Pisay Enrollment

After signing the confirmation during the orientation, wait for the email from the Registrar's Office regarding your enrollment schedule. 

Scheduling of enrollment is done in alphabetical order so I was included in the first batch. 
I was scheduled on June 3, 8:30 AM.

But even before the said enrollment date, I have to prepare tons of paperwork contained in the enrollment kit given to us during the orientation.  It took me more than a week to compile and comply all the listed requirements.

Some of the requirements include:

1. Dental Health Record
2. Health History, Physical Exam, Laboratory results (chest x-ray, cbc, blood typing, urinalysis, fecalysis, HBSAg, anti-HBS
3. Form 137 in a sealed envelope
4. Original Birth Certificate
5. 1 x 1 id (better to prepare around 10)
6. Scholarship Agreement (with Doc Stamp)
7. Scholar's Pledge

There are additional requirements if you are applying for additional living allowance on top of the P500 like ITR of your parents, pictures of your house, etc.  

I arrived at the Philippine Science High School Main Campus around 8 am and I was to finish everything around 1 pm.  Overall, it was smooth, except for some minor hitches.  

Some tips during the enrollment:

1. Make a copy of all the blank forms in the enrollment kit before filling it up just to be safe.
2. Remember to submit the Scholarship Agreement on or before end of February. 
3. COMPLETE all the requirements listed on the checklist.  You won't be able to process your enrollment with incomplete requirements.  
4. Organize your files.  You'll be carrying loads of paper.  I suggest you put it in a clear folder, with each leaf for each department.
5. Bring water, light snacks, and a fan.  
6. make sure to buy a Documentary Stamp before hand.  You will need this for your Scholarship Agreement.  

After the enrollment, there will be another Orientation sometime in late July, just before the school opening in August.  

Application for Philippine Science National Competitive Exam is now Open for SY 2020-21

Philippine Science High School National Competitive Exam application is now open.  This is early as usual because PSHS usually opens its application around June or July.

Deadline of submission is on September 13, 2019 and the exam date is scheduled on October 19, 2019. 

Here are some other details from the PSHS website:

Eligibility

• Filipino Citizen with no pending or approved immigration application;
• born on or after August 1, 2005;
• a Grade 6 student for SY 2019-20;
• Final Grade of at least 85% in Math and Science in the Grade 5 OR must belong to the upper 10% of the batch;
• Satisfactory Character Rating;
• have not taken the PSHS NCE before;
• in good health.

Requirements

1. TWO (2) copies of completed Application Form; 

2. TWO (2) copies of 1x1 ID picture; 

3. Certified True Copy of the Report Card for SY 2018 - 19;

4. certification that the applicant belongs to the upper 10% of the batch IF the final grade(s) in Math or Science fall(s) below 85. 

5. Non-refundable test fee of P100 for private school students (FREE for public school students).

Once completed, kindly submit the requirements to your School Principal and your school will be the one to submit all the applications from your school to Philippine Science High School.  

Good Luck!!!

Application for Philippine Science High School Lateral Transfer is Now Open

Incoming Grades 8 and 9 students intending to study at  Philippine Science High School may try their luck (again) by applying for Lateral Admission.

The student must be

1. a Filipino citizen with no pending plans to migrate elsewhere;
2. belongs to the upper 5% of his/her class OR should have a grade of at least 85% in all subjects;
3. should have a Very Satisfactory character rating
4. must pass the entrance exam consisting of Math, Science, and English subjects (no more Abstract Reasoning part unlike in the NCE). 

Deadline of submission of application is on April 15, 2019 and the exam date is on May 3, 2019.

Visit the Philippine Science High School website to download the application form.

Good Luck!!!

Pisay Main Campus Principal and Alternate Qualifiers

After the Philippine Science National Competitive Exam, all the test takers are ranked from highest to lowest based on their total score.

The average score of each subject (Math, Science, English, and Abstract) and the average total score of all the test takers define the national average scores.

The top 240 students whose scores in each subject are above or equal to the respective national averages shall be considered as PRINCIPAL QUALIFIERS for the Main Campus.

In case of ties in the total score for the 240th spot, the subject scores shall be considered in the following order: Math, Science, Abstract, and English.

