Worried About Grade 12. Can you help?

[don_lee103]

Hello,
I will be going into Grade 12 and I really would like to go to within these 4 universities.
1. University of Toronto
2. Mcguil University
3. University of British Columbia
4. Simon Fraser University.

I want to get into Applied Science in university and head my way to Medical school after I graduate it.
I just finished my Grade 11 with %80 avg. (Math, French, Socials, etc.. counting the course that universities look for)
I'm very worried about it because I will need a +%85 to get in to universities for sure but my English is not very good either (I just finished my english with %71. I havent done the provincial though which I expect another huge drop)
How is Grade 12 compared to Grade 11?
For grade 11, I had to take all the courses that I was weak at such as French, Socials etc.
I'm good at math, I have gotten %93 on Math 11 last year.
What do you guys recommend?
This whole post secondary school is killing me with all the stress... It just never gets easier.. LIFE IS HARD.
Is there anything that I should prepare myself for?
Any comments will be appreciated..
Thanks
Don

[morpheiz]

My advice if you want to get into Med School.. don't go to U of T for Life Science. It's very competitive and all my friends but one ended up wanting to do something else (Pharmacy).

[ChonChon]

dont go to McGill it leans more towards the arts (music, drama, etc mostly Music)...UofT also has amazing music programs, but i agree about the Science course there.

[don_lee103]

dont go to McGill it leans more towards the arts (music, drama, etc mostly Music)...UofT also has amazing music programs, but i agree about the Science course there.
I know.. there are a lot of smart people going there...
I dont even know If I even want to get in to the medical school yet because ive heard that it's really hard and takes a long time.
I'm thinking of going into computer science as a second option.
How did you guys prepare yourselves in gr.12??
Will a person with %80 avg in gr.11 have even a change to get %85?? (English.%71 so I need to avg that up with something else)

[ch1nkyfl1p]

definitely listen to the life sci and uoft comment. from what i hear, everyone in uoft's life sci program is aiming for medschool, dentistry or graduate studies. as a result, it's madly competitive with each person only looking out for themselves. with that said, i want to go to medschool after undergrad too =), but be aware that medical school is very competitive as are the other two popular options. so take an undergrad program you wouldnt mind being in, IN THE EVENT THAT YOU DONT MAKE MEDSCHOOL. that's what made me opt out of life sci for undergrad. check out the options of what you can do AFTER you graduate. hopefully medschool admissions get better in ontario with uwaterloo opening a medschool soon too =). *fingers crossed* good luck =).

[red_roses101]

I know.. there are a lot of smart people going there...
I dont even know If I even want to get in to the medical school yet because ive heard that it's really hard and takes a long time.
I'm thinking of going into computer science as a second option.
How did you guys prepare yourselves in gr.12??
Will a person with %80 avg in gr.11 have even a change to get %85?? (English.%71 so I need to avg that up with something else)

Well you have the right to have 6 courses, allowing you to spend more time focusing on each course, and time to set-up a study session at school.

[don_lee103]

definitely listen to the life sci and uoft comment. from what i hear, everyone in uoft's life sci program is aiming for medschool, dentistry or graduate studies. as a result, it's madly competitive with each person only looking out for themselves. with that said, i want to go to medschool after undergrad too =), but be aware that medical school is very competitive as are the other two popular options. so take an undergrad program you wouldnt mind being in, IN THE EVENT THAT YOU DONT MAKE MEDSCHOOL. that's what made me opt out of life sci for undergrad. check out the options of what you can do AFTER you graduate. hopefully medschool admissions get better in ontario with uwaterloo opening a medschool soon too =). *fingers crossed* good luck =).
Thanks for your advice.
What is the undergrad? I quite don't get that.
Also, I want to be a dentist or doctor. if I can't achieve this goal, I want to be a computer technician (like going in to Apple and work for them) but apparently, it's very hard to get a job there too... :( and you will most likely to get fired because of other freshmans.
Life is hard.

[skev13]

I pulled a 70 average all of high school. You gota put a big effort into studying hard, especially in the courses that you have trouble in. I ended up getting into UofT for Engineering with an 88% Grade 12 average.

[Truemana]

I'm assuming when you say Applied Science, you mean Engineering. I'm heading into my 3rd year of Electrical Engineering at the University of Victoria, and it's great. Smaller faculty but awesome place. Bigger universities are definately not better by any means. Victoria is a university city, meaning the city pretty much caters to all the students that live here.

