ur a levels. I say, give SATs and do FSC

Thank you for the advice. Pakistan is not my first priority, Australia is.
Also, I know about the entry tests that consist of F.Sc syllabus but honestly, if you're dedicated, nothing will stop you from getting the admission.

 

[Happily Insane]

have you considered scholarship?
if a guy like you is motivated enough the results should be sufficient to get a 100% in some college
dont know about karachi but in lahore there are a lot of them
how many As do you expect?
as for private study look at the past papers and books and ask yourself if you can do it
fsc is quite simple but for a person from olevels it can be excruciating, how good is your rata?
from what i know a level has better outlook than fsc because it is quite clear how transparent the exams and examiners are
i think you will get a full scholarship after your result somewhere inshallah, try not to miss the oppurtunity

I need 100% scholarship. I'm expecting 7 A's so I'll get 75% scholarship.
Karachi has loads of schools too but most of them provide 100% scholarship at 8 A's.
I can do Maths, I love that subject. I might face difficulties in sciences, especially practicals.
It's okay. Not very good.
Yes, but hard work in any case is never left unrewarded.
Insha ALLAH.

 

[Happily Insane]

my cousins tell me their experience of fsc and they are like...my phy was good because in practical the examiner was a "friend" .... chm because the mcqs were teleied .... but in urdu the examiner was of opponent school so he was strict
meaning that fairness and impartiality is something we give to our enemies

Well, the system may not be fair but I don't believe in cheating or taking advantage of it. You just work hard and give a damn good paper. A hard worked 70% is better than a cheated 80% in my opinion.

 

[Happily Insane]

If you want to study in US then try to do as much Eca as possible. Participate in national and international academic competitions and try to win them. Try to do internship or take part in local youth campaigns. However, the most important thing is the Sat scores. Get above 2200 in both sat 1 and sat 2 and try to build an excellent eca profile. Then Insha allah you can get into a top US university with full scholarship. For US, I think A levels would be a better choice than the Pakistan board. I don't know anything about Pak, so can't say anythin about that.

Could you give me some good examples of international competitions that I can take part in? I would love to!
Also, other than volunteer work for charities, what other forms of extra curricular activities are there?
Insha ALLAH.

 

[MONJUR HASAN NISHAD]

Could you give me some good examples of international competitions that I can take part in? I would love to!
Also, other than volunteer work for charities, what other forms of extra curricular activities are there?
Insha ALLAH.

I am Bengali. In my country we have National and divisional physics, biology, chemistry, informatics, earth science and astronomy olympiads. The winners of the National olympiads are allowed to represent Bangladesh in International olympiads. I guess such olympiads also exists in Pakistan. So do participate in them and win them (at least in primary rounds). In Bangladesh, British council arranges essay competitions which are also useful if you can get an award. As for other type of Ecs, I am learning French and recently I took part in an International medical mission. Always keep an eye on newspapers and the internet to find out the competitions and Ec opportunities in your city. That's how I do it.

 

[Happily Insane]

I am Bengali. In my country we have National and divisional physics, biology, chemistry, informatics, earth science and astronomy olympiads. The winners of the National olympiads are allowed to represent Bangladesh in International olympiads. I guess such olympiads also exists in Pakistan. So do participate in them and win them (at least in primary rounds). In Bangladesh, British council arranges essay competitions which are also useful if you can get an award. As for other type of Ecs, I am learning French and recently I took part in an International medical mission. Always keep an eye on newspapers and the internet to find out the competitions and Ec opportunities in your city. That's how I do it.

Okay. I don't know about Olympiads in Pakistan but I know about the International Olympiads. I'll do some research on this.
Nibz - Do you know any Olympiads or such academic competitions in Pakistan?
Thank you for your time and help, Monjur.

 

[Nibz]

Okay. I don't know about Olympiads in Pakistan but I know about the International Olympiads. I'll do some research on this.
Nibz - Do you know any Olympiads or such academic competitions in Pakistan?
Thank you for your time and help, Monjur.

Yes. All good private schools have an Olympiad every year. Just google 'school-name Olympiad' and you will get many search-results. For example, search Roots Olympiad or Beaconhouse Olympiad. Go to their website. Contact the head and ask him/her whether you can participate in it or not.

Furthermore, you can participate in MUNs, too. Again, every good institution has this annually. GIMUN (Giki MUN), LUMUN (LUMS), RMUN (Roots) etc.

