Calendar of Important Dates (January)

2009 will soon be a thing of history, and I know things will get extremely busy for many of you once 2010 rolls around. Here are some important dates of note in the first month of 2010:

• Jan 4: School re-opens
• Jan 4: Self-reporting phase 2 opens for early admission at UVic
• Jan 5: Applications begin for entrance scholarships at Kwantlen
• Jan 10 - 11: Grad photo sessions at Artona
• Jan 11: Mental Health Workshops for Counsellors at VSB - I will not be in my office that morning
  
• Jan 12: Education and Career Fair at the Telus World of Science (aka Science World)
• Jan 15: Final application deadline for Emily Carr
• Jan 21: Counsellors Conference at Capilano University - I will not be in my office
  
• Jan 22: Lunch Envelopes due at school
  
• Jan 26 - 28: 3 blog nights at BCIT
• Jan 27 (tentative): Grades 8 - 11 Information Night at Templeton
• Jan 30: Super Tour at SFU

Before you know it, the new year will be here... 6 months to go until GRAD!

Update: UBC Self-reporting Process

I have just received an e-mail from Andrew Arida, associate director of enrolment at UBC.

In regards to self-reporting grades, as I have mentioned earlier, UBC will only accept grades from two sources: your self-reported grade from an actual report card, or grades that are sent to them by the Ministry of Education. A student asked earlier if you are supposed to report your first term grades, your second term grades, or a blended first-second term set of grades.

According to Mr. Arida, UBC wants its applicants to report their SECOND TERM GRADES, since those grades, barring errors, should match the grades sent to them through the Ministry of Education. So, to avoid any confusions or delays in your application process, please make sure that you self-report your second term percentages when you are prompted to do so in your UBC application (you can still apply to UBC prior to this date, of course, and should).

I hope this help clarifies the situation. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

As for VLN grades, as I have said in my last post, please make sure you are at least 50% through the course by March 1. This is the condition that VLN has set for its teachers to do the paper work to submit your marks to the Ministry. Still, you must ask your VLN teacher to submit the interim grade on your behalf.

VLN Courses and Post-secondary

This is just a note for all students who are currently taking an online course with VLN:

Your first term marks have just been sent to the school. In reviewing them, I've noticed that many of you have a comment from your teacher that you have only completed 10% or 5% of the course. Some of you have not even started on your introductory unit.

Please note: if you are planning to use a VLN course for post-secondary application, VLN will ONLY be sending your interim marks to the Ministry of Education if you have completed 50% of the course by March 1, 2010. Most post-secondary institutions, including UBC, would only accept an interim mark for online courses if it is submitted through the Ministry of Education. What this means is: if you do not have your course half-completed by March 1, you would not be allowed to use that course in your application! This could mean you not having your online course's mark to be used in calculating your admission average, or it could mean that you just do not have a sufficient number of grade 12 provincially-examinable courses to meet the minimal admission requirements! It is a serious enough issue that I must bring to your attention.

Please discuss your progress with your VLN teacher(s), and try to rectify the situation as soon as possible. Remember: your online course must be 50% completed by March 1 for you to request VLN to submit that interim mark to the Ministry of Education.

Update: from the UBC Counsellor's Info Day (3)

(... continued from yesterday's entry)

Below you can find the admission averages for UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan. For each program, you will see two percentages - the first one is the actual admission averages from August 2009; the second one is the PROJECTED admission averages for September 2010 admission. Please note: that admission average is only for your reference - the actual admission averages may be higher or lower, depending on the marks of the applicants.

UBC Vancouver's Admission Averages

• Applied Biology: 83%, low to mid-80s
• Arts (as a 1st choice): 84%, mid 80s
• Arts (as a 2nd choice): 86%, mid to high 80s
• *Commerce: 84%; 84%
• *Dental Hygiene: 67%, min. 67%
• *Engineering: 83%, low to mid 80s
• Food, nutrition and health: 83%, mid to high 80s
• Forestry: 75 to 78%, guaranteed at 80%
• *Human Kinetics: 88%, high 80s to low 90s
• *Midwifery: 67%; min. 67%
• *Music: 83%; min. 67%
• *Science: 88%; high 80s to low 90s

* indicates a program where broad based admission is mandatory/optional

UBC Okanagan's Admission Averages

• Arts: 72%; guaranteed at 75%
• Engineering: 75%; guaranteed at 75%
• Fine Arts: 67%; min 67%
• Human Kinetics: 75%; high 70s to low 80s
• Management: 73%; mid to high 70s
• Nursing: 80%; low tomid 80s
• Pre-pharmacy: 73%; guaranteed at 75%
• Science: 73%; guaranteed at 75%

Once again, these averages are listed for your reference only. Be realistic when you are applying for a specific program (e.g. if you have mid-70s on your term 1 report card, it may be difficult for you to be admitted into UBC Vancouver's Faculty of Science), but don't lose heart if your averages are not high enough - some programs used broad based admission that would help the students who are outstanding in other areas. You may also want to consider university transfer programs if your grades are far below these listed admission averages.

