Posts tagged with applications.
Applications: Have a Plan B
I was recently reminded how time consuming applying to university can be.
For my two oldest, deciding which schools and programs to apply to was only the beginning. Next came filling out a kazillion application forms, hunting down the accompanying paperwork, and then providing tons of supporting documents.
It practically became a full-time job.
My kids worried about meeting deadlines, while still trying to make sure their applications were as competitive as possible. Some programs even required fairly detailed autobiographical essays.
Last year they visited over half a dozen schools, went to several open houses, and explored the web sites of numerous others, before narrowing it down to three final choices.
In the end, the University of Toronto, Waterloo, and McMaster made the short list.
Next they considered the entrance scholarships each school was offering, and weighed that against which school appealed to them most overall before making their final choice.
As their parent, I knew my role was to just mainly listen as they thought out loud about what mattered most to them. All three of the schools they had applied to are excellent universities, each with unique strengths.
Waterloo is known for its excellent engineering and co-op programs.
McMaster is where both of my kids hope to end up one day for med school.
And Toronto is one of the largest and most respected schools in the country.
It was interesting to listen as my kids discussed their personal ranking system, weighing the pros and cons of each school, while debating the strengths and weaknesses of each program.
Choosing the right school and program is a very personal decision. Some students prefer a smaller school; others thrive in a larger, more urban setting. Sometimes the program dictates the school since not all schools offer all programs. (Well, except for maybe U of T, of course. Is there any program that school doesn't offer?)
If your child wants to, for example, go into teaching, journalism, nursing, or social work, then their choices will be limited and guided by which schools actually offer those specific programs. My kids were interested in engineering, health sciences, or biology for their undergraduate degrees. Which meant a lot of excellent choices when it came to which school to go to.
It's important for students to try and visit the campus of any university they're seriously considering. For example, after visiting numerous campuses, my kids were convinced they wanted to attend a mid-sized school. They both liked the idea of U of T in principal, but once they actually visited the campus, they decided they preferred Waterloo or McMaster.
My husband and I acted as sounding boards as our kids speculated about what to do if they didn't get accepted into their first choice program. Or their first choice school. Or won the lottery and got accepted everywhere they applied to.
As we got closer to the time when most schools send out early acceptance letters, my kids became a little obsessed with the mail delivery.
Although they both graduated from high school with high GPAs (in the low 90s) and seemed like excellent candidates for the programs they applied to, neither of them got accepted into their first choice.
I was shocked.
My kids were disappointed and upset for a couple of days but then regrouped, and moved on to plan B, after both were accepted into their second choices.
And of course now they're utterly convinced it was their first choice all along.
Tagged with
acceptance,
applications,
university
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KATHY DOBSON 