 

[Happily Insane]

Yes. All good private schools have an Olympiad every year. Just google 'school-name Olympiad' and you will get many search-results. For example, search Roots Olympiad or Beaconhouse Olympiad. Go to their website. Contact the head and ask him/her whether you can participate in it or not.

Furthermore, you can participate in MUNs, too. Again, every good institution has this annually. GIMUN (Giki MUN), LUMUN (LUMS), RMUN (Roots) etc.

Yeah, I know about MUNs, I participated in one this year (MUNIK).

Thank you for the help.

 

[Nibz]

Yeah, I know about MUNs, I participated in one this year (MUNIK).

Thank you for the help.

Feel free to ask for any help in future. I will be more than glad to help.

 

[Happily Insane]

Feel free to ask for any help in future. I will be more than glad to help.

Sure. Thank you.
I'll just look up some Olympiads and their dates on google right now.

 

[Nabeel.Ahmad]

Private A-Level is better than F.Sc, i guess.

 

[Happily Insane]

Private A-Level is better than F.Sc, i guess.

Why does everyone hate F.Sc so much?

 

[Nabeel.Ahmad]

Why does everyone hate F.Sc so much?

Because it has no value, outside Pakistan.

 

[Happily Insane]

Because it has no value, outside Pakistan.

Right.

 

[Nabeel.Ahmad]

Right.

Yes.

 

[AbbbbY]

Could you give me some good examples of international competitions that I can take part in? I would love to!
Also, other than volunteer work for charities, what other forms of extra curricular activities are there?
Insha ALLAH.

Before going international, I'll suggest trying yourself at intra and intercity Olympiads, MUNs, debates, and other shit.
Being a Lahori, I've a few in mind. -> LUMS Olympiad (Somewhere in 2014. Q1 2014, late.)
-> LUMS Psi-Fi (Again, first half of 2014)
-> ACSEC (Aitchison) - September 2013 [Science, Engineering and Environmental convention. I'll suggest forming a team, and if feasible, going here 'to win', not for 'birdwatching', which a lot of people, sadly, do.] I'll recommend, if travelling b/w cities is possible, this event bec 1- it is primarily a school level event 2- it is internationally recognized (Intl. teams have registered according to their fb page) Plus, they'll (Aitchison will) provide you accommodation on campus so it's an easy to go to event.
-> Parakrations (LGS Paragon, Lahore). This years version was mismanaged, although I expect it to improve next year, that is, if they are still doing it.
-> GiKi - Tough event. Accommodation on campus but very tough to win since it's not school level, rather school + uni level.

I'm sure there will be a handful in Karachi as well. These things are worth it if oyu're planning to go out of Pakistan.

If you're into MUNs, and if I were you, choices would be:

-> LUMUN (LUMS). Biggest MUN of Pakistan IIRC [Expected delegates 800+]
-> ACMUN (Aitchison). One of the biggest MUNs of Pakistan. This years division is particularly highly recognized because Aitchisonians won at BerkeleyMUN (the biggest MUN in the world) + HarvardMUN + AIMUN + a few are a chairs at HarvardMUN 14'.). This means, more international teams and thus more international recognition. (Since more uni's tend to know about it this way) [Expected delegates; 600 local, 150 intl]

Of course, winning here would be very tough, but hey, it's worth the shot!
For intl MUNs, a good site to find info would be bestdelegate.com
For international competitions, you could look into article writing, math etc. There's one I really wanted to do but couldn't to due a lack of time. http://www.sees.ncc.metu.edu.tr/icpc/icpc_announce.php I dunno if they'll do it again next year, but hey! It's worth looking into!

Other shit that shines on your CV (off the top of my head. Will update later as I remember);

-> Working with NGOs (and getting recognition for it)
-> INTERNSHIPS! Multi-nats are gold, but very tough to get into. DOn't expect to get paid internships at this stage of life though.
-> Teaching kids in remote schools etc.
-> Knowing mulitple languages (i'll suggest using this summer to learn basic French (or German. Very useful language). Both fairly easy to get used to. Then, build upon it over the next two years. Give an internationally recognized exam or two for them (the languages). I cannot stress enough as to how useful (having a second and a third language [Urdu doesn't count] is.
-> Debates, MUNs, Science conventions, Olympiads
-> Dramatics (school level, or even inter-school level.). Easiest exposure to it is your school play, that is, if your school has them
-> Does your school have magazines? If so, getting into the editorial team bolsters your CV. Shows to the uni that you were among the top students who not only could manage extra stuff alongside studies, but also were good enough in English/other editing skills to be added up there.
-> School level/city level sports. Are you good at anything?

