Top 12 Things to do in Grade 12, Part II

Yesterday you read the top 6 things to do in Grade 12, here`s the second half of the list.

7.       Do you want to study at a large or small university?
There is obviously a difference in environment between a large university in a large, urban city to small university in small town. What’s your preference? Pay attention to the student faculty ratio if a small university is better for you. Also, don`t forget that many large universities may also have some small, selective programs.

8.       What other variables are important to you?
University`s ranking and reputation, co-op, internships, career services, retention rates, extra-curricular activities, academic support services, varsity sport, intramural sport, study exchanges, reputation of faculty, employer reputation, campus facilities, residence, food services, etc. The list can be endless. 

9.      Visit your short list of universities
My preference is to avoid the open houses or other events that are specifically organized to showcase the university. They tend to be very busy and you`re not likely to get a real feel for the campus. It’s like visiting my house during a party as opposed to a normal day.

10.   Speak to current students and alumni
Try to get information from unofficial, unpaid sources. They tend to be more honest and straight forward. Bear in mind that most students cannot compare their experience at their university to another, so you’ll have to do the comparison yourself.

11.   How will you finance your education?
If you need to rely on financial aid, make this an important part of your research. Endowments vary from university to university and even from program to program.

12.   Extra-curricular activities

A number of universities do want to see that you do more than study; especially for competitive programs and in some cases for scholarships. Therefore, if after school activities are not part of your life now, pick one or two things that you enjoy. But don’t jeopardize your grades by devoting too much time on extra-curricular activities.

Stick with me, it`s not as daunting and complicated as it looks. Why don’t you follow the blog by email to get more advice delivered to your inbox? Simply complete the box on your right.

Top 12 Things to do in Grade 12, Part I

Number 1-6 is below. Number 7 – 12 will be posted tomorrow.

1.      Decide if you want to go to university

University is a great option for some but not for all. If you prefer to go to a community college or enter the workforce right after high school, that’s fine if you understand the lifelong consequences of that decision.

Ninety-three percent of university graduates are employed within six months of graduation. Also, these graduates earn 53% more than high school graduates. So think about this decision very carefully.

2.      Get the necessary grades
Aren’t you happy this is not number one? Well it probably should be number one. To be competitive, you should aim to get at least an 80% average. But there are some programs and universities where you’ll need a higher average. Likewise, you can get into some universities and programs with as low as a 70% average.

Check the universities’ website for admission minimums. If it’s not there, just ask an admission representative. But be careful, the pool of the current year’s applicants determines the admission cut-off, so aim to be comfortably above the average.

There is a correlation between the reputation of the university and program and the minimum Grade 12 averages. The higher the reputation, the higher the average.

3.      Choose your program to study in university
You may already know what you want to be when you grow up. But if you have no idea what job you'll like to have, think about what you want to study rather than job options.  Two out of every three entry level jobs require a university degree and this includes degrees in non-professional programs.

Research, research, research. It’s important to note there are a number of disciplines in university that you may not have been exposed to or heard of. Furthermore, remember a career or job does not always correspond with your academic strength.

Don’t be turned off if you discover you need a further degree to achieve your goals. For now, it’s best to take this one step or rather one degree at a time.  

4.      Attend a university fair
It’s a great opportunity to communicate with and get information from a number of universities in one location.  This will also help you to narrow your choices. I caution you, however, don’t make decisions based on the personality (or lack thereof) of the representative you speak to.

5.      Take the right high school courses
Once you figure out what you want to take in university, then be sure you are enrolled in the prerequisite high school courses. Also, while there may be some consistency in prerequisites, not all universities require the same high school courses. Keep notes to be sure you have the correct information.

If you go to a semester high school, you’re in luck because you can still change courses in the second term. If not, you need to super charge your research.

6.      Decide home or away?
Do you want to live at home or away? How close to home do you want to be? How easy and convenient is it to visit home during the school year? Big decisions. Another consideration is that you can also experience residence living even if your university is close to your home. Living on campus, however, increases your cost. Do you want to experience residence and can you afford it?

As you can see this is an overwhelming task, but it’s best for parents and students to work together as a team to make this process less daunting.

Tomorrow I’ll cover number 7 -12.  Why don’t you follow the blog by email to get it delivered to your inbox? Simply complete the box on your right. Hope to see you here tomorrow!

Top 3 Things to do in Grade 11

Grade 11 is more important than you realize.  You truly are laying the foundation for your university education. Grades are always important, but your Grade 11 marks may be more than or just as crucial as your Grade 12 average. Many universities review your Grade 11 marks and even make some early admission decisions solely on your Grade 11 marks. Aim to get at least an 80% average. Remember it’s an average, but do try to get at least 80% in each of your courses. That average will have many more university doors open to you.

It was a happy day in our house when my son received an early offer in October of his Grade 12 year from Acadia University (ranked #2 primarily undergraduate university). Since it was October, that admission decision was obviously based on his Grade 11 courses.

His Grade 12 year was less stressful (not stress free) because he and his parents knew that he had an offer from at least one very good university.

So here are the top 3 things to do in Grade 11:

1.      Know what you like
Yes, there are required courses which you must take, but once those are selected really focused on the subjects that you like and do well in. You’re heard it before, it makes it easier to study when you love a subject (and a teacher).

2.      Study hard
Grades are important, don’t kid yourself. Develop good study habits and pay attention to your grades in each assignment and test. If you’re not doing as well as you hope, get help. You should even consider dropping a subject that you’re really doing poorly in.

3.      Extra-curricular activities
A number of universities do want to see that you do more than school; especially for competitive programs and in some cases for scholarships. Therefore, if after school activities are not part of your life now, it’s not too late to pick one or two things that you enjoy.  But don’t jeopardize your grades by devoting too much time on extra-curricular activities.

In summary, pick courses you like, study hard and have some fun in extra-curricular activities! This is the recipe for a great Grade 11 and 12!

When Great isn’t Good Enough

According to the 2011 QS World University Ranking released on Monday, McGill University is the best university in Canada.  So does this mean that you should include McGill as one of your choices? Maybe. There are far more variables to consider before McGill is great enough for you.

Perhaps, the first consideration is location. Montreal is a wonderful city, but how far or close is it to your current location? Are you looking for a large university in a busy, downtown environment? Does McGill offer the program you want? Does THAT program have a good reputation? Remember, while McGill may be great, some programs at other universities may have a better reputation. What about the faculty? Your program of choice at McGill may have great faculty, but not all are world renowned in their fields. Again, the best may teach and research somewhere else. Do you have the required average to get into McGill? It's one of the best in Canada, which also mean that you'll need a pretty good Grade 12 average to be admitted. Furthermore, look at facilities, support systems and other resources. Do they meet all of your needs? Finally, how were McGill and the other universities evaluated? If you were to rank universities would you use the same assessment? As you’ll see, there’s some question about QS’ methodology.

So many variables, so many questions, but do give yourself time to consider all of your options. Use the same analysis when you consider this ranking, the Macleans ranking and any other that you see in your research.

Here are the other Canadian universities on the QS World University Ranking and how they ranked in this top 300 global list:

17. McGill University

23. University of Toronto

51. University of British Columbia

100. University of Alberta

137. Universite de Montreal

144. Queen's University

157. University of Western Ontario

159. McMaster University

160. University of Waterloo

218. University of Calgary

234. Dalhousie University

256. University of Ottawa

260. Simon Fraser University

292. University of Victoria

What about the other Canadian universities not on the list? Do not automatically exclude them for all the reasons discussed above. The results of another world university ranking will be released on October 6^th. I can guarantee that the results will be different. Stay tuned.

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