FEEDBACK ICA Greenhills

[poshgurl]

Hi all!
Would really appreciate your feedbacks regarding ICA.
My husband and I were planning to enrol our daughter next year for Kinder level in ICA.
But according to my mom-in-law, "pangit" na daw sabi ng mga amigas nya.
I asked her what does "pangit na sa ICA" means, she said basta yun daw sabi ng mga amigas nya na may apo dun nag aral. I just want to hear some feedbacks if any one of you experience anything bad sa ICA. Now our options tuloy is Jubilee or Poveda. But of course gusto ko muna makarinig ng feedback re ICA. I hope meron dito ICAN parents that can share their experiences.
Thank you in advance,

[cldy_1981]

poshgurl not sure how relevant my input will be since I graduated quite a long time ago from ICA but here are somethings that I have observed based on my experiences as well as feedback from batch mates/friends who have sent their girls to ICA.

- The quality of education is not something to scoff at, even my classmates who did not do well in HS ended up having a really easy time in college. While I saw my block mates struggle with lessons/assignments/research papers and thesis it was a piece of cake for me, very little effort because of the training I've had from ICA.

- Most of my batch mates come from good family backgrounds, a lot are wealthy and I see that as a positive thing because just like Xavier, you get connections for future business opportunities and the like with the network you build in ICA.

As an example (and I hope I don't offend anyone) but ICANS end up as successful businesswomen or corporate figures, well known figures in academe or the broadcasting world (Lisa Gokongwei, Julie Yap Daza, Quenna Lee, Tessie Sy-Coson & the last Med Top Notcher from UP was ICAN too) as compared to:
a.)  POVEDANS (at least from my batch) who end up as beauty magazine editors/fashion editors
b.)  Assumption Grads - mostly end up married to successful men but not necessarily successful on their own (again just my own opinion)

While the merits of the grads from the aforementioned schools are not something to scoff at because I know they are also quite successful in their own right - I personally would want my daughter to be a successful business woman rather than a fashion editor.

- Less lesbians as compared to St. Paul or Holy Spirit (well there are still some but in our batch of 250 there were only 2 so thats about .008%

I don;t know why your MIL's amigas had that type of feedback but I guess it might be good to get more concrete examples as to why "pangit" any ICA... Because truth be told if I had a daughter I would still send her to ICA over other exclusive girls schools because in my eyes ICA is still the best in terms of the points I gave above .

[poshgurl]

hi sis cldy_1981. Thank you very much for sharing your experience.
really appreciate it. Actually we submitted our daughter's requirements last week.
They first asked me if I have another child enrolled there or any relatives,
i told them I have a niece enrolled there but already migrated to AU.
Then the girl from the registrar's office told me that they will prioritize those with sisters or relatives. They will call me na lang daw by September. i didn't know may ganung rule pala in ICA.
I hope they'll give a slot for my daughter. My hubby and I really wanted to enroll our child there kasi.

[cldy_1981]

Hi again poshgurl - yup they give importance to "legacy" students. I think this is a practice of most exclusive schools? I know its such for Ateneo and Xavier, they prioritize students with ties to the school- just like in ivy league universities in the US or UK.

I guess the view of the school kasi is very long term, its about the community they will build and that comminity is comprised of its Alumni. What better way to "filter" the people in your community than by making sure you already "know" their background.

[tealover]

@poshgurl I heard the same thing about ICA.  Something about having more bullies in school compared to Singapore International School.

[jan888]

Sad to say bullies are everywhere.  Most bullies just want to see how far they can go.  Best is to encourage your kids to speak up.       

[cldy_1981]

Tealover: During my time in ICA- I graduated in the late 90's (haha!), there were very very few bullies and I can't even say that they're bullies per se as in to the level of bullying done or experienced now by kids. They were mostly rude  & bitchy girls - nothing that a virtual b**** slap or standing up for one's self couldn't take care of, hahaha!

Also the comparison to Singapore International School may not be the most applicable because as far as I know SIA has a smaller population per grade level. But maybe your comment also has merit based on your experience or experience of your friends/kids?

Jan888: To your point - yes there are bullies everywhere, nowadays. I don't know what happened to kids but they are meaner these days. Case in point even in pre-school there are bullies! But psychologists say that bullies are usually kids who feel unloved and invisible in one way or another hence they need to establish their "power" over someone else. You are right though, the best way really is to deal with bullies head on and teach kids at an early age to stand their ground. I have seen in my experience that kids who are more secure are less likely to be bullied as well. 

[cldy_1981]

Poshgurl: Tealover's comment prompted me to think about my life in ICA - iniisip ko what were my bad experiences there, thought it would be good also to share with you para naman di lang yung "good things" that I remember yung ma-take mo into account.

1.) Peer pressure - because most of the girls came from welathy families there was peer pressure to "fit in", while this is normal in every school esp when you reach the teenage years, pressure came from having to have specific branded stuff (like Polo Bags and shirts, DM's, Tag watches, etc) since mayaman mas mataas din yung level of the stuff that kids wanted.

2.) A bit socially awkward - since ICA is very strict and we only usually interact with Xavier boys officially (like interaction activities organized by the school, etc) ICANs during my time were very naive when it came to interacting outside of their comfort zone. A bit awkward especially when we moved onto college.

