SFU Super Tour

The final Super Tour for the 2010 school year at SFU's Burnaby campus will take place on April 10, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (registration begins at 9:15 a.m.).

This event is designed to introduce prospective students and their families to SFU's programs, campus, current students and professors, and to the advising staff. It is a guided tour led by SFU students, and a great way to experience what SFU has to offer.

The following is an overview of the event:

• Introductions and student life keynote
• Program/Faculty Q&A Session
• Snacks and guided tour
• Faculty and advisor meet and and greet
• Closing keynote

The Supertour is free to register, but you must register first as spaces for program-specific tours have limited spaces. To register, go to the Tours site at SFU (click here) and choose the "book a supertour" option.

SFU Application Deadline is Feb 28, 2010

As a lot of our students plan to attend SFU, this is a friendly but rather urgent reminder that the application deadline for admission and most entrance scholarships is February 28, 2010 (Sunday). For any documents that need to be mailed in, you should definitely have them ready to be sent out today or tomorrow at the latest. Electronic applications and forms can still be completed during the weekend (though I would encourage you to finish them early too), but the post office will not be working during the weekend.

If you are having trouble with the application process, please don't hesitate to contact someone at SFU, or you can come in to see me.

SFU Crime and Technology Fair

The School of Criminology at SFU, in collaboration with the International Cybercrime Research Centre (ICRC) and Policing of Cyberspace (POLCYB), will be hosting an event called the Crime and Technology Fair on January 21 in the SFU Surrey Campus. Here are some details of the event:

Location: Grand Hall (Mezzanine Level) at the SFU Surrey Campus (250 - 13450 - 102nd Avenue, Surrey, B.C.)
Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010
Time: 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE

The event will feature four speakers: Sgt Bev Csikos from the RCMP, Special Agent David Thompson from the United States Secret Service, James Whiting, a prosecutor from the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and Inspector Kevin McQuiggin from the forensic services section of VPD. This is an excellent opportunity for those who are interested in the area of criminology and law enforcement.

To register, or to learn more, you can e-mail crimrsvp@sfu.ca

SFU's Solutions for the Future Competition

For students applying to SFU, here's a competition that could earn you a $2000 SFU tuition award, a laptop computer, or a t-shirt.

The SFU Solutions for the Future competition requires you to explore the programs that SFU offers, and submit a short paragraph to tell how their programs can combine to solve a problem or play a role in what you think the future needs.For more information, go to the "Solutions for the Future" website by clicking here.

SFU Admission Information (Part 2)

(continued from the last post)

Admission Average

• For programs that have no specific course requirements: admission averages would be calculated based on your English 12 (with a minimum 60% blended mark) and three other provincially examinable grade 12 courses.
• For programs with specific course requirements: admission averages would be calculated based on your English 12 mark + the program-specific provincially examinable grade 12 courses (up to 3) + other provincially examinable grade 12 courses
• For example, the Faculty of Business Administration requires that you have Principles of Math 12 credit. In calculating your admission average, therefore, they will look at your English 12 mark, Principles of Math 12 mark, plus two provincially-examinable grade 12 course marks
• In Fall 2009, the admission averages ranged from 75% to 90%, depending on the program

English Language & Literacy Requirement (after admission) - you need to complete one of the following:

• Obtain a grade of 75% or higher in English 12 and/or English Literature 12, OR
• Obtain a grade of 60 to 74% in English 12 or English Literature 12, and have a level 4 on the essay portion of the LPI + 50% on all other parts, OR
• Obtain a grade of 60 yo 74% in English 12 or English Literature 12, and complete FAL X99-4 at SFU with at least a C grade.

Quantitative & Analytical Skills Requirement (Math) - you need to complete one of the following:

• Obtain a grade of 70% or higher in Principles of Math 11 or Principles of Math 12 or Applications of Math 12, OR
• Obtain a grade of 60 to 69% in the above math course(s), and achieve a grade of at least 20/30 in the SFU Quantitative Placement Test within your first term at SFU.
• Obtain a grade of 60 to 69% in the above math course(s), and take the SFU course FAN X99-4, and achieve at least a C grade within your first 3 terms at SFU.

Admission Notifications

• Conditional offers for admission will begin to be mailed out in January of 2010, and will continue until mid-April
• Conditional offers are made only to a student's first choice of program

SFU Admission Information (Part 1)

A lot of information was given from the SFU Counsellor's Day. Here are some pointers that are important for you:

Application Process

• SFU Application has started already. Please note, applications can only be done online.
• For early admission and most scholarships, application deadline is Feb 28, 2010.
• Students who wish to apply for residence should apply early, as spaces are limited.

Self-Reporting Grades

• The student portal where you can self-report your interim grades opens on Dec 15, 2009
• You need to report your final grade 11 and interim grade 12 marks (i.e. Term 1's marks)
• For distributed learning courses (e.g. online courses), you can self-report your interim grade. You MUST advise the educational institution (e.g. VLN) to report your final grade to the Ministry of Education if you want to use that course for application purposes.

Grade 11/12 Pre-requisites for General Admission Requirements

• You must complete English 11, a Language 11, Principles of Math 11, and a Science 11 for general admission
• If you have taken a challenge exam to fulfil your language 11 requirement, you must self-report this grade
• For grade 12 courses, you need to have English 12 and 3 approved grade 12 provincially examinable courses
• Please note: having completed the required courses for general admission does NOT mean you have the required courses for a specific faculty. Please check the individual program-specific requirements for the faculty/program you are interested in.
• You must WRITE the English 12 provincial exam. The mark from the exam would only be USED if it increases your admission average.

Simon Fraser University: Admission Cycle Timeline

I went to SFU Surrey yesterday to attend its counsellor's information day. For the next few days, I will be putting up some of the pointers that are of particular importance to you (so please come back to this site often to check out the most updated information). For today, I will start off by giving you SFU's admission cycle, or its list of dates:

2009 Dates

• Starting Now: Application opens for Fall 2010 admission
• Nov 1: Bursary applications for Fall 2010 students open
• Nov 28: "Supertour" of SFU's Burnaby campus
• Dec 15: The self-reporting portal opens for students to report their term 1 school marks

2010 Dates

• Jan 15: Conditional admission and scholarship offers begin, based on your self-reported grades
• Jan 30: "Supertour" of SFU's Burnaby campus
• Feb 28: Deadline to apply for early admission and most major entrance scholarship (I will tell you about scholarship application and financial aid in another post)
• Mar 4: SFU Surrey's Open House
• Apr 10: "Supertour" of SFU's Burnaby campus
• Apr 21: SFU Surrey Information Session
• Apr 30: Regular application deadline for admission
• May (early): SFU begins receiving your term 2 marks from the Ministry of Education. Please note, you must have given permission for us to release your marks to SFU for this to happen.
• May 28: SFU Burnaby Information Evening
• June (mid): Enrollment/Registration information sent to students
• June 30: Deadline to submit a personal information profile for diverse qualification applicants
• July 7: Enrollment for Fall 2010 semester begins
• Aug 1: New offers of admission and scholarships based on your final grade 12 mark (if applicable)
• Sept 7: Classes begin for the fall 2010 semester