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!

canadian university applications

In most cases (UBC is a notable exception), the application is straightforward and involves the submission of biographical and academic information, along with the application fee. While that sounds simple, it is still critical that it be done accurately and thus why it is non-negotiable that ALL applications be submitted with one of the University Counsellors.

You may have been waiting to see what your Fall term marks look like before applying. They have been submitted into MySchool, so that we can review them to help you make a determination. Please come in for an appointment so that we can discuss things.

There are almost no application deadlines that fall before your December holidays for Canadian universities, although we would like to get the bulk of applications submitted by then. 

If you were not present for your scheduled University Counselling/CLC block and the process of establishing your Education Planner BC and/or OUAC Application account, please find the links below to get this done:

ApplyAlberta

All universities in Alberta use the ApplyAlberta application.

• Click HERE to access the ApplyAlberta.

• Sign Up for your ApplyAlberta account.

• Once you have established your OUAC account, please submit it to us using the UC Logins Form.

British Columbia Universities - Education Planner BC

ALL universities in British Columbia have now adopted the Education Planner BC application. 

• Click HERE to access Education Planner BC.

• Sign Up for your Education Planner BC account IF YOU DID NOT DO SO ALREADY IN YOUR CLC BLOCK!

• Once you have established your Education Planner BC account, please submit it to us using the UC Logins Form.

Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC)

All universities in Ontario use the OUAC application.

• Click HERE to access the OUAC application registration page IF YOU DID NOT DO SO ALREADY IN YOUR CLC BLOCK!

• Once you have established your OUAC account, please submit it to us using the UC Logins Form.

ALL Other Canadian Universities Applications

The application systems for other Canadian universities are either:

• straightforward enough that we can easily get the applications set up (and even completed) during a regular University Counselling appointment, or

• complicated enough that it is inadvisable for you to do any set up of it on your own; we must work through the process carefully with you during an appointment (or probably two).

Remember: we aim to get most of the basic canadian applications submitted before december holidays! let's get on with it!!

supplemental applications - Canadian Universities

While most Canadian universities have very simply applications, initially, many of them do require supplemental material to complete the application process. It is critical that you review the communication that they initiate with you to ensure that you fully understand the supplemental requirements and associated deadlines.

Here are JUST A FEW of the notables...

University of Toronto

Each of these programs has a requirement to submit supplemental material. The deadline for early consideration is December 15th (December 1st for Engineering). The final deadline to complete it is February 1st.

• For Commerce: Rotman Commerce Supplemental Application This supplemental includes a video interview!

• For Engineering: Online Student Profile This supplemental includes a video interview!

• For Computer Science: Supplemental Application for Computer Science.

• For Architectural Studies: One Idea Supplementary Application.

McMaster University

• For Arts & Science: the deadline for the Supplementary Application is February 1st. 

• For Health Sciences: the Supplementary Application system will open in February and be due a few days later.

Queen's University

The deadline for the Supplementary Essays required for Commerce and Health Sciences and strongly recommended for Nursing is February 15th. 

University of Waterloo

The deadline for the Admission Information Form is February 16th. It is required for anyone applying to Engineering, January 15 for Engineering.

University of Calgary

The deadline for the Supplementary Application required for the Health Sciences programs is March 1st.

If you are uncertain whether the program that you applied has a supplemental application, please review its admission requirements carefully and look out for instructions from the university. If you are still uncertain, come and see us in University Counselling.

US Applicants

Those students planning to apply to universities in the US should be well on their way to getting their applications in order. Here are some key matters to be thinking about:

Those of you who submitted Early Decision and Early Action applications... you cannot ease off on your applications, you must work to complete all that remain. For ED applicants, you must be ready to submit the second you hear the news about your application (in case its not the news you were hoping for).

There is only 2 weeks to get nearly all us applications fully submitted!

Applicant Autobiography

All applicants who must have a Counsellor Recommendation Letter submitted will need to complete the Applicant Autobiography process.

Recommendation Letters

Most US schools will require the submission of Recommendations Letters from Teachers and a Counsellor.

• Come into University Counselling to discuss which teachers you would like to ask for a Recommendation Letter. We can then discuss the process of requesting and inviting them to do so. You will need to fill out a Student Request Form for EACH Teacher from whom you are seeking a Recommendation Letter, and you will see those teachers IN PERSON to make you request, offer this form, and discuss what the information you provided. The form is below or hard copies are available in the University Counselling office.

• In the CommonApp, please Invite Mr. Rodrigues for the Counsellor Recommendation and Invite and Assign the Teachers who agree to provide Letters. Come into University Counselling for assistance if you need it.

• There are no Recommendation Letters required for your UC application... that is the notable exception!

English Proficiency

If your first language is not English, regardless of your citizenship, you inevitably will have to do a test of English Proficiency as part of the admissions process. That would be TOEFL or IELTS... but it might be the much better, cheaper, and easier-to-access Duolingo. Regardless, it is critical that we review the English Proficiency requirements of EACH of your schools to ensure that you have a plan to meet their requirements.

International Certification of Finances

Any non-US citizen will, at some point, have to demonstrate that they have financial resources to pay for at least a year's expenses to attend school in the United States. Some schools require you to submit an International Certification of Finances (official proof of available funds from a financial institution) as part of the admissions process, while others only require it after you are admitted. It is critical that we review the requirements of EACH of your schools to ensure that you have a plan to meet their requirements. Your parents need to stand by to acquire and provide that financial documentation.

International Students whose First Language is Not English

Students whose first language is one other than English, you may very well have to prove your English proficiency to universities by means of a test like TOEFL or IELTS. If you have been at Brentwood since Grade 9, that is often enough for many Canadian universities. If you have been at Brentwood for 3 years or less, and/or you are planning to apply to universities outside of Canada, you must come in to review the Proof of English Proficiency policies of your universities of choice. These policies can vary wildly, and if require a test at even one university on your list, then we need to make plans for you to write TOEFL or IELTS sooner rather than later. 

TOEFL and IELTS tests are available locally in Victoria, Nanaimo, and Vancouver, as well at locations around the world. Please come in to discuss options. If you are in doubt about whether you will need to write, come in. IF ENGLISH IS NOT YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE, COME IN TO CONFIRM REGARDLESS!