This Week In University Counselling: Grade 12
Winter Holidays-January 15
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!
URGENT deadlines!
Although the DO DATES for the following applications were before the Winter Holidays, and many of you kept to those DO DATES well, the final review and submission of the following applications may still need to take place. Please take note!
Richard Ivey School of Business @ Western University: AEO Applications
The AEO application must be submitted by Monday, January 15 @ 8:59 pm. As it is a VERY thorough application with two major essays, a video interview, and reference contact information for everything you enter, it takes a good deal of time to review and ready for submission.
UBC Applications
The UBC Application, including the Personal Profile, must be submitted by Monday, January 15. The Personal Profile is a critical component of the application, so it needs to be reviewed to ensure that it is submission-ready.
UCAS Applications to UK Universities
The UCAS application PLUS OUR REFERENCE must be submitted by Wednesday, January 31 @ 10:00 am.
If you have not yet finished your application—namely, your Personal Statement—focus on getting that done ASAP. You need to connect with us in University Counselling to update us on your application.
If you haven’t yet done so, please complete the Applicant Autobiography ASAP to help us the writing of the reference.
Do dates/Due Dates & University Counselling's ONE Commandment
At this stage of the year, it is time to remind EVERYONE—students and PARENTS—of the First (and only) Commandment of Brentwood University Counselling:
“Thou shall not submit any university application anywhere else except in the University Counselling office with one of the Brentwood University Counsellors.”
This is a commandment that applies to both Students and Parents... and some of you have already been guilty of breaking this commandment!!
It is critical that this commandment is followed, otherwise the potential is high that either mistakes on applications will be made, or transcripts will not be sent because we are unaware of where applications are sent. By submitting with us, the best possible applications are submitted, and the required follow-up is completed. Our system works, so please use it effectively!
canadian university applications
There is still plenty of time to submit your applications to Canadian universities, but you want to get moving!
Application Deadlines!
January 15 = UBC, Toronto
January 31 = Simon Fraser, Victoria
February 1 = Concordia (Int'l Students), McGill, McMaster, Queen's
March 1 = All other universities and colleges*
* While there are deadlines throughout the winter and spring, we want to ensure that ALL applications are submitted by March 1.
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).
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.
university visits
Here are some UPCOMING visits that have been scheduled. Click on the School Name links for more information about them and their programs:
Please Email University Counselling to request to be signed up for this presentation.
applicants to UK universities
The application deadline for courses in the United Kingdom is January 31st.
The main component of the UCAS application is your Personal Statement, thus following the DUE DATE/DO DATE Policy...
YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT SHOULD BE ready for review ITS FIRST REVIEW!
Please take time to register for your UCAS application. There is a complete guide on our Moodle page to starting up your UCAS application. As well, there are lots of resources out there to help you begin your Personal Statement. Get to work!
You must also complete the Applicant Autobiography process whereby you fill out the Applicant Autobiography and meet Mr. Rodrigues to be interviewed, all in anticipation of the School Recommendation that must be submitted WITH YOUR APPLICATION BY JANUARY 31.
US Applicants
Just about all US applications have now been submitted, the exception being any that have an application deadline that falls on February 1 or later… and those are few and far between!
If you have any outstanding applications to US universities that have not yet been reviewed for submission, please make appointments to review your applications with the University Counsellors.
For those of you who have already submitted your applications…
Universities may be contacting you with requests for further information, or to notify you about missing documentation. Be sure to read the correspondence and act on requests ASAP. We want to ensure that your application files are complete and ready for review, and often materials can go missing in busy Admissions Offices.
You will be getting emails from universities reminding you to arrange to have Midyear Reports submitted. Rest assured that we will be completing that process by month’s end when they are typically due.
Time to Self-Report marks? ...Should I be worrying about marks?!
Reporting/Self-Reporting of Marks
If you have applied to some Canadian universities, you may be getting instructions about next steps, including the Self-Reporting of marks. With your Fall term marks available, we can proceed with these universities:
Carleton University
Concordia University
Huron University College
McMaster University
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto
Western University
You are NOT to complete the process of Self-Reporting on your own. Make an appointment with one of the University Counsellors for assistance.
