SFU's Admission Timeline

In addition to my previous post on the admission process of SFU (click here), here are some important dates for SFU's Admission cycle.

Please note: it is entirely YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure you are making these deadlines. Unlike your high school teachers, post-secondary schools have hard deadlines and will not offer grace period for late submission - if you miss an application deadline, there is no way you would be able to submit an application or a document late. For application that involves reference letters, please give additional time for the writer of those reference letters - don't expect your reference to turn in a reference letter on one day's notice!

• Oct 1, 2013 - ApplyBC Application for Fall 2014 semester opens (click here to apply)
• Dec 15, 2013 - Self-reporting Grades portal opens
• Mid-January, 2014 - First offers of conditional admisison and scholarship based on self-reported grades begin (for Templeton students, the self-reported grades are based on completed grade 12 courses and first term grade 12 courses that are in progress)
• Feb 28, 2014 (DEADLINE DAY)- Deadline to apply for early admission; deadline to apply for Major Entrance Scholarships and Entrance Bursaries, deadline for priority access to Residence, and deadline to submit the Broad Based Application to the Beedie School of Business
• April 30, 2014 - Self-reporting grades portal closes; fall application deadline
• May 2014 - SFU receives interim grades (for Templeton students, completed grade 12 courses plus term 2 marks for courses in progress) from the Ministry of Education - SFU then reviews conditional admission offers, and may give new conditional admission offers
• June 1, 2014 - DEADLINE to accept admission offer and deadline to submit personal information profile for Diverse Qualification applicants
• Mid-June, 2014 - Registration and Enrolment Date and Info sent to students
• July 7, 2014 - Enrolment for Fall 2014 begins
• Late-July to August - SFU receives final grade 12 marks from Ministry of Education, and confirms admission and scholarship offers

For details on these dates, please refer to SFU's website (click here) for details

Info from SFU's Counsellor's Day 2013

The following were pieces of information I learned from SFU's Counsellor's Day, which was held on October 30. If you are interested in going to SFU, please pay close attention, and don't hesitate to ask if you need more information.

Application

• You can apply through Apply BC starting now until April 30 (click here to go to Apply BC)
• Application fee is $75
• When you apply, you would be ask to self-report your grades through SFU's Self-report Grades Portal.
• The Self-report Grades Portal opens on December 15, 2013, and will close on April 30, 2014.
• When self-reporting, you need to report ALL completed Grade 11 and 12 courses, and ALL interim Grade 12 marks (for Templeton's students, this means your first term marks)
• Distributed learning course grades (such as those from online courses) can be self-reported (either as completed courses, or in-progress courses that are at least 50% completed when you self-report

Grade 11/12 General Requirements

• English 11
• Language 11 (Beginner's Language 11 such as Beginner's Spanish/Mandarin/Japanese are acceptable)
• Pre-Calculus 11 or Foundations of Math 11
• A Science 11
• English 12 (provincial exam must be written, with a final blended mark of at least 60%)
• Three additional approved grade 12 courses
• Grades from challenge exams ARE accepted
• Courses to be completed in Summer 2014 (e.g. summer school in 2014) CANNOT be used towards admission to the Fall 2014 semester
• Important Note: Faculty-specific requirements will include the above general requirements plus more - consult SFU's website for details

Diverse Qualifications

• This refers to the possible option for students who do not meet the competitive admission average
• You must at least meet the minimum admission requirements
• In addition, you need to submit a personal information profile (to be completed online) AND to provide one reference letter
• For more information, go to SFU's admission requirements for details (click here)

Scholarship Information

• Courses you use in the calculation of the scholarship average would be the same as the courses used to calculate your program admission average
• The Automatic Entrance Scholarship, valued at $5000 each, is automatically offered to applicants whose course average is 95% and above - no application is required
• Major Entrance Scholarship, is awarded to students with at least a 90% average. The application for this scholarship is open now
• For more scholarship information, go to SFU's Financial Aid department (click here) for details

Contact for Questions

• The person to contact for grade 12 students is Ms. Gladys Bothaju, who can be reached at Gladys_Bothaju@sfu.ca

Disclaimer: the above information is accurate to the best of my knowledge and is typed here for your reference only. Please go to SFU's website to confirm if you are not certain.

Application and Admission Info from Langara College

The following are new pieces of information I obtained from Langara College when I attended its counsellors' conference last week. Please read the info carefully as some are time-sensitive:

Application Dates: Langara is currently accepting applications for admission in September 2014. Because their open enrollment (to be discussed later) programs operate on a first-qualify, first-admit fashion, it is important for you to apply as early as possible to ensure admission.