Rent is cheap, for a good place close to campus prices sit around $500 a month per person or less. Tuition is comparable to UBC and SFU in my understanding. Housing on campus is guaranteed for first years if you meet the deadline they set.

If you want to go into medical, UVic is on it's way to becoming a medical school but isn't quite there yet. They have a UBC tailored program for transferring into med school. If you want to become computer tech, UVic has mandatory co-op for Engineering and overall the 3rd largest coop program in the country. Way easier to get a job afterwards. I got lots of friends who are working 4 month terms for IBM.

Anyway, that's my propaganda. It's a good place and very accessible.

Aaron

[oasis100]

if you are rich..you can always go to med school in the carribeans..its a route ppl with low avgs in life sci take.

[don_lee103]

I pulled a 70 average all of high school. You gota put a big effort into studying hard, especially in the courses that you have trouble in. I ended up getting into UofT for Engineering with an 88% Grade 12 average.
How did you manage to pull up your mark from %70 to %88 in grade 12?
thats pretty insane to me.
Also, Thanks for people who advise for me.
Do you know what minimum percentage that I need to get in order for me to secure a spot in post secondary school?
Some people say Over %88 but I have a SFU pamplet that if I have over %80, I'm guaranteed a spot and I think it would be around there for other universities as well.
Man.. Life is supposed to be fun and happy... not like this!!!!

[M@rk]

Well, it won't get easier, I can tell you that now.

But don't let the admission averages scare you. Near August, sometimes there are last minute spots available, so you still have a chance. An alternative is just to go into Arts first, and then transfer into the faculty you want after first year, because you don't need as high marks. (Though these are all strategies for the worst case scenario)

One thing I would suggest (if you're up for it) is to take AP courses like English, Chem, Physics, etc. if available. The reason is that UBC/SFU will translate your mark into 96% if you score a 5/5 on the AP exam, regardless of how you do in class or on provincials. However, if your class marks do end up being higher than 96%, UBC will take the higher one, so that's 2 chances. Also, for classes like AP English, we were able to take the early provincials, and then take it again in June if we wanted. The first time I scored 88%, was upset, but tried again and got 98% the second time.

If you don't have AP programs, don't worry. Try to get 100% in Math (it's easier than it sounds), and hopefully it'll balance out the English mark (which is out of your control). The other courses like chem and physics, your mark will depend on how much work you are willing to put in, so a high mark is absolutely possible. Just don't expect to be partying and working part-time jobs and being able to get high marks at the same time, it's rarely possible.

Needless to say, with the above strategies, I ended up with a 97.5% admission average and a pile of scholarships. And I know I'm not that smart a person, so don't automatically assume you're not smart enough to accomplish your goals. It's all about persistence and hard work.

Good Luck!

[adehbone]

you need more like a 88%+ atleast to apply for McGill Sciences.....which is one of the better known programs.....my friend is applying for med school now....
and alot of it has to do with your marks/MCAT/volunteering....but the tougher schools, UT/UBC/McGill/Queens/SFU/Waterloo prepare their students better for the MCAT and also in some cases the med school will take a candiate over a candiate at a smaller known school....

you really need to boost your grades and get well in the sciences.....but i would say choose the school which will have the best environment for you to succed....this is why i must agree with the UT warning, its not for everyone...but its a great program and education

i failed grade 11....cuz i partied too much....then got 91% avg in grade 12.....and 95% math avg...anything is possible.....gr 12 is the only yr of high school worth anything

[ch1nkyfl1p]

in order to get into medschool or any graduate level program, you first have to finish an undergrad program that normally lasts 4 years. if you intend to go to university after high school, you will be enrolling in an undergrad program. it's kind of like elementary, high school, undergrad, graduate/medschool/lawschool/MBA (if you choose the university route). try not to be so discouraged either! although i know what it feels like to be stressed for uni =(. hmm..considering you want to be in the computer field, something like computer engineering may be good for you, although competitive and a very hard program. if it's any help, i'm going into chemical engineering in the fall for first year and initially wanted to head to medschool after. yes, i know i'm crazy, but i know it's been done. @ least this way i know that if i dont get into medschool, i can do something i like. of course, if you do head down the engr route, you will need to make sure you have the proper prereqs for medschool admission. i learnt from a really young age, that you may have everything planned out, in terms of what you want to be when you grow up, but life is hard, i agree, and so you have to be ready and able to adapt. if medschool doesnt work out for me, hello MBA/BASc program =). try to make the most of it and good luck =)!

[Dark-Colonel]

Well, it won't get easier, I can tell you that now.

