Posts tagged with kindergarten.
Start planning for university in kindergarten
Grade 11 marks don't matter. Going to an elite high school will pay off when you apply for university. And a liberal arts degree won't get you a good job. What do all these statements have in common? According to an article in the Globe and Mail's Canadian University Report, they're all myths.
The article addresses many commonly-held misconceptions and beliefs about applying to university.
As a parent of two university students, I wish I had been able to read that article a couple of years ago. Heck, I think it should be handed out to parents when our children start kindergarten.
Apparently one of the biggest myths when it comes to university applications is that only Grade 12 marks matter. To be honest, I can't imagine too many students actually believing they don't have to bother working hard until their final year of high school. There are always exceptions, of course, but by the time you reach high school, I think you either already have a work ethic or you don't. It's not something you can just decide to suddenly try on for size when you hit Grade 12.
In the Globe's article, an assistant registrar at the University of Toronto says that Grade 11 marks do, in fact, matter since, as early as February, universities are choosing their future students - meaning they have to look at Grade 11 marks to make their decisions.
Yet, although universities might not be making decisions based on your transcripts from Grades 9 and 10 - which show all those A's or F's - by the time you reach Grade 11, your post-secondary future could already be decided. Getting into a particular program might require Grade 12 biology, chemistry or physics ... which requires Grade 11 biology, chemistry or physics ... which requires Grade 9 and 10 science.
Of course, the decisions you make in Grade 9 aren't necessarily irreversible. Many universities offer introductory courses that are equivalent to the mandatory high-school courses, such as an introductory math or biology course. And entering Grade 12 biology without a background in Grade 11 biology, or Grade 9 and 10 science, isn't impossible. But each decision you make - starting with that Grade 9 science course and ending with that application to a university program - gets harder and harder to change.
In a couple of months, my son David is going to have to make some crucial decisions that could affect the direction of the rest of his education. He's currently in Grade 8. Grade 9 is when you decide which path you'll be following for high school - academic, applied, or trade. If he plans to take the university route - which means the academic path - next, he'll need to know if, for example, he hopes to pursue the sciences, since most university programs require specific high-school prerequisites.
This means that David will have to know already, at 13, which direction he plans to take in university (of course, assuming he even goes to university). David will be making some decisions that could seriously affect his entire adult life, while still a kid.
I've been down this road before. My two oldest children are enrolled in their second year of university. Not wanting to limit their future options, they both took every math and science course they could during their high-school years. It meant they didn't limit themselves when it came time to apply to university.
But not every student enjoys math and sciences. Not every student wants to pursue the sciences or math at the post-secondary level, either. And not every student, at age 13, is mature enough to work for the marks they'll need in order to be competitive when it comes time to apply to their university and program of choice, either.
The Globe's article said, "In order to get top grades in 12, you'll need to lay a strong foundation in Grade 11." I agree. But I think our children need a strong foundation in place even before they get to grade 11.
Starting right from the beginning, as early as elementary school, we need to ensure our kids are developing a strong work ethic all along.
Each grade truly builds on the one before in terms of laying the groundwork to build on the higher grades.
We're kidding ourselves as parents if, years later, when our child is entering Grade 11 or 12, we believe they'll suddenly somehow turn over a new leaf because now they're in the "important" grade, where marks really matter.
(Editor's note: If you're interested in other articles in the magazine, you can download it or read the articles online.)
Tagged with
kindergarten,
school,
12,
grade,
university,
high,
application,
planning,
marks,
elementary,
myths
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