Happy Holidays… and Happy University Applications!

BY R. DUNKLEY

Finally. You decided what program you want; you’ve made a list of the universities that offer it; you’re slugging away to get the highest grades you can. Done. Right?

Wrong. Wrong. Oh, so very very wrong.

The most important piece is yet to come. How do you apply to said university? There’s so much information being hurdled at you at once that it can get difficult to keep track of it all. Let’s break it down:

Grades:

Universities look at your top 6 U or M grades, meaning that they take the average of your highest 6 that are the either university (U) level or are mixed (M)

Prerequisites:

Most programs also require prerequisites (high school courses that are required to apply to a particular program). AND almost every program has 4U English as a prerequisite. Most universities require an average of 70% or higher.

Deadlines:

January 14th: This is the last day to submit your online university application

Note: DO NOT wait until the last minute to submit your application. Busy websites lag and crash. You CAN apply late, but virtually every program fills with people who apply BEFORE the deadline. The best idea is to apply over the holidays and make sure this is DONE before you return to school on Monday, January 5th.

Early acceptance:

When you submit your application in January, the universities wait until they receive your final semester one marks before they consider you for early acceptance. However this will be a conditional offer. ALL OFFERS ARE CONDITIONAL. P.S Don’t be too hung up on the idea of getting early admission, because very few students get it!

Conditional Offers:

Universities make offers of acceptance from December through June, conditional on you maintaining your average.

Note: If your grades drop significantly, the university can take back the offer!

Portfolios/Interviews/Essays:

Some university programs may require a portfolio, an interview and/or an essay. Make sure you research to find out whether or not the program you wish to enter needs one, and what is required.

CO-OP/Minors:

Every university has different requirements for applying for a co-op. Also every university offers different minors depending on what program you want to take. To get this information you will have to RESEARCH this information by yourself. (Yes, it never seems to end…)

OUAC:

OUAC stands for Ontario Universities’ Application Centre. This is where your marks will be posted by your high school, viewed by all Ontario universities, vetted, processed and hopefully, impressive!

THE WEB SITE MUST Use to APPLY:

www.ouac.on.ca/ouac-101 is where every student applies for undergraduate programs in Ontario. Use the PIN provided by Student Services and log in.he universities you have selected.

Application Process:

To fill out the application form, some of the personal information that you will have to provide includes:

Personal Information: Name, gender, date of birth, home address, first language, etc.

University and Program selection: University name, program code, program title, co-op, residence information, full/part time, expected enrollment date, etc.

Applicant Declaration: Whether you have completed high school outside of Canada, total number of years you have studied in all Ontario high schools, total amount of time in a Canadian school system, total amount of time in a school system outside of Canada and total Number of Years in an English-Language School System Outside of Canada
OSAP
If you completed an AP exam
If you completed an IB program

Note: For more information about any of the requirements visit: www.ouac.on.ca/ouac-101

Applying Outside of Ontario:

To apply to a university outside of Ontario, you will have to do most of the research yourself. You will have to personally contact the universities yourself in order to find information about their application process. You will also have to inform the guidance, so that they will know that will forward your marks to the university.

Note: To apply to a university in the U.S, you will have to write the SAT or ACT test. You can contact Student Services for information about registration.

Application Fees:

For a total of $140, you may apply to three programs in Ontario. Choosing more than one program at a university also counts as a choice so CHOOSE WISELY. But don’t worry, if you really want more choices it will be $47 each. Pricey, but worth it! (Reminder: Even if you don’t apply to more than one program or university, you will still have to pay the $140, so you might as well use all of your choices, just to be sure that your money will be put to good use.)

How to pay:

To pay for your online university application you can pay by credit card. The following cards are acceptable: Mastercard, VISA or American express