But don't let the admission averages scare you. Near August, sometimes there are last minute spots available, so you still have a chance. An alternative is just to go into Arts first, and then transfer into the faculty you want after first year, because you don't need as high marks. (Though these are all strategies for the worst case scenario)

One thing I would suggest (if you're up for it) is to take AP courses like English, Chem, Physics, etc. if available. The reason is that UBC/SFU will translate your mark into 96% if you score a 5/5 on the AP exam, regardless of how you do in class or on provincials. However, if your class marks do end up being higher than 96%, UBC will take the higher one, so that's 2 chances. Also, for classes like AP English, we were able to take the early provincials, and then take it again in June if we wanted. The first time I scored 88%, was upset, but tried again and got 98% the second time.

If you don't have AP programs, don't worry. Try to get 100% in Math (it's easier than it sounds), and hopefully it'll balance out the English mark (which is out of your control). The other courses like chem and physics, your mark will depend on how much work you are willing to put in, so a high mark is absolutely possible. Just don't expect to be partying and working part-time jobs and being able to get high marks at the same time, it's rarely possible.

Needless to say, with the above strategies, I ended up with a 97.5% admission average and a pile of scholarships. And I know I'm not that smart a person, so don't automatically assume you're not smart enough to accomplish your goals. It's all about persistence and hard work.

Good Luck!

Now when you say that, can you still at least try to get 10 - 15hrs a week? Like 5 hrs on a friday night and 5/10hrs on a saturday? I like what you have said but I'm entering grade 12 aswell however I'd like to keep my part time job down to at least 2 shifts weekends only though.

[Sgt_Strider]

Life is only going to get harder for you. If you're struggling to get a high average in high school, then chances are you're not going to be doing very well in university. Getting into med school is extremely hard so unless you work hard in university, you're not likely going to even have a shot.

If you're struggling with English, then perhaps you should consider getting a tutor.

[don_lee103]

Life is only going to get harder for you. If you're struggling to get a high average in high school, then chances are you're not going to be doing very well in university. Getting into med school is extremely hard so unless you work hard in university, you're not likely going to even have a shot.

If you're struggling with English, then perhaps you should consider getting a tutor.

I know.. I better throw this damn laptop out of my window and cut down on my sleeping time.
Also, I've heard that High schools don't prepare us for our post secondary education. Do you guys agree on this..
Wow for the person who got %97.5avg.. you are a smart guy..... I wish I could do that but I can't.....
Btw, I already have a tutor in English. I've acquired her last month. She told me to read more books but I don't think this will change my english writing by a lot...
Man, all these smart people are very discouraging me.. I wish I was smarter.

[viperharis]

our school prepares us i believe, but then again its special business program IBT GGMSS

[Dark-Colonel]

I know.. I better throw this damn laptop out of my window and cut down on my sleeping time.
Also, I've heard that High schools don't prepare us for our post secondary education. Do you guys agree on this..
Wow for the person who got %97.5avg.. you are a smart guy..... I wish I could do that but I can't.....
Btw, I already have a tutor in English. I've acquired her last month. She told me to read more books but I don't think this will change my english writing by a lot...
Man, all these smart people are very discouraging me.. I wish I was smarter.

Watch movies with subtitles and read hte subtitles, it's been proven to work :D

[red_roses101]

I know.. I better throw this damn laptop out of my window and cut down on my sleeping time.
Also, I've heard that High schools don't prepare us for our post secondary education. Do you guys agree on this..
Wow for the person who got %97.5avg.. you are a smart guy..... I wish I could do that but I can't.....
Btw, I already have a tutor in English. I've acquired her last month. She told me to read more books but I don't think this will change my english writing by a lot...
Man, all these smart people are very discouraging me.. I wish I was smarter.

But remember, not everyone is in the same district as you. Marks tend to be over/under-flated wherever you go. Some districts might be poor, bad schools, with careless teachers, easy to get high marks. Some places are wealthy, with good schools and strict teachers and then low marks.

[Sgt_Strider]

I know.. I better throw this damn laptop out of my window and cut down on my sleeping time.
Also, I've heard that High schools don't prepare us for our post secondary education. Do you guys agree on this..
Wow for the person who got %97.5avg.. you are a smart guy..... I wish I could do that but I can't.....
Btw, I already have a tutor in English. I've acquired her last month. She told me to read more books but I don't think this will change my english writing by a lot...
Man, all these smart people are very discouraging me.. I wish I was smarter.

Well I'm sorry if I insulted you, but it's true. If you're struggling in high school, what makes you think university will be any better? Just so you know, my first year average was 10% less than my grade 12 average. University is a lot harder than high school. Basically stupid people never enters university and you're competing with other intelligent people.

