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University Applications Are Rolling
While the student body revels in the upcoming break and the holiday season, all Grade 12s have one thing on their minds … university applications. That’s right, the time has come for the grad class to make decisions that will impact the rest of their lives. It may sound intimidating, but it is one of the most exciting experiences for all students. Soon enough, the grad class will be tossing their caps in the sky and moving on from high school. But, before the Grade 12s graduate, applications must be submitted.
Applying to universities is a time-consuming process, especially in the rush before Winter Break, but to prove the Grade 12s grit, here is an account of the application proceedings around campus.
Since the start of the school year, way back to September 9th, applications have been rolling in. Applicants to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge were the first to tackle the process - their due date was October 15th.
The University Counseling office has an efficient system of preparing students during the application process. While the due date for the “Oxbridge” applicants might be October 15th, the counselors engage a “do date” of September 15th. These “do dates” are exactly a month before the universitys’ cutoff and exist to encourage students to perfect their essays and information without rushing. The rigorous and extensive process of applying to a university requires a lot of time, so the “do date” accounts for that.
There are many parts to an application, such as the personal statement, individual information, references, and, in a lot of cases, supplements. The process differs vastly depending on the school and the course. Most Canadian universities do not require personal statements or writing though supplemental questions are common for some courses. Depending on the program, school, and province or country, requirements will differ vastly.
Any and every application must go through the University Counseling office. The counselors, Mr Rodrigues, Ms Beausoleil, and Ms Coull, are there to support and help students. They perfect the countless applications that pass through their office every year. Students are encouraged to book an appointment whenever questions arise or help is needed. This is done through the University Counseling website. https://universitycounselling.brentwood.ca/
About 20 students have applied for early decision (ED), a specific type of admission that induces binding attendance if accepted. The due dates for these students were November 1st or 15th, depending on the school. The early decision applicants this year selected a variety of universities, such as Brown, New York University, Columbia, and many more. Felicity B, Hope ‘23, applied ED to Yale U, saying that “Submitting my application to Yale was definitely one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. After careful planning and consultation with the university counselors, I felt ready but still nervous. I cannot wait to receive the deciding email on December 15th, regardless of acceptance or not. Even though Yale was one of my most stressful applications, it was just a small step in a much larger process. This year, I am applying to 26 universities, all in the US, UK, and Canada. It is a lengthy and intimidating process for me, but I am beyond excited to jump into my future also.”
As the grad class slowly submits all their applications, Ms Coull has a bit of advice for the next two weeks, as many students prepare to submit applications before Winter Break: “Leaving university application submissions to the last minute is a VERY bad idea … it leads to badly written supplements, errors in the application, or missed documents. Be proactive and have your application, supplemental writing and personal statements ready to go a month before they are due. That way, we, the university counselors, can assist you in submitting the best application possible. It is a crazy competitive world out there for university admissions, so do yourself a favor, work hard in your classes, get your applications submitted well in advance AND have no regrets come June 2023.”
Even after Winter Break, there will still be numerous grads undergoing this process. The application season is far from over. Important submission dates coming up are US regular decision before the holiday, UBC applications by January 15th, and UK universities on January 25th. Good luck to all the Grade 12s submitting their applications in the upcoming weeks.
Neve M, Hope ‘23
Applying to universities is a time-consuming process, especially in the rush before Winter Break, but to prove the Grade 12s grit, here is an account of the application proceedings around campus.
Since the start of the school year, way back to September 9th, applications have been rolling in. Applicants to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge were the first to tackle the process - their due date was October 15th.
The University Counseling office has an efficient system of preparing students during the application process. While the due date for the “Oxbridge” applicants might be October 15th, the counselors engage a “do date” of September 15th. These “do dates” are exactly a month before the universitys’ cutoff and exist to encourage students to perfect their essays and information without rushing. The rigorous and extensive process of applying to a university requires a lot of time, so the “do date” accounts for that.
There are many parts to an application, such as the personal statement, individual information, references, and, in a lot of cases, supplements. The process differs vastly depending on the school and the course. Most Canadian universities do not require personal statements or writing though supplemental questions are common for some courses. Depending on the program, school, and province or country, requirements will differ vastly.
Any and every application must go through the University Counseling office. The counselors, Mr Rodrigues, Ms Beausoleil, and Ms Coull, are there to support and help students. They perfect the countless applications that pass through their office every year. Students are encouraged to book an appointment whenever questions arise or help is needed. This is done through the University Counseling website. https://universitycounselling.brentwood.ca/
About 20 students have applied for early decision (ED), a specific type of admission that induces binding attendance if accepted. The due dates for these students were November 1st or 15th, depending on the school. The early decision applicants this year selected a variety of universities, such as Brown, New York University, Columbia, and many more. Felicity B, Hope ‘23, applied ED to Yale U, saying that “Submitting my application to Yale was definitely one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. After careful planning and consultation with the university counselors, I felt ready but still nervous. I cannot wait to receive the deciding email on December 15th, regardless of acceptance or not. Even though Yale was one of my most stressful applications, it was just a small step in a much larger process. This year, I am applying to 26 universities, all in the US, UK, and Canada. It is a lengthy and intimidating process for me, but I am beyond excited to jump into my future also.”
As the grad class slowly submits all their applications, Ms Coull has a bit of advice for the next two weeks, as many students prepare to submit applications before Winter Break: “Leaving university application submissions to the last minute is a VERY bad idea … it leads to badly written supplements, errors in the application, or missed documents. Be proactive and have your application, supplemental writing and personal statements ready to go a month before they are due. That way, we, the university counselors, can assist you in submitting the best application possible. It is a crazy competitive world out there for university admissions, so do yourself a favor, work hard in your classes, get your applications submitted well in advance AND have no regrets come June 2023.”
Even after Winter Break, there will still be numerous grads undergoing this process. The application season is far from over. Important submission dates coming up are US regular decision before the holiday, UBC applications by January 15th, and UK universities on January 25th. Good luck to all the Grade 12s submitting their applications in the upcoming weeks.
Neve M, Hope ‘23