ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => Topic started by: rashimujoo79 on August 12, 2019, 02:04:30 pm

Title: Nossal High : Good or very good?
Post by: rashimujoo79 on August 12, 2019, 02:04:30 pm
Hi Members,

I am wanting to hear reviews on Nossal High School. I have recently made to the principal's discretionary offer shortlist.  Would like to know about your experience in the school and the level of competition among students, resources available etc?

Thanks
Rashi
Title: Re: Nossal High : Good or very good?
Post by: DrDusk on August 12, 2019, 05:35:31 pm
Hi Members,

I am wanting to hear reviews on Nossal High School. I have recently made to the principal's discretionary offer shortlist.  Would like to know about your experience in the school and the level of competition among students, resources available etc?

Thanks
Rashi

Looking at it's rank it seems to be quite a good school that has a ranking in the top 20. Top 20 schools usually tend to have quite a lot of competition, make sure your ready for it.
Title: Re: Nossal High : Good or very good?
Post by: whys on August 13, 2019, 09:32:39 pm
A selective school such as Nossal offers the opportunity for you to excel at your academics, whilst providing enough options for extra-curriculars such as sport and music. However, it is far from the best school if you want to pursue a career in the fine arts. Less resources in this field. The learning environment is very independent. You have access to microwaves, fridges, boiling water (hooray for making noodles at school!), there are no bells to remind you when lunchtime ends, you can stay inside during lunch/recess etc. (They like to advertise themselves as having an adult learning environment, which is more or less true!)

I was the smartest kid at my old school and when I moved to a selective school I was very surprised to find there were people better than me. Many will find themselves in the bottom 50% of the cohort in terms of scores, not because they aren't 'smart', but because everyone else is smarter. This isn't the case for everyone though, I'm only giving an example, and it's very possible to greatly improve, as most do. This 'issue' is inevitable no matter what selective school you go to. Accept it, take it as a challenge and move on. It's good to be surrounded by a competitive cohort, because it will motivate you. It can be daunting, but it's a mostly positive change.

Something you might have to get used to (depending on the teacher) is self-learning. 'It doesn't matter if we go to a selective school or not, we are not crazy geniuses. We are children who should be taught the course by teachers. We should not be expected to go self-learn a chapter of bio, or a chapter of maths.' [quote by me when I was ranting to my friends.] It is a teacher's job to teach and a student's to learn. But this issue isn't up for debate here. I'd just like to say that you might want to take this into consideration, however it is very minimal. I say 'chapter', but I really mean powerpoint. And this happens like, not as often as you think. It can just get a little frustrating when your teacher is away and the school doesn't hire a sub to teach you and you're expected to learn the content. Most people are competent enough to learn the content anyway, it's just that I think it should be the teacher's job. I say this, but I personally don't mind self-learning once in a while as it can be refreshing, and if you ask, the teacher won't mind going through the whole topic with you. Many people blow this problem out of proportion imo. I acknowledge it exists, but it's not too much of a big deal.

The community and atmosphere are great. Nothing else to say about that here.
As per resources, don't worry, they got that covered. I'm assuming you mean practice sacs/exams, powerpoints, etc. They're pretty good, and have the stuff every school has, like a library, lecture theatre and canteen. You might be surprised at how tiny the school is, but it fits everyone so I guess that's fine.

My overall rating: 8-9/10

^This is my opinion, there will be opinions that contradict mine. What is most important is you take what kind of school you would want to go to and see if Nossal fits that category.