I use to have issues with English back in elementary school. I did what my grade 7 teacher told me and that was to read more books. My English isn't that good, but good enough to get a 5 on my LPI on my first try.

[don_lee103]

Well I'm sorry if I insulted you, but it's true. If you're struggling in high school, what makes you think university will be any better? Just so you know, my first year average was 10% less than my grade 12 average. University is a lot harder than high school. Basically stupid people never enters university and you're competing with other intelligent people.

I use to have issues with English back in elementary school. I did what my grade 7 teacher told me and that was to read more books. My English isn't that good, but good enough to get a 5 on my LPI on my first try.

Thanks for your reply.
I personally do think that the cause that is keeping me down from getting %85+ is because I don't try hard enough. Like what I have said before, I spend all my time with my laptop or sleep. This is why I'm selling my laptop before the gr.12 year starts because I really want to focus on studying.
I pretty much got that %80 without studying.. Maybe spent about 1/2 hours if there was a project but that was it..
I know that attending post secondary school is lot harder than high school. Although with some effort, I should be able to go through just fine... Hopefully.

[Sgt_Strider]

Thanks for your reply.
I personally do think that the cause that is keeping me down from getting %85+ is because I don't try hard enough. Like what I have said before, I spend all my time with my laptop or sleep. This is why I'm selling my laptop before the gr.12 year starts because I really want to focus on studying.
I pretty much got that %80 without studying.. Maybe spent about 1/2 hours if there was a project but that was it..
I know that attending post secondary school is lot harder than high school. Although with some effort, I should be able to go through just fine... Hopefully.

If you knew your English was weak, then why didn't you started working on it before? I'm not saying that you can't improve in a span of a year, but with the pressure to perform, it might be hard. I don't think selling the laptop is the right move. You're going to need a computer to do your homework. Your move sound drastic and seriously grade 12 can't be that hard. I actually thought grade 12 was easier than grade 8. I remember getting a 89% average in the third term of grade 12.

[don_lee103]

If you knew your English was weak, then why didn't you started working on it before? I'm not saying that you can't improve in a span of a year, but with the pressure to perform, it might be hard. I don't think selling the laptop is the right move. You're going to need a computer to do your homework. Your move sound drastic and seriously grade 12 can't be that hard. I actually thought grade 12 was easier than grade 8. I remember getting a 89% average in the third term of grade 12.
So what do you supposed that I do??
How did you improve your english? Just reading more books?
If you did read a book and improved your english, how many pages per day did you read?

[A_Nana]

Teachers decide ur mark not how smart you are. Im sorry but its tru... I went from honour roll in grade 11 to just barely making cutoff mark for university the next year. I went from like an 82 in English to a 70. It all depends on the teacher

[chriswalsh]

Do the best you can, theres nothing more you can do. If all the schools you want to apply to have high cut-offs, consider also applying to a less prestigious school as a backup.

Since you plan to go to med school anyways, where you get your undergrad shouldn't matter, I wouldnt think.

As other posters are saying, each teacher, and each school mark very differently. Where I went to high school the teachers actually TOLD US that if we wanted high marks, we should transfer to walkerton and we would get ~10% higher across the board. My school was more focussed on making our first year at university easier.

Although I left highschool with only an 80 average, I had no problem first year, while lots of my friends struggled (and many of them had highschool averages in the 90s).

[rajab04]

Thanks for your advice.
What is the undergrad? I quite don't get that.
Also, I want to be a dentist or doctor. if I can't achieve this goal, I want to be a computer technician (like going in to Apple and work for them) but apparently, it's very hard to get a job there too... :( and you will most likely to get fired because of other freshmans.
Life is hard.

If you are good at math why don't try Engineering. beleive me, it's really cool.
however, copmuter science is really competative right now. my two relatives
one from Mcmaster other from UofT, both computer engineers are out of jobs. their salaries are also too little to mentioned as an computer engineer.

[Sgt_Strider]

So what do you supposed that I do??
How did you improve your english? Just reading more books?
If you did read a book and improved your english, how many pages per day did you read?

It was at that time that I picked up the hobby of reading the newspaper and the news on the internet. I was never a fan of fiction material. I just educated myself by reading a lot of history books especially about World War II. I read a lot man. I remember spending my entire summer in the library reading and my mom taking me there on a almost daily basis.

I'm not you so I'm not sure what you have to do to improve your English. The best suggestion is to grab something that you like and just read. Just don't go and grab gaