See also the Application package, with tips and tools to help you get into the school you want

Going to elite high schools helps students when they apply for university

FICTION: All students are equal in the eyes of admissions. "This is one of the questions I get when I meet high school students: 'Does it matter where I went?' " says Kim Bartlett, director of admissions at McGill University. "It really is based on academic achievement, and not on whether or not you went to a fancy high school. An 85 % puts people on the same footing no matter what the school."

Students are enrolling in university programs in droves during the current economic downturn

FACT: General business and computing degrees are currently in demand at Simon Fraser University, says its director of enrollment Dr. Mehran Kiai. Liberal arts programs, science and law are also proving popular right now, but as McGill's Ms. Bartlett notes, popularity can fluctuate, "computer science became less popular after the dot.com crash, but this is changing again."

Students don't need to do anything creative on their application to get it noticed

FICTION: Applications to most programs are standardized across the country, with online forms being the norm. Extraneous information is often not appreciated in busy admissions offices. But that doesnít stop some students being creative, says Sherisse Sy of UBC. ìOne time a student sent a couriered package to our office and it included songs she had written and a photo collage of herself. These were things that she thought would allow us to get to know her better.

A Liberal Arts degree will not get graduates a good job

FICTION: Ms. Sy says a general arts degree is useful for students who donít know what careers they want to follow. "They donít realize that many prolific people like politicians or business people have started with a liberal arts degree." Ms. Bartlett says, "I am a big fan of the good old BA. It teaches students how to write, how to think, how to organize themselves."

FICTION: However, extracurricular activities may help you get scholarships, especially entrance and memorial scholarships, which may require community involvement and volunteer activities, says SFUís Dr. Kiai. ìAdmission is solely on academics, but we have hundreds of scholarships, many with very differing requirements,î he says.

Admissions officers can help high school students get their academic path right

FACT: Admissions departments do more than rubber stamp applications. Ms. Sy occasionally answers questions from Grade 9 and Grade 10 pupils on how they can get accepted by the university and faculty they've set their hearts on. "We tell them to concentrate on taking courses that they feel they do well in and reflect their interests," she says. "I've had a few students who force themselves to take math when they aren't math-type students, and they're only going to continue to struggle. We try to introduce them to programs where they don't require it."

Students don't have to apply themselves to their studies until Grade 12, because grades don't count until the last year of high school

FICTION: Merike Remmel, assistant registrar at the University of Toronto, says that their earliest decisions about applicants take place each February and this means looking at Grade 11 marks.

Ms. Bartlett agrees and adds: "In order to get top grades in 12, you need to lay a strong foundation in Grade 11."

Students are good at preparing their applications and finding out what they need to know about their prospective courses

FICTION: "Anyone looking at university should really do a self-assessment and reflect deeply on their choices," said Ms. Remmel. "They should ask themselves about what they like to do and what they are good at. They should think about what their interests are and their strengths." Ms. Bartlett says students need to consider the full range of possibilities. The 300 program choices at McGill can be confusing for those who are unprepared, and students often opt for obvious programs when a little more research would reveal less known career options. "At the high schools we get question after question on biomedical studies, but we have to remind the students there are many paths, many possible careers even within that subject," she says.