This Week In University Counselling: Grade 11

february 2-Midterm

Appointments to see a university counsellor

To see one of the University Counsellors, you must make an appointment using our on-line booking system.

To book an appointment, you need to be logged into the Brentwood system through your school email account. Also, you must ensure that you have opened your Google Calendar at least once to ensure that the times between the two systems are in sync.

To access our on-line appointment system, click HERE to go to the correct page on the University Counselling website... 

Although we shouldn’t have to tell you, do not make an appointment during a class—academic, arts or athletics—you cannot skip to attend a University Counselling appointment!

Grade 12 COurse selection presentation

We hope you found the Grade 12 Course Selection Presentation this past Monday informative. If you were away or just need to review the Presentation Slides once more, please find them here. You are encouraged to look over it again with your parents to discuss your plans for next year.

Course Selection for Grade 11s_2024.pdf

There were many submitted questions on the Grade 12 Course Selection Questions Form. Find the answers below. We invite you to submit more questions, if you have them, and we will continue to provide answers for everyone to see.

All of this will be working toward YOU DISCUSSING COURSE SELECTIONS WITH YOUR FAMILY AND COMPLETING YOUR SELECTIONS OVER THE COMING FEBRUARY MIDTERM! More details and access to the Course Selection website will be coming very soon!

Brentwood Grade 12 Course Selection - Your Questions… Answered!

All of this will be working toward YOU DISCUSSING COURSE SELECTIONS WITH YOUR FAMILY AND COMPLETING YOUR SELECTIONS OVER THE COMING FEBRUARY MIDTERM! More details and access to the Course Selection website will be coming very soon!

interested in applying to colleges in the united states?

"USA Sundays" Workshop Series for US Applicants

With the work for the Grade 12s done with respect to their US applications, it's time to shift our attention to the Grade 11s. Our first meeting as a group for US Applicants is coming: 

Sunday, February 18 in the Foote Field House, 7:30-8:30 pm 

During this first session, we will map out some of the key tasks for the next couple of months for anyone serious about applying to colleges and universities in the US.

As the US admissions process is the most involved, we want to get you as prepared as possible. The way we do that is by taking careful approach over time. We are going to get in the habit of meeting as a cohort—all US applicants in Grade 11—on Sunday evenings… “USA Sundays!” Not every Sunday, but the workshop series will include AT LEAST FIVE (5) sessions this spring.

If you intend on being a US Applicant, now is the time to get serious and commit to the process. Your attendance to these "USA Sundays" sessions IS mandatory.

Many Schools Have Extended Their "Test Optional" Admissions Policies... While Others Have Not

We continue to see schools announce that they are extending their Test Optional admission policies through to the (Class of ) 2025 admissions cycle. It would seem that the foothold that standardized testing has had in the admissions process is loosening... and this may alter the approach that students take to the whole process.

At the same time, there are some schools who have returned to requiring the Standardized Testing for Admissions, so it will very much depend on where you eventually apply.

We still encourage students to consider the SAT as part of their approach to applying to schools in the US, but the landscape will certainly be predominantly Test Optional for you when you apply next year.

Registering for your first SAT

Some Grade 11s who already know that they will definitely will be applying to the US have been asking about the official SAT. As you can see on the Grade 11 Timeline, we recommend that students in Grade 11 take the SAT for the first time in March. The March 2023 date is the first Saturday of spring break... while everyone else leaves on Friday, students who wish to write at Brentwood will be able to stay the Friday night, take the SAT Saturday morning, and then depart for their break.

REGISTRATION for the March SAT is now Open...

...and the registration deadline is February 23. But seats will go VERY QUICKLY, we are certain. Please make an appointment with one of the University Counsellors for help with getting registered.

And while the May and June dates seem a far way off, we have limited space at Brentwood on these dates, so you will want to register early.

The following students are registered to take the upcoming SATs:

March SAT Takers & Travel

As we get closer to the March SAT date, we will be connecting with you to confirm your travel plans. When the SAT has fallen on the first Saturday of spring break like this, we have made arrangements for buses to take our students to the ferries/airport as needed. More to come!

Testing Schedule for the SAT

Regardless of how you are preparing for the SAT, you need to get your testing schedule organized. What we recommend for all Brentwood students is:

Not every student needs to sit the SAT three times, but virtually all students will take it 2 or 3 times.

"What's involved in this post-secondary planning process?"

Planning for your post-secondary life after Brentwood can be a confusing and intimidating process... that's why University Counselling is here to be with you every step of the way! For the process to go well, however, you and your parents have to be informed consumers! That means keeping up with information (here on this website), but also anticipating what's to come. How do you do that?

Take some time to review the Timelines section of this website. It will give you and your parents a broad view of what's involved at various stages through the process, now and into the future! Certainly, it will answer questions you have about the critical times that demand action from you!