Philippine Science Main Campus usually gives these 240 lucky students until Jan 31 of the following year to decide and confirm their enrollment.  Of course, not all of the 240 principal qualifiers will take their spot at the Main Campus because some of them will opt to enroll in their chosen regional campuses or not enroll at all.   So some of the 240 slots will be free up.

The freed up spots will then be allocated to the ALTERNATE QUALIFIERS.

Usually, Philippine Science Main Campus will contact these alternate qualifiers starting mid-Feb all the way thru end of July.

To be considered an alternate qualifier, the total score of the student must be equal or higher than the national average total score and his/her respective scores in Math and Science must be above the national average and his/her scores in English and Abstract must be at least 90% of the national average.
All the eligible alternate qualifiers who have chosen the Main Campus in their application will be ranked from highest to lowest.  The number of available slots available to the alternate qualifiers will depend on the number of slots vacated by the principal qualifiers.

Again, in case of ties, the subject scores shall be considered in the same order: Math, Science, Abstract, and English. 

So, if you didn't see your name at the initial list of Pisay Qualifiers, don't be disheartened.   You still have a chance to be offered a slot in the coming months, provided you meet the above criteria.

Orientation for Incoming Grade 7: Get To Know Pisay 2019

Philippine Science Main Campus held an Orientation Program entitled "Get to Know Pisay 2019" yesterday, Jan 12, 2019.  It is for Prospective Grade 7 Students and Parents.  Aside from the usual "getting to know" your school, I think the program was also designed to entice parents and students who are having second thoughts whether to enroll at Pisay Main to finally make the jump.  Some students that I've spoken to were still undecided before the Orientation due to distance or other personal reasons, but was convinced and finally signed the confirmation right after the program.  

Some key take-aways:

• Privileges of Scholars
• Free Tuition
• Monthly Stipend of P500 for 10 months, regardless of economic standing.  Additional living monthly allowance of P2,000 - 3,500 but subject to approval.  
• Free LOAN of books (must be returned in good condition at the end of the AY).
• Responsibilities of Scholars
• Academic Performance - min 2.25 GWA and no 5.0 grade in any subject in any quarter
• Good Conduct
• Completion of Secondary Education
• Must take up STEM courses in College
• Parent's Testimonial
• If you are grade or rank conscious, Pisay is not for you.
• Most students are so used to success during their elementary days that they can't grasp the concept of failure.
• Parents support each other.  There is no competition. 

How I Prepared for the Philippine Science High School NCE

Last October 20, 2018, 32 651 bright students took the Philippine Science High School National Competitive Exam (PSHSS NCE) and only 1,470 students (4.5%) passed and only the top 240 (Top 0.7%) were qualified  to enroll at the Main Campus.

Luckily, I was one of the lucky ones who got admitted at Main Campus.

All throughout my grade school days (and probably kinder too), I was preparing for this tough exam.  Good thing my parents had that foresight.

My parents made sure that I have a solid foundation in Math, Science and English early on. They bought a lot of books in these subjects, enrolled me in enrichment classes in math & reading.

Most importantly, they also made me join math training organizations like MTG and AMSLI.  This ensured that my Math competency is way advanced than most.  They were also very supportive in sending me for local and international math competitions.  This developed not only my math competency but my test taking skills as well.

I was a bit confident on the Math part already, so 1 year before the Pisay NCE, I started to focus on High School Science subjects such Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.  I must admit I didn't fully grasp all the concepts but it still added something in my Science knowledge.  I also joined Vanda International Science Competition thru AMSLI, and luckily I got a Silver Award.

Three months before the NCE, I shifted my focus on Verbal Ability.  For this, I used mostly SAT books, which is actually for incoming college.  It was very challenging for me, especially the vocabulary and the reading part, but I reckon if I find this difficult, hopefully I will find the English part of the NCE easy.

Last week before the exam was spent preparing mostly for the Abstract Reasoning.

I will sharing more tips on how to increase your chances in passing the Philippine Science High School NCE in my next blog.

Pisay Confirmation / Pre-enrollment

It was a family affair when we went down to Pisay Main last December 21, 2018 to sign the acceptance and confirmation letter. Even my lolo, who rarely goes with us 'coz he's such a homebody, tagged along to witness it. 

Yehey, I'm now officially pre-enrolled.

I'm super excited for the orientation "Get to Know Pisay" this coming January 12, 2019.

Will be posting in my next blog about that.