EDIT:

Since you're going to pursue Software/Programming (unless I've forgotten what you said in the PM), you might want to look into SOFTEC [NUST, Lahore]
I went there in the g3nx gaming event. Our team came third, and I cannot stress upon how tough the event was. The best of Pak were there.
If you're any good in any of their categories, (there are a handful. 7-8 cats IIRC. From Gaming to programming to robots to ideas (this is primarily for the non-uni participants). Look into it. Maybe you feel you're skilled enough to at least participate in something. Who knows.

 

[Nabeel.Ahmad]

Before going international, I'll suggest trying yourself at intra and intercity Olympiads, MUNs, debates, and other shit.
Being a Lahori, I've a few in mind. -> LUMS Olympiad (Somewhere in 2014. Q1 2014, late.)
-> LUMS Psi-Fi (Again, first half of 2014)
-> ACSEC (Aitchison) - September 2013 [Science, Engineering and Environmental convention. I'll suggest forming a team, and if feasible, going here 'to win', not for 'birdwatching', which a lot of people, sadly, do.] I'll recommend, if travelling b/w cities is possible, this event bec 1- it is primarily a school level event 2- it is internationally recognized (Intl. teams have registered according to their fb page) Plus, they'll (Aitchison will) provide you accommodation on campus so it's an easy to go to event.
-> Parakrations (LGS Paragon, Lahore). This years version was mismanaged, although I expect it to improve next year, that is, if they are still doing it.
-> GiKi - Tough event. Accommodation on campus but very tough to win since it's not school level, rather school + uni level.

I'm sure there will be a handful in Karachi as well. These things are worth it if oyu're planning to go out of Pakistan.

If you're into MUNs, and if I were you, choices would be:

-> LUMUN (LUMS). Biggest MUN of Pakistan IIRC [Expected delegates 800+]
-> ACMUN (Aitchison). One of the biggest MUNs of Pakistan. This years division is particularly highly recognized because Aitchisonians won at BerkeleyMUN (the biggest MUN in the world) + HarvardMUN + AIMUN + a few are a chairs at HarvardMUN 14'.). This means, more international teams and thus more international recognition. (Since more uni's tend to know about it this way) [Expected delegates; 600 local, 150 intl]

Of course, winning here would be very tough, but hey, it's worth the shot!
For intl MUNs, a good site to find info would be bestdelegate.com
For international competitions, you could look into article writing, math etc. There's one I really wanted to do but couldn't to due a lack of time. http://www.sees.ncc.metu.edu.tr/icpc/icpc_announce.php I dunno if they'll do it again next year, but hey! It's worth looking into!

Other shit that shines on your CV (off the top of my head. Will update later as I remember);

-> Working with NGOs (and getting recognition for it)
-> INTERNSHIPS! Multi-nats are gold, but very tough to get into. DOn't expect to get paid internships at this stage of life though.
-> Teaching kids in remote schools etc.
-> Knowing mulitple languages (i'll suggest using this summer to learn basic French (or German. Very useful language). Both fairly easy to get used to. Then, build upon it over the next two years. Give an internationally recognized exam or two for them (the languages). I cannot stress enough as to how useful (having a second and a third language [Urdu doesn't count] is.
-> Debates, MUNs, Science conventions, Olympiads
-> Dramatics (school level, or even inter-school level.). Easiest exposure to it is your school play, that is, if your school has them
-> Does your school have magazines? If so, getting into the editorial team bolsters your CV. Shows to the uni that you were among the top students who not only could manage extra stuff alongside studies, but also were good enough in English/other editing skills to be added up there.
-> School level/city level sports. Are you good at anything?

EDIT:

Since you're going to pursue Software/Programming (unless I've forgotten what you said in the PM), you might want to look into SOFTEC [NUST, Lahore]
I went there in the g3nx gaming event. Our team came third, and I cannot stress upon how tough the event was. The best of Pak were there.
If you're any good in any of their categories, (there are a handful. 7-8 cats IIRC. From Gaming to programming to robots to ideas (this is primarily for the non-uni participants). Look into it. Maybe you feel you're skilled enough to at least participate in something. Who knows.

Wow! Great article.