3.) Naive overall - very sheltered and they think that the world is all nice and cozy, I remember being culture shocked with the different types and backgrounds of people when I got to college. I was like oh may ganito pala, hahahahahaha!!!

4.) In some cases - just like Xavier, the very very rich girls were also the mean girls because the parents were never there to watch over them.

All these things I think are not so bad naman - i think it all boils down to active parenting and support to our child.

[poshgurl]

thanks so much guys!
what do you think sis cldy_1981? you think my daughter will have a chance to study in ICA?
What if mangulit ako sa registrar's office for update regarding my daughter's application for pre-K?
hahaha!

Re bullying, kahit saan naman meron niyan. Kaya nga starting now Im teaching my daughter to speak up.

[cldy_1981]

^ sis I think everyone has a chance naman and I'm sure you know your daughter's capabilities. I remember vaugely (as in super vague kasi 1980++ pa sya hahaha!) when i took my entrace test in I just had to identify colors, shapes, letters, numbers and they tested for comprehension as well as the ability to speak. Try to practice your daughter before the entrance exam, how to behave properly, sit still, look the interviewer in the eye. Be charming. All those stuff will surely help! Goodluck sis! I hope your daughter passes. I think having an ICA education will help her prepare for the future BUT of course your guidance and support is needed above everything else to make sure she is successful in life and a well balanced individual.

Chaka true kahit saan may bully - whether private school or public school, sorry nasama ko lang. Kasi an officemate was making kwento that her cousin was being bullied in the public school he was attending.

Let us know how things will go! I'll be rooting for your daughter

[tealover]

@poshgurl I do hope your girl goes to ICA.  You seem to really want her to go in   On a lighter note, my niece goes there and she seems happy.  The moms there like to set play dates, and likes to give out food and other things daw.  Mapipilitan ka to do the same thing, otherwise nakakahiya naman to just be a recipient of all those things.

The other kids I mentioned naman comes from a really well off family, well traveled and may personality naman so I don't know why they were bullied in the first place.

[poshgurl]

thank you sis cldy_1981 and sis tealover.
It's September na and really waiting for their call.
actually, I called awhile ago, I asked if they could give me an update re my daughter's application. (makulit lang talaga ako no?) hahaha! wala pa raw sila tinatawagan sa mga applicants.

sis cldy_1981, I will update this thread, hopefully good news ang next update ko. heehee.
thanks again!

 

[poshgurl]

hi sis cldy_1981.
I just thought of updating you lang and others na rin.
I called awhile ago and sabi sa registrar's, call na lang ako sa October.
waaa! so hate the waiting game talaga 
Sabi kasi medyo marami rin daw nagpasa and yun nga, priority pa rin talaga may mga kapatid dun.
naisip ko lang di naman siguro lahat ng students dun may kapatid, right?
I hope before October malaman ko na.

[sparklingjewel]

If you do get the chance, take it. Your daughter will be studying among many very privileged daughters from well-off families. I daresay these families thought it was a good decision to make. ICANs are also the second most numerous in Ateneo de Manila University in recent years, next to Ateneo High School. Xavier comes close at 3rd. Goes to show that they have a good education that prepares them for college well. True what was said earlier, ICANs usually have a better chance of doing well in college at least based on what I saw in my time. After grad, they end up working for global companies or for their own businesses. A lot are also doctors and lawyers. They rarely end up in the fashion industry, or showbiz, or media. When they get married, they usually marry high-performing husbands also usually coming from Xavier.

I dont like the chinese education in ICA, super kulang if you dont practice it at home. Kung mas impt sayo ang chinese, send her to St. Jude. But for well-rounded in English and all other subjects ICA is a good choice na. A lot of grads ng other chinese schools pagdating sa college nasa basic English. In my time in Ateneo, andaming ICANs in honor courses, very very few nalang from Poveda, Miriam, Makati Hope, Assumption etc, natatanggal pa. Kahit papano mas less party girls padin ang mga chinese school-bred vs. mga Povedans i think, kaya mas tutok sa studies.

Shallow point lang din, pero mas hindi conyo ang mga ICAN vs. other exclusive schools. Tagalog sila with each other, not conyotic english ng Assumption & Poveda.

[poshgurl]

thanks Sparklingjewel! yes, ICA really is our first choice for our daughter because it's really a good school. We just have to wait and pray to get a slot. Maybe I'll call every week to get an update. I hope they won't get annoyed 

[m_lim]

gusto ko sana sa ICA ipasok anak ko kasi maganda connection kaso most icans na kilala ko medyo sheltered masyado, since mayayaman nga halos lahat, so baka hindi masanay sa "real world".

[sparklingjewel]

^Quite true, grabe pagka sheltered until high school, pero paglabas naman into college and the working world, humahabol naman na

[cldy_1981]

^^i would have to agree on that observation. As per my husband nga... He says the ICANs he knows medyo "tatanga-t****" and not street smart. I guess its also because of the environment & honestly we were not exposed to the "real world". If you send your daughters to ICA, academically its really good but you need to supplement it with real world experiences to build street smarts.