This Week In University Counselling: Grade 12

November 1-Midterm

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:

CLC/UNIVERSITY COUNSELLING BlOcks

Take note: these are paused until after midterm so that everyone can have a bit more time to get their applications moving. 

At any time, refer back to your Google Classroom for the block to remind yourself about the work that you need to complete. If you have a slow period, get that done!!

University Visits & Presentations

The University Visit season has definitely slowed down, but there remains some interesting events on the calendar!

Click the button to proceed to our University Visits & Presentations page to view upcoming events and learn how to sign up to attend them:

university counselling's golden rule

Remember what was said during the University Counselling Orientation Presentation:

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!

We will be reminding you about our DUE DATE-DO DATE policy very often over the course of the fall, but it is important that you sear it into your brains now! Plan ahead and get the work done in a timely fashion! It's a proven approach, so adhere to it, and your applications will thank you!!

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

As application portals open up, you may be tempted to fire off the simple ones. Please DO NOT. Follow our guidance and work with us on this all-important process.

Do dates/Due Dates

Here are some key DO DATES/DUE DATES coming soon:

US Early Decision/Early Action (November 15)

University of Washington

University of British Columbia Early Admission/Scholarship Consideration

University of Texas, University of San Diego

University of California/California State Universities

MOST US Regular Decision

University of British Columbia 

Richard Ivey School of Business HBA Application 

University of Toronto Engineering Supplement

UK

University of Victoria Commerce Application

University of Waterloo Admission Information Form (AIF): Engineering

University of Toronto Supplements for Commerce, Computer Science, Architecture, Kinesiology

University of Waterloo Admission Information Form (AIF): Programs other than Engineering

canadian university applications

We're Ready to Get These Started!

Now that we have seen nearly all of the 12s, University Counselling is ready to assist you with getting your applications submitted to Canadian universities. 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.

In some cases, it might be worth waiting on some specific applications in order to see where you stand when your first term marks are collected; teachers will be submitting them on November 25.

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:

We are happy to assist you with moving along with all your Canadian applications!

Scary emails from ouac

If you have applied to OUAC, you may have received an email from OUAC soon after submitting the application that says something is wrong/missing involving your BC Ministry transcript or PEN. They do this every year... and it is a silly email that they send!

OUAC will eventually be handling and distributing your BC Ministry transcript to the universities to which you have applied. 

You need not worry about the email; it just means you did not order your transcript to be released to OUAC before you applied... nobody does that! 

All of you created your BCeID on during the Alternate Academic Day, so you can proceed with ordering your transcript to OUAC.

Time to Self-Report your marks?

If you have applied to some Canadian universities, you may be getting instructions about next steps, including the Self-Reporting of marks. Until your Fall Term marks come in, there is nothing to report!

University of Toronto and Western University, for example, will allow you to enter Grade 11, completed Grade 12 marks, and in-progress Grade 12 courses. We can help you get things sorted!

DO NOT DO THIS ON YOUR OWN. The University Counsellors are the experts in ensuring that this is all done correctly, so do it during an appointment.

Those schools that require interim Grade 12 marks... we will report them once we get Fall Term marks at the end of November.

If you are unclear about reporting, see one fo the University Counsellors for assistance.

US Applicants

Review the information on our US College Application Resources Page by clicking the button below, including TONNES of details about your Applications and the upcoming November SAT.

And a BIG reminder: if you are applying Early Decision/Early Action with an application deadline of November 1, your DO DATE--when you need to have all of your applciation material done and ready for review--is coming up fast on October 1! After that date, let's get moving with reviewing and refining your application material!

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:

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!