Types of Programs: Langara offers two different streams of program: open enrollment and limited enrollment courses. Open Enrollment programs are, generally speaking, the university transfer program of Langara. Limited Enrollment programs include the career-training programs that do not lead to a transfer to a university program upon completion. 

Open Enrollment Programs: Generally do NOT have any admission prerequisites. Basically, all graduating grade 12 students can be admitted, space-permitting. Admission into an open enrollment program does not guarantee successful transfer into a university program - you must take the required, accepted transferable courses, and meet the university's admission requirement.

More on Open Enrollment Programs: Entry requirement is graduation from BC High School or equivalent. The program is divided into individual program concentrations. Typically, students enrolled in this program complete 60 credits at Langara to receive an associate degree, and then can apply into the third year of a university program of their choice. Admission to a transfer program is subject to you meeting the university's requirement. 

Limited Enrollment Programs: These programs may have program-specific prerequisites that you must complete to be considered for admission. They are generally career programs.

Students interested in going into Nursing: All students interested in going into the four-year bachelor of nursing program at Langara must apply to the Foundations of Health Studies citation, which is an open enrollment program. After the completion of the citation, and provided that you meet the competitive averages required to be accepted into the nursing program, you can apply and be admitted into the bachelor of nursing program. This is different from the arrangement in the past where there are no specific "pre-nursing" program that students can go into. Please also note that successful completion in the Foundations of Health Studies citation does NOT guarantee admission into the Bachelor of Nursing program, as the program is open for application from other institutions as well.

Studio 58: For students interested in the performing arts, you have probably heard of Studio 58, a limited enrollment program offered at Langara. It is hosting an information night on February 17, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m. All students who are interested, please attend.

These are the pieces of information I picked up that I think are relevant to you. For more details on the programs offered at Langara, please visit the school's website (click here). You can also call Langara at 604-323-5241 or e-mail an academic advisor at advisor@langara.bc.ca for more info.

Changes to BCIT's Admission Process

I attended BCIT's Counsellor's info session last week, and was told of a few changes to their admission process. Students who are interested in going to BCIT, please take note:

Modes of Admission: BCIT has two modes of admission: 1) The "First Qualified, First Accepted" model offers seats to qualifying students on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have met the entrance requirement for that specific program, you will be offered admission, space-permitting. 2) "Competitive Entrance" model offers seats to qualifying students that are selected. These programs have limited spaces and an application deadline. Once application deadline falls, BCIT will interview and select the most-qualifying students to offer admission. Bottom Line: When you are selecting a program, take note to see which admission model it uses. For the first-qualified, first-accepted program, put in your application ASAP to give yourself the best chance to get in.

Opening Day for Application: November 15 is the opening day for application. You must have the documents to prove that you have met the entrance requirements ready when you apply. All documents to submit along with your application needs to be submitted in the .pdf format. Bottom Line: Scan any documents you may need early into a .pdf format in preparation for application.

Completed Grade 11 Courses that are Pre-requisites for Required Grade 12 Courses: This is a big change to the admission process. BCIT is accepting the completion of a grade 11 course to be used in admission calculation as long as you are also taking the grade 12 course that follows. For example, if a program requires Pre-Calculus 12 as a course, you can use your Pre-Calculus 11 mark in your application, as long as you can provide proof that you are currently taking Pre-Calculus 12 as well. Proof of completed and in-progress courses would be required. Bottom Line: If you have done really well in some grade 11 courses, and are currently taking the grade 12 course, use your grade 11 grade to your advantage, and apply to a program that requires the grade 12 course.

Other aspects of admission are the same as before. For more information about BCIT and its program, please go to BCIT's website (click here) for more details.

One feature about BCIT that I really want to promote to you are its "spend-a-day," campus tour, and info session, which allows you to spend a day attending one of BCIT's program to learn what the program really is, or to tour around the campus, or hear from faculty and students about this school. (click here for details of these programs)

BCIT offers some very interesting, career-oriented programs. Graduates of BCIT usually find well-paid jobs that are related to what they have learned. If you have never considered going to BCIT, learn more about it!

Info Sheet from Queen's University

Queen's University (from Kingston, Ontario) has just mailed to the school an info sheet that outlines some key information about their school. I have taken the liberty to scan the document, and am sharing that with you right now.

Please note the admission averages, the procedures for application for awards and scholarships, important dates, etc. For more information, go to Queen's website (click here) to find out.

Click here to view the info sheet (click here)