Reporting/Self-Reporting of Marks... but not until JANUARY!
A few Canadian universities will require you to report marks, but want you to wait until the New Year:
University of Alberta
University of Calgary
McGill University
Marks from Ministry Transcripts
Right after Canadian applications are submitted, the University Counsellors have been working with you to get your Ministry Transcripts ordered because many universities make their decisions using data from those transcripts exclusively. Be sure that you have ordered your Transcripts!
Grade 12 Marks: "Everyone Just Needs to RELAX!"
With fall term marks being collected very soon, the anxiety and nervousness from some Grade 12s is running hot! …Everybody just needs to relax!
On the issue of Marks and what is being sent to Universities, here’s the official word:
While the marks collected for the Fall Report Card are reported to the Ministry of Education, and many Canadian universities have the ability to consider these marks for admission, Universities look at marks throughout the next several months for admissions.
Some universities put more weight into marks that are only available at midyear (end of January) or at the end of the Winter Term (like UBC).
Some universities only consider marks that you report to them, and their systems may not open until midyear for you to do so (like McGill).
US universities to which some students have applied will receive a transcript that includes those marks, BUT…
...US universities will also receive a Midyear Report at the end of January that includes updates marks, and those are the marks that are more relevant to the admissions process.
Updated marks will be requested from teachers at the end of January and tend to be ones that universities consider most seriously.
There will be more opportunities over the coming months for universities to consider your marks data. Keep working hard to improve your class marks!
UC Logins Form
While you are always advised to protect your login credentials for websites on which you establish accounts, it is vital that you share those credentials with University Counselling so that we can fully support your applications. We do promise absolute discretion in protecting your credentials... you can put your trust is us!
To easily share your Application Account Login Credentials, please use this Form:
Admission Decisions
Whether it's good or bad news, PLEASE let us know when you receive admission information from your university choices. We require this information from you: 1) to have a complete picture of what is happening with applications, 2) to promote your achievements! 3) it helps us understand how universities are making their decisions.
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!
Major Scholarships
For now, the scholarships that are most relevant are considered to be Major awards—usually national awards that are tough to get. Most of you will be automatically considered for Entrance awards to the universities you apply to, without a separate application.
Between those are other scholarships that need to be found by looking at resources such as the following sites: scholarshipscanada.com and yconic.com. On these sites, you need to set up a profile and search through matched awards.
If you think you would be a suitable candidate, be sure to investigate the Major Entrance Scholarship process for the schools to which you are applying. Each will have a different process for scholarships, so better to do your research now to ensure you know what exactly to do and when to submit!
There are some major scholarship programs that require work to be done and application submitted early this fall. Here is a list of scholarship opportunities, and information about the work you need to do to apply.
Schulich Leader Scholarships are Canada’s most coveted undergraduate STEM scholarships.
100 are awarded to entrepreneurial-minded high school graduates enrolling in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math program at 20 partner universities across Canada. Half are valued at $120,000 for engineering scholarships and half are valued at $100,000 for science and math scholarships.
Every high school in Canada can nominate one graduating student each year to apply for the scholarship.
Before you get too excited, consider their note about suitable nominees...
"We are NOT considering students who:
Focus on activism (environmental/political/societal)
Intend to become a practicing physician and/or medical researcher (e.g. Doctor, Dentist, Nurse, Psychology, Pharmacist, Optometrist, etc.)
Intend to become a Professor and conduct theoretical research"
If you are interested in being Brentwood’s Schulich Leader Nominee, you must indicate your interest with University Counselling by January 15. We have to make a decision and nominate the selected student by January 30. The application is then made available to the Nominee and must be completed by February 20.
This year we are once again offering (40) $1,000 bursaries to grade 12 students.
This program was established by RE/MAX of Western Canada to recognize the success and ongoing pursuits of Western Canadian students in regards to leadership and community contribution initiatives. Students can enter online HERE.
2023 Quest for Excellence program is open for submissions until March 13. Only online entries will be accepted.
British Columbia Scholarships
Click HERE to see what scholarship/award/grant opportunities are available to students who attend a school here in British Columbia.