What is raffles institution DSA criteria and how can one apply for it?

Before we dive into the conversation about the important criteria for DSA, we need to understand who it is for and what it is all about. This can vary according to different schools based on different expectations they have for students. Raffles institution DSA Criteria is for male Singaporean, Singaporean PR and international students who have outstanding talent in academic, sports, music, aesthetics or leadership and character. RI is one of the selected schools that have been given flexibility to admit students who have talents in areas beyond examinations. Applications for DSA must be submitted via MOE DSA-Sec portal.

Parents and students are encouraged to choose based on their student’s aptitudes and strengths so that they have a higher chance of getting in. There is a total of 5 domains in which students can apply to enter Raffles institution (Academic, music, visual arts, leadership and character and sports).

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Firstly, 

The academic domain. This domain is for students who think that they are strong in their academics. The requirement to be able to get through DSA via this domain is that students must demonstrate interest and talent in Science, Mathematics or English beyond the abilities of other students in their age group. To support this claim, students must have a history of consistently high academic achievement. Moreover, students are recommended to apply for only one talent area out of the three so as to specialize in it. Students who get shortlisted after their application will be invited to attend an interview.

Secondly,

The music domain. The requirements for this domain will again to have interest and talent in Music beyond others in the same age group. Moreover, if selected, they will also have to contribute to RI’s music elective programme and one of the its Music CCAs. Students must submit a portfolio if they want to apply under this domain. Their portfolio must contain a personal statement of less than equal to 500 words describing their interest in music, how the interest had developed and how they hope to contribute to the school community through their musical talents. This personal statement must be named as <name>_Statement.

They must also obtain recommendation letter from one music teacher within 3 months of DSA application. This letter must be names as “<name>_Recommendation”. Lastly, they must also submit their top 5 music-related awards and achievements. These must be named as “<name>_Ceritificate1”, “<name>_Certificate2”, etc. All of these 3 submission items must be in PDF or JPG/PNG format and must be combined into one compressed zip file which should be named as “<name>_Portfolio”. Similarly, shortlisted students will have to attend an interview.

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Thirdly, 

The visual arts domain. Students must demonstrate talent or potential in areas of 2-dimensional work, such as drawing, painting or design; 3-dimension work, such as sculpture and ceramics; or electronic or lens-based work, such as media arts or photography. Applicants who are successful will also have to join the RI art elective programme. This domain also requires students to submit a portfolio containing 3 items. Applicants should produce an original pencil drawing of an object that the school decides (the object can be found on RI’s website and may not stay the same every year).

Only graphite pencils and white A3 paper should be used and the drawing should be executed only from a certain specified date (this date is usually mid-May and the exact date for that year can be found online on the school website). This artwork should be photographed or scanned and named as <name>_ArtTask. Shortlisted applicants will have to present their original work during an interview and will not be able to proceed if they are unable to produce it during the interview.

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Next, applicants have to submit soft copies of maximum 5 original works of any medium or size. For animations, film, etc. students can choose to include a link to an online source of their work. Their work should have been executed within 2 years of their application. These 5 pieces of artwork must be photographed or scanned and saved in one PDF or ZIP file named as <name>_Portfolio. Lastly, students will have to submit certificates that are evident of artistic achievement (with file name <name>_Certificate1, etc.).

Fourthly, 

The Leadership and Character domain. This domain is for students with exemplary character and outstanding personal qualities (resilience in face of challenges or adversity, commitment to service to the community, key leadership position).


Applicants will have to submit a personal statement in an online link that will be sent to applicants mid-June and further instructions for this will be found in that link. However, it can be safe to guess that the personal statement will be similar to the one for the music domain and will ask for where their interest came from and how it developed. It is important to have a narrative for this statement instead of just stating achievement.

Lastly, 

The sports domain. RI has 15 sports in which students can apply for through DSA: Badminton, Cricket, Cross country, Hockey, Judo, Sailing, Shooting, Softball, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Water polo, Table tennis, Rugby. Similar to other domains, students should demonstrate interest and talent beyond others in their age group or have a record of accomplished performances in the sport.

Each individual sport has its own minimum criteria that students have to meet and thus, all potential applicants are advised to check them out on the official RI website. If students do not meet this criterion, they have a very low chance of getting into the school and thus, it may be more beneficial to apply for other schools or other domains. If selected, students must be committed to the sports training for a minimum of 4 years.

ALL IN ALL, 

Commitment and dedication is of utmost importance and in order to make the right decision, you need to be well-informed! If you are unsure about the procedures and choices to make, be sure to seek help as soon as possible.