ARE YOU APPLYING TO UNIVERSITY? READ!

If only there was an article like the one that was printed in Monday's Globe and Mail I would have stressed less about my applications.

Grade 12 graduating high school students are applying to university and have no idea what to expect. Everyone goes through this process for the "first" time. January 13th is the last day to make the decisions on where to go for post-secondary education. It's a hard process no doubt - it's your future! What's even scarier is ranking your top choices. I remember having the fear of thinking what if I don't get accepted to the second choice university because they see I've ranked them as 2nd. Then I wondered if they even saw what I ranked them. There's questions upon questions that usually get left unanswered because no "one" person has all the answers and sometimes questions like these are impossible to link to someone who might be able to give the answer.

Well, this is a lucky day for some of those students who might have questions that they haven't had answered yet. The big one I remember was. "IS IT ALL BASED ON MY MARKS!" George Granger, director of the Ontario Universities Application Center answers your question!

"There are some high demand or limited enrollment programs that require students to make other submissions such as personal essays. If you are going to be a music major, you have to prove ability. Fine ar programs want portfolios. Whether the number of programs asking for more information is rising, I can't say."

What could help you further is knowing that a new addition has been added to Carleton in particular (it could possibly be for other schools as well). This addition is called the co-curricular record. It is used as a way to display to employers or graduate schools extra-curricular activities. This means that what you do outside of school is just as important as what marks you are getting. This displays as a transcript similar to the one that holds all your university credits. So, keep this in mind at all times! Though Granger can't say whether programs are asking for more, I can say that they're definitely not asking for less so always try to make yourself stand out!

Another question I thought was important to future students and also parents was the fretting over application processes - meeting deadlines, know-hows and so on. In an effort to find out how to minimize the stress over applications Granger suggests:

"Get it done. At this stage, that is the best advice. Send the applications. You can always make adjustments later. For many students exams are coming and the results will have a bearing on if they get to go where they want. The need to keep focused on whats in front of them."

Granger makes a very important point! Don't stress over what you can't control, focus on what is right in front of you and the only thing you can control! If you're nervous or confused ask your parents for advice on what to do and how to do it!

For more Q and A's go to :http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/george-granger/article1426448/

Hope this helps! Good Luck with the applications! Don't fret either!