 

[Happily Insane]

Before going international, I'll suggest trying yourself at intra and intercity Olympiads, MUNs, debates, and other shit.
Being a Lahori, I've a few in mind. -> LUMS Olympiad (Somewhere in 2014. Q1 2014, late.)
-> LUMS Psi-Fi (Again, first half of 2014)
-> ACSEC (Aitchison) - September 2013 [Science, Engineering and Environmental convention. I'll suggest forming a team, and if feasible, going here 'to win', not for 'birdwatching', which a lot of people, sadly, do.] I'll recommend, if travelling b/w cities is possible, this event bec 1- it is primarily a school level event 2- it is internationally recognized (Intl. teams have registered according to their fb page) Plus, they'll (Aitchison will) provide you accommodation on campus so it's an easy to go to event.
-> Parakrations (LGS Paragon, Lahore). This years version was mismanaged, although I expect it to improve next year, that is, if they are still doing it.
-> GiKi - Tough event. Accommodation on campus but very tough to win since it's not school level, rather school + uni level.

I'm sure there will be a handful in Karachi as well. These things are worth it if oyu're planning to go out of Pakistan.

If you're into MUNs, and if I were you, choices would be:

-> LUMUN (LUMS). Biggest MUN of Pakistan IIRC [Expected delegates 800+]
-> ACMUN (Aitchison). One of the biggest MUNs of Pakistan. This years division is particularly highly recognized because Aitchisonians won at BerkeleyMUN (the biggest MUN in the world) + HarvardMUN + AIMUN + a few are a chairs at HarvardMUN 14'.). This means, more international teams and thus more international recognition. (Since more uni's tend to know about it this way) [Expected delegates; 600 local, 150 intl]

Of course, winning here would be very tough, but hey, it's worth the shot!
For intl MUNs, a good site to find info would be bestdelegate.com
For international competitions, you could look into article writing, math etc. There's one I really wanted to do but couldn't to due a lack of time. http://www.sees.ncc.metu.edu.tr/icpc/icpc_announce.php I dunno if they'll do it again next year, but hey! It's worth looking into!

Other shit that shines on your CV (off the top of my head. Will update later as I remember);

-> Working with NGOs (and getting recognition for it)
-> INTERNSHIPS! Multi-nats are gold, but very tough to get into. DOn't expect to get paid internships at this stage of life though.
-> Teaching kids in remote schools etc.
-> Knowing mulitple languages (i'll suggest using this summer to learn basic French (or German. Very useful language). Both fairly easy to get used to. Then, build upon it over the next two years. Give an internationally recognized exam or two for them (the languages). I cannot stress enough as to how useful (having a second and a third language [Urdu doesn't count] is.
-> Debates, MUNs, Science conventions, Olympiads
-> Dramatics (school level, or even inter-school level.). Easiest exposure to it is your school play, that is, if your school has them
-> Does your school have magazines? If so, getting into the editorial team bolsters your CV. Shows to the uni that you were among the top students who not only could manage extra stuff alongside studies, but also were good enough in English/other editing skills to be added up there.
-> School level/city level sports. Are you good at anything?

You always manage to outdo yourself, don't you?

These are all for Lahore; sadly, I won't be able to participate in them. In Karachi, most of them (that I've searched up till now) are by A'level schools, I haven't seen any one yet by a university.

I'm not much interested in MUNs but I'll give one more shot at them; also, isn't MUNIK the largest in Pakistan? Anyways, irrelevant of that, ACMUN seems interesting, I might give it a shot.

Winning in any of the MUNs is tough.
Okay. Thank you for the link, I'll look into it.

-NGOs - Yeah, looking forward to doing that.
-Internships - Any ideas, where? how?
-That's part of NGOs.
-Sadly, that's the thing I hate most; languages, I might give French a try but that's highly unlikely because my interest lies with subjects like Chemistry and Maths, languages are my least priority any time of the day. ._.
-Played a role once, when I was 10, never again.
-My school did have an editorial board but in school, I was more interested in studies then anything else, I did participate in the magazines but the editorial board was a job that demanded too much time (very few members).
-Sports - Anything, anytime. I just want a team to play with!

Thank you for your time, again.

 

[AbbbbY]

Thank you for your time, again.

Have I not made myself clear enough on this?

These are all for Lahore

Like I said, I'm a Lahori so I'm brushed up with local events only (at large).

In Karachi, most of them (that I've searched up till now) are by A'level schools, I haven't seen any one yet by a university.

A Level schools is even better. It may not have the international recognition at large, but participating in big, uni events and not winning/getting recognition will do you as much good as sitting home. At least you have a higher %age probability of winning, (same age bracket so similar mental compatibility) and the win is what counts! They just need to see that oyu have it in you to compete, and are among the best in your age bracket..

I'm not much interested in MUNs but I'll give one more shot at them; also, isn't MUNIK the largest in Pakistan? Anyways, irrelevant of that, ACMUN seems interesting, I might give it a shot.

