POST-SECONDARY PLANNING
The website EducationPlanner.ca is a very good source to start with when planning your post-secondary education. For a wider scope, students are encouraged to check out the resources available at globecampus.ca.
If you are planning to attend college or university in the next year you need to be aware of the following:
If you are planning to attend college or university in the next year you need to be aware of the following:
- What program do I want to take?
- Do I have the necessary academic prerequisites and admission requirements?
- What colleges or universities offer the program I am interested in applying for?
- It is wise to apply to at least 3 different post-secondary institutions.
- Most post-secondary institutions provide view books, which outline the programs they offer and prerequisites for those programs, as well as explaining the application process, scholarships, and housing. Often the view books are much easier to use than school websites.
- We recommend that applications be done by late December or early January. The earlier you apply the earlier you will be able to register for the course you need. Many students are finding that courses are full when they go to register and this becomes very distressing to them when they can only enroll in three courses and are put on waiting lists.
- Many colleges and universities demand that students apply on-line. In order to apply on-line you will need to know your Provincial Education Number (available on your report card or from the office), the program and or faculty you wish to enroll in and have access to a VISA or MASTERCARD number and expiry date. You can apply on-line with counsellors if you are unsure of the process or of the questions being asked. Some colleges and universities provide paper application forms which are available from the counsellors and can be double-checked by the counsellors before being mailed.
- At the end of your on-line application process you will get confirmation that they have received your application, payment, often a student number and further directions. Please be sure to make a hard copy of that information. If you have mailed in your application you will receive a letter acknowledging your application and a student number.
- Post-secondary institutions will often direct the student to either self-declare their courses and grades on the application website or have the school send in a transcript with grades of courses completed and courses that you are enrolled in. The post-secondary institutions uses these methods to check that you are enrolled in all the necessary prerequisite courses and in some cases to give early admission based on outstanding grades. You can see the counsellor to have a transcript sent away.
- You will also need to check the status of your application and make sure that the post-secondary institution has received and processed things that they have requested. This is usually done via the account you have on the university's website or with your personal email. NOTE: Make sure that you have decreased the filters on your email account.
- Post-Secondary Institution Choices Form (PSI). This form assists students applying to post-secondary institutions by sending a copy of their transcript to post-secondary institutions indicated on the form in late July, after government exams are marked and graduation has been achieved.
- The PSI Choices Form link is available in February at the secure student website. Click on student secure Web icon. Students must select their choices by June 30, 2012.
- If you are requesting a transcript be sent to a post-secondary institution that is not listed on the online form please see the counselors to fax a special request to the Ministry. A student may make a maximum of 6 choices. Additional requests can be made for a fee by completing a form at the Ministry of Education website
- There is a separate process and application deadline for residence. Check the view book.
- UBC and SFU have English 12 requirements. Make sure to check their view book, calendar or website for details. Students may be required to write an LPI (Language Proficiency Index) test. LVR is offering a sitting of the LPI on Thursday, April 9, 2012.
- The post-secondary institutions will inform you of your conditional acceptance to their institution between February and August depending on your grades and/or whether they are waiting to receive final grades from the Ministry of Education.