“Life is what happens while you are busy
making other plans.”
John Lennon
Goal: To familiarize M3 and M4 Parents with some
important planning considerations as their child moves
closer to postsecondary education.
Topics that will be covered:
1) Overview of the options available
2) Rounding out future applications beyond academic
achievement
3) Supporting Students
What are the options?
Destinations 2009 - 2014
International
2%
US
13%
Canada
12%
Ontario
73%
• All applications are submitted through OUAC – Ontario
University Application Centre (online)
• Once application is submitted, all students are given a OUAC
reference number
• Informs university of student intention to apply and to which
program
• Facilitates marks transfer to universities out of province
• Top 6 courses (including prerequisites) represent admission
average
• Supplemental information/applications done via individual
university portals
• Set up accounts/submit directly to individual universities
• OUAC reference number often required (need to apply in
Ontario first)
• Deadlines/process is different for each
• Communication with counsellors is VITAL!
Things to consider?
• Type of program
• Fit?
• Selectivity?
• Cost?
Components of a US Application
1.
SAT/ACT scores
2.
High school Grades
3.
Rigour of School Curriculum
4.
Common App – Essay, Extracurricular Activities
5.
Guidance Counsellor Letter
6.
Teacher References
7.
Other?
HOLISTIC
EVALUATION
What is different about a degree from the UK?
• Length of program
• Type of degree
• Focus of degree
• Requirements/prerequisites
• Cost
Components of UCAS Application
• Personal information
• Standardized testing
• High school grades
• Personal statement
• 1 teacher reference
University is not the only destination for students after high
school.
Gap years are becoming more common, and there are a
variety of excellent opportunities that students can pursue.
As with any post-secondary pathway, planning and research
are the keys to successful gap year experiences.
The key goal for postsecondary planning needs to be
finding the schools and programs that represent the
“best fit” for each individual student.
**There are many ways to get to the same end result.
**The application process is not a check list!
Factors to consider before S6:
• $$$...what is realistic?
• Pyramid of Selectivity and Rankings
• Balancing it all during high school
• Creating a reasonable list before S6
• what is needed to “round out the application”
School
Tuition
Residence
Total
University of Toronto
$6040 (arts) - $12 980
(engineering)
$10000 - $14000
$16000 - $27000
Waterloo
$6100 - $12800
$9700 - $12000
$16000 - $25000
McMaster
$6960 - $11300
$8500 - $11000
$15000 - $22500
Queen’s
$7000 - $16000
$12500 - $14000
$19500 - $30000
McGill
$7100 - $9100
$13000 - $18500
$20100 - $27600
UBC
$4900 - $7800
$10500 - $13500
$15500 - $21500
Harvard
$45300
$14700
$60000 *US dollars
UPenn
$43900
$14000
$58000 *US dollars
Cambridge
£20000 – £30000
£10000 (approx.)
£30000-£40000 British£
University of St. Andrews
(Medical Program)
£26000
£6150-£7500
£32150-£33500 6 years
Other costs include: books, health insurance, personal expenses, transportation,
etc.
Current Trend: Increasingly, postsecondary
institutions are considering more than just an
applicant’s marks and test results.
As students build their list of possible programs they
will be applying to, they want to plan for:
• breadth or depth of extracurricular involvements
• additional testing - proper preparation and timing
of tests
• summer and extracurricular involvements
What can parents do over the M3, M4, and S5 years
to help their children develop a list of the schools to
apply to (pre application phase)?
• Keep an open mind and listen…don’t rule
anything out at this stage.
• Encourage visits to a wide range of schools
• Develop a wide range of success criteria
• Encourage students to take initiative and control
of the process
• Encourage students to read email and monitor
Naviance!
In the Classroom
M4: Careers GLC 2OH
• Introduction to university planning
• Reflecting & recording individual extra-curriculars/community service, etc.
• Introduction to Naviance
S5: Guidance
• Weekly classes with a guidance counsellor
• Focus – leadership, researching post-secondary options, stress-management
S6: Guidance
• Bi-weekly classes with a guidance counsellor
• Focus – post-secondary application process/guidance, stress-management
Individual sessions with guidance counsellors
• Researching programs
• Working through applications (i.e. troubleshooting, editing
supplemental materials)
• Start to finish approach
Thank you!
• Note: In May of this year, S5 parents will have
opportunity to book one-to-one meetings with a guidance
counsellor regarding the upcoming post-secondary
application process.
Parents – what can you do?
• Reasonable expectations
• Help to understand what it takes to get into certain
programs (although there isn’t really a magic formula)
• It is okay if students don’t know what program or career
interests them
Thank you!
• Positive support
• Students are juggling so many things: school, social
emotional aspects of adolescence
• Try to avoid the overload when it comes to post-secondary
planning – talking about university when they are too young
can often add to the stress early on
• Questions? Always can ask a counsellor first
Warning symptoms and signs of overload
• Lack of sleep
• Staying up late
• Trying to do too many extra-curriculars (focus on
quality not quantity) for their school ‘resume’
• Burnout
• Absenteeism
Thank you!
• Scaling – a quick tool that parents and students can
use
Students – what can they do?
• Attend guidance classes, university visits
• Work closely with their guidance counsellor (i.e.
weekly check-ins especially once application process
underway)
• Focus on quality over quantity
• Self-advocate
• Continue to develop a tool-kit of stress
management techniques
Our Student Services’ Philosophy
•
Through guidance programming (class and individual) we
work with students to help them become resilient,
confident and self-reflective teenagers
Thank you!
For students who are resilient and lead
from a growth-mindset, the University
planning process…..
Thank you!
…….is a piece of cake!
Thank you for coming
tonight!
Thank you!
Questions?