This Week In University Counselling: Grade 12
January 10-20
Appointments to see YOUR university counsellor
To see your assigned University Counsellor, 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.
Click the button to proceed to our Appointment Booking page:
PLEASE NOTE: In anticipation of January 15 (a big deadline), Mr. Rodrigues has cleared his afternoons on January 14 and 15 and will be available on a DROP-IN BASIS (you'll notice there's not appointments available with him on those two days in the afternoon).
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 the end of the day on 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 29 @ 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.
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.
uiniversity correspondence
PLEASE READ THE CORRESPONDENCE THAT THEY SEND YOU, AND ACT WHEN THEY ASK YOU TO!
It is clear that many of you are not carefully reading the emails you are receiving. This is how universities work... they function on email.
They may have specific tasks for you to complete, and deadlines associated with them, so be sure to review what you receive carefully. If all they say is that you need to arrange for your transcript to be sent, know that we have you covered and will make arrangements for that to happen… that’s why we insisted that you applied with us!
Get your Application Accounts set up and submit your login credentials on the UC Logins Form (see below) so that we have them handy.
Please share correspondence with us that you may not understand. For example, if you receive letters or emails that tell you that universities are missing some documents or information, please DON’T PANIC, but do come to see us. With so many items arriving at each admissions office, inevitably some things go astray and need to be re-submitted.
university counselling's one commandment
Remember what was said during the University Counselling Orientation Presentation:
All applications must be submitted in our offices with your university counsellor
You may be tempted to fire off the simple applications on your own. Please DO NOT. Follow our guidance and work with us on this all-important process.
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.
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. All the information you need about application accounts and deadlines can be found on the Canadian Universities Application Resources page... click the button below to access the page:
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.
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 final deadline to complete it is February 3 (January 15 for Engineering).
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 1.
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 15.
University of Waterloo
The deadline for the Admission Information Form is February 14. It is required for anyone applying to Engineering, your deadline is January 31.
University of Calgary
The deadline for the Supplementary Application required for the Health Sciences programs is March 1.
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.
And remember... our DO DATE-DUE DATE Policy applies to Supplemental Applications:
For any application requiring any supplemental writing, ALL APPLICATON MATERIAL MUST BE COMPLETED ONE MONTH BEFORE THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE!
YOUR DO-DATE = 1 MONTH BEFORE THE DUE DATE!
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:
University of Alberta ...Starting February 1
Concordia University
Huron University College
McGill University ...Early Period now... DUE: FEBRUARY 1; Required Period opens MARCH 1
McMaster University
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto ...DUE: FEBRUARY 3
University of Waterloo ...DUE: FEBRUARY 14 (JANUARY 31 for Engineering)
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.
If you are wondering about how different Canadian universities get your marks data, this document will help...
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!
US Colleges
Regular Decision applications: most Colleges put the emphasis on Midyear Marks... a collection we do and report toward the end of January.
UK Universities
With your UCAS Reference goes a set of Predicted Grades (to align with Predicted A-level Exam Grades for UK students). Fall term inform those Predicted Grades, but so, too, does past achievement.
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:
applicants to UK universities
The application deadline for courses in the United Kingdom is January 29.
The main component of the UCAS application is your Personal Statement, thus following the DUE DATE/DO DATE Policy...
YouR personal statement should be just about be in submission-ready condition!
Please check out what you need to do by accessing the UK University Application Resources page:
Applicants to us colleges
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.
additional requirements for ubc
language 11 requirement waiver for UBC Vancouver
DID YOU KNOW? ...It is an admission requirements for ALL applicants to the Vancouver Campus of University of British Columbia must have a Language 11 credit.
If you have applied to UBC Vancouver and you do NOT have a Language 11 credit you may be eligible for a waiver from the requirement for one. To qualify, you either need to have:
entered the British Columbia education system Grade 10 or later, and/or
have a language exemption in a psycho-educational assessment
THIS IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY DONE... IT MUST BE REQUESTED!
If you believe you qualify, please SEE ONE OF THE UNIVERSITY COUNSELLORS as soon as possible so that we can get the process of requesting an exemption for you and process the paperwork required. This needs to be completed by February 15.
English Language Admission Standard (ELAS)
If you attended a school at any time from Grade 9 onward where English was NOT the primary language of instruction, then you will need meet UBC's minimum English Language Admission Standard (ELAS). The ways to meets the requirement are found here. The deadline to submit documentations showing you meet the ELAS is February 15.
HOUSING: Canadian universities
While most universities will guarantee housing to you if you receive an offer, there are some schools which require further action to confirm your interest in campus housing and others where a separate application for residence is required. These schools include: Alberta, UBC, Calgary, Lethbridge, Simon Fraser, Toronto, Victoria. In some cases, the applications for housing are open now (Alberta, UBC) and in others the application will open later in the term.
If you have questions regarding university residence, please see one of the university counsellors.
scholarships
We will keep our Scholarships page updated with all the information we have on national, provincial, and local awards. Click to the button to proceed to our Scholarships page:
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!