Winning in any of the MUNs is tough.

If you don't have an interest for MUNs, don't get into it.
Although, today, I have regrets for not participating. I know I could've won, and a lot in this avenue. Shyed out not starting with my batchmates (5 years ago) and never got the courage to mix in. Even if I'd have started this year, at least I could've participated + gotten experience if not at international level then surely at regional level! [Some day. Some day indeed. Maybe at uni. Who knows]

Then again, you've already tried them out. Do you think you have it in you to excel? A friend of mine started in his first year of A Levels and had 7BDs, 3HM, 1OD by the end of his A Levels. You never know. Bear in mind, this is the LAST school/college year you'll get for these things.

-Internships - Any ideas, where? how?

I'll talk to you about this on PMs whenever you're free. Why? Well, pretty much the same reasons as the result thing.

-That's part of NGOs.

It is, and it isn't. You could look for NGOs that teach and you could look for rural/remote schools that require teachers. Both will do. The former is harder to find, in my experience, unless you're looking at an established NGO with their own schools (eg. CARE)

-Sadly, that's the thing I hate most; languages, I might give French a try but that's highly unlikely because my interest lies with subjects like Chemistry and Maths, languages are my least priority any time of the day. ._.

Nobody said doing everything up there was necessary.
__
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/
You're welcome.

-Played a role once, when I was 10, never again.

Yeah. Forgot to mention, things like 'Best toddler handwriting' 'best haircut 1998' 'best behavior' and such don't count.
You might want to give it a shot. Can't be so sure of your hidden talents without trying them (at a polished level). I tried, I failed miserably. Well, at least I tried. Won't have the 'maybe I could've acted' guilt.

-Sports - Anything, anytime. I just want a team to play with!

The question is, does the team want YOU to play for them?
__
You could always try out for your institutions team and see if you make it.

 

[Happily Insane]

Have I not made myself clear enough on this?

Old habits die hard.

Like I said, I'm a Lahori so I'm brushed up with local events only (at large).

A Level schools is even better. It may not have the international recognition at large, but participating in big, uni events and not winning/getting recognition will do you as much good as sitting home. At least you have a higher %age probability of winning, (same age bracket so similar mental compatibility) and the win is what counts! They just need to see that oyu have it in you to compete, and are among the best in your age bracket..

Yeah, higher chances of winning, lesser chances of recognition.

If you don't have an interest for MUNs, don't get into it.
Although, today, I have regrets for not participating. I know I could've won, and a lot in this avenue. Shyed out not starting with my batchmates (5 years ago) and never got the courage to mix in. Even if I'd have started this year, at least I could've participated + gotten experience if not at international level then surely at regional level! [Some day. Some day indeed. Maybe at uni. Who knows]

Lots of university students participate in MUNs, I saw a lot of them in MUNIK. It's never too late.
They're good fun and very useful, but, for a person who has never debated at such high levels, it's very hard to win too.

Then again, you've already tried them out. Do you think you have it in you to excel? A friend of mine started in his first year of A Levels and had 7BDs, 3HM, 1OD by the end of his A Levels. You never know. Bear in mind, this is the LAST school/college year you'll get for these things.

7 Best Delegates? I'd be ecstatic if I got 1.

I'll talk to you about this on PMs whenever you're free. Why? Well, pretty much the same reasons as the result thing.

Yeah, sure.

It is, and it isn't. You could look for NGOs that teach and you could look for rural/remote schools that require teachers. Both will do. The former is harder to find, in my experience, unless you're looking at an established NGO with their own schools (eg. CARE)

I think working with NGOs would suffice.

Nobody said doing everything up there was necessary.
__
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/
You're welcome.

But what is being said is true too. A second language really influences your CV. I might try (very bleak chances though).
I know about this website.

Yeah. Forgot to mention, things like 'Best toddler handwriting' 'best haircut 1998' 'best behavior' and such don't count.
You might want to give it a shot. Can't be so sure of your hidden talents without trying them (at a polished level). I tried, I failed miserably. Well, at least I tried. Won't have the 'maybe I could've acted' guilt.

I know. -_- But acting is not my thing, dramas and performing, believe me, I'm too afraid of embarrassing myself up there.

The question is, does the team want YOU to play for them?
__
You could always try out for your institutions team and see if you make it.

Oh, don't worry about that, if I find a team to play with, I'll get into the team, in cricket at least. Insha ALLAH.
Currently, I have no institution.