For more information or assistance, please come in and see me.

Update: from the UBC Counsellor's Info Day (2)

(continued from yesterday's entry)

Program Updates:

• Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology: this new program is for students who enjoy biology, but does not want to be enrolled in the "traditional" science program where you have to complete first year physics courses. The program has an environmental, sustainability focus.
• Pre-med Alternative Path in Engineering: open to 25 students only, this Bachelor of Applied Science (Engineering) program would prepare you for applying for the Faculty of Medicine. Biology 12 is a requirement for application into this program, but the course can be completed in the summer of 2010, prior to your entry into the program in September of 2010.
• Faculty of Arts' new degree requirements: grade 12 language (or equivalent), 6 credits of literature, 6 credits of science, plus the new 6 credits of writing and research (to be done in Year 1 and 4). This replaces the 6 credits of first-year English requirement for all BA students (except if you will be majoring in English).

Self-Admission Process:

• Self-admission will begin in later March/early April
• UBC will only accept self-reporting from two sources: your term 2 report card and grades reported directly from the Ministry of Education
• UBC will not accept any grades from a distance-education course unless the grades are reported via one of the above two methods
• If you are taking an online course through the Vancouver Learning Network (VLN), you can ask your teacher to submit your mark to the Ministry of Education (thereby fulfilling the second requirement) ONLY IF you have completed over 50% of the course by March 1 (no exception!)
  
• Once your grades are reported, you will be immediately notified as to whether you have been admitted to UBC or not.
  
• UBC will request documents directly from you if discrepancy exists between your self-reported grades and the interim grades sent by the Ministry of Education.
  
• Offer of admission must be accepted by June 1, 2010 or your offer would be withdrawn
• Once you have accepted the admission offer, a registration date will be given to you around mid-June.
• Registration for courses in September 2010 starts in July 2010 - register early before the courses are filled up!

(...to be concluded)

Update: from the UBC Counsellor's Info Day (1)

There are quite a few pieces of information from UBC that may be of interest to you. I will try to organize them in a logical fashion. Feel free to contact me, or any of the academic advisors from UBC for more details and/or information.

Applying to UBC:

• General admission's application requirements: High school graduation; English 12 + 3 grade 12 courses (provincially examinable courses). Please note: program-specific requirements would be beyond this basic set of requirements.
  
• Admission average: would be calculated based on English 12 and the three grade 12 examinable courses. The courses UBC will look at differ from faculty to faculty.
• Broad Based Application: some programs use broad based admission, in which supplementary info about activities and achievements outside of the classroom is used in addition to academics to select qualified applicants. Broad based application is mandatory for some programs (e.g. Sauder School of Business, the school of performing arts) and optional for others (e.g. Faculty of Science, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Human Kinetics). For more information, go to BBA's website: Click here
• English Language Admission Requirements (this is different from 1st year English proficiency requirements): you must have studied three years in a Canadian school OR meet the admission standard through an English proficiency tests (e.g. TOEFL), OR receive 70% or above from your English 12 PROVINCIAL EXAM to apply to UBC.
• 1st Year English Requirements: Almost all first year programs require 6 credits (= 2 courses) of first-year English. In order to take these courses, you must either achieve 75% in English 12 (blended mark OR school mark) OR obtain a level 5 from the LPI.
• For those of you who are confused about the difference between admission English requirements and first-year English requirements, go to this former entry for a more detailed explanation: Click Here
  
• Applying to UBC: can be done online (click here). Be sure you have your biographical information, 2 program choices, and your provincial examination number (PEN) ready.
• Choosing your program: priority would be given to students who have a specific program as their first choice - be mindful when you are declaring your 1st and 2nd choice.
  
• After you have submitted your application, you should receive an e-mail acknowledging that your application has been received. In the e-mail, you will be given a temporary UBC student number, as well as detailed directions to access UBC's student information system called the SSC.

(to be continued...)

Two Scholarship Opportunities

Two scholarship packages have arrived, from University Canada West and Vancouver College of Art and Design, respectively.

University of Canada West (UCAN) offers 500 scholarships for high school students. Students who meet the qualifications outlined in the scholarship entry form (you can see me for the form) can submit a 350 to 500-word essay detailing the value of learning in a multicultural environment. You would also need to submit your academic and community service history.

More details can be found on UCAN's scholarship program's website: Click here

Vancouver College of Art and Design offers over 50 scholarships to high school students. The scholarships include full-tuition scholarships, half-tuition scholarships, and 50 partial-tuition scholarships. Eligible entrants must meet the eligibility requirements and the individual program entry requirements that are outlined in the scholarship package (you can come see me for the package).

More details can be found of VCAD's scholarship program's website: Click here

Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program

The Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program gives out twenty awards, valued at $5000 each, for students who have achieved excellence in academics and extra-curricular activities, and demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the environment.

Application forms and information can be found online: click here

Applications and supporting documents must be POSTMARKED by February 28, 2010 (the first version of this post said "received," which was an error - sorry for any confusion/mis-information).

Vancouver Education and Career Fair

The Education and Career Fairs are the Largest Career Planning Events in British Columbia. This year, the Vancouver Education and Career Fair will be held at the Telus World of Science (a.k.a. Science World) on January 12, 2010 (Tuesday).

The fair contains exhibits in a trade show format with feature areas along with seminars, and is designed to help attendees develop or change their career path. Institutions and private schools are in attendance from Alberta, Ontario, USA, and international. The Fair introduces a variety of post-secondary education choices, career and employment options and provide labour market information.

For a complete list of exhibitors and for more information, you can go to the fair's official website: click here

Templeton will be receiving a number of complimentary tickets for the afternoon. If you are interested in attending, please see Mr. Hayes at the Career Center.

Update from BCIT Information Day

The BCIT Counsellor's Day proved to be a very fruitful experience for me, and I hope it will be for you as well, especially if you don't know too much about BCIT to begin with.

First off, some pieces of information about BCIT that you may not know:

• Trades programs at BCIT have a non-competitive admission process. What that means as: as long as you meet the application requirements, you will be admitted into the program or into the program's waitlist.
  
• Some trades programs have a pre-entry test that you need to write. Sample tests can be found by clicking here.
• The technology programs at BCIT offer certificate, diploma, and degree options. Certificate programs usually last a year, diploma programs take two years to complete, and degree programs take 3/4 years to complete.
  
• Many technology programs allow you to enroll first into the "lower" option to start. Following its completion, you can choose to leave the program (but receive the certificate/diploma based on what course work you have completed) or to proceed to finish the "higher" option(s). For example, after a year in the certificate program, you can choose to stay one more year to finish your diploma, or you can graduate with your certificate - no time would be wasted!
• The successful employment rate for BCIT graduates is well renowned. For its degree programs, 98% of its students are successful in finding a job in the related field. Diploma graduates have a 82% successful employment rate in their area of study.
• Salaries for BCIT graduates are very competitive.
  

A lot of people have this notion that BCIT is not a post-secondary institution for high school graduates. While BCIT has a large proportion of students who did not enter straight out of high school, mature high school students who are willing to work hard can be very successful at BCIT as well. The recruiting officers describe a successful BCIT applicant (from high school) as one who is:

• a hard worker
• involved in campus communities
• willing to interact with staff/students
• willing to collaborate in learning
• knows how to use library and student resources
• has good supporting network
• has good mental activities (exercises, sports, hobbies)

I have a bunch of resources from the various BCIT programs for you to look through. Please pop by my office if you are interested.

Update: Langara College

Here's some updated information from Langara College, from the information session for counsellors on December 2:

• Provincial Exam Requirements: English 12/English Literature 12 is the only provincially-examinable course where you must write your provincial exam for admission purposes. All other provincial exams are optional.
• Communications 12 and Admission: You can be admitted into Langara with Communications 12 credit. However, course registration would be restricted. You can waive the restrictions by taking the Langara English Test (LET) or the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) exam and performing up to admission standard.
  
• Nursing: There is a long wait-list for students who are applying for the nursing program. You are allowed to take arts/science courses that are a part of the program prior to admission to lessen your course load should you be admitted into nursing later.
  
• As discussed in the past, Langara's arts and science university transfer program operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. You should apply early to save yourself a seat.
• Course Planning Sessions: For students who will be on the university transfer program at Langara, Langara will be hosting course planning sessions from January to April in 2010. Most sessions run from 4:00 - 5:30, so you can commute to Langara after class to attend. You can sign up for these general sessions, then book an individual session to sit down with an academic advisor who can provide program-specific advice for you. For more information, click here.
• Social Media Contacts: Langara uses a variety of social media websites to get in touch with you. You can find Langara on Facebook (click here), Twitter (click here), or YouTube (click here). These are some great ways to learn more about Langara.
  

Graduation Transitions - Physical Activity Log

Students continue to ask about the expectations to the physical activity log. To the best of my knowledge, here are a few pieces of information that hopefully will help clear the confusion:

• The physical activity log is an ongoing piece of record that you need to fill out for terms 1, 2, and 3. You may use new forms when term 2 begins later this week, or you may continue to use your existing form until you run out of space.
• A physical activity log was collected last year - it fulfilled the daily physical activity requirement for your grade 11 year. You must continue to log your daily physical activities in your grade 12 year.
  
• The ministry of education has changed the recommended requirements for physical activities: instead of asking for 80 hours of physical activities for the year, you now have to engage in moderate to vigorous physical activities 150 minutes per week.
  
• Students currently taking PE 11/12 will have met the physical activity requirements - please ask your PE 11/12 teacher to sign your physical activity log.
  
• Students who took PE 11/12 last year cannot use last year's course credit to fulfill this year's physical activity requirements.
• The 150-minute number is the general amount of physical activities you are expected to engage in on a weekly basis. While it is acceptable (and understandable) that you may not be able to meet that 150-minute mark every week, you are expected to engage in, on average, 150 minutes of physical activities every week.
  

I hope this helps make the expectations of the physical activity log clear. If you still have any questions, please see Ms. Mogyorosi, Ms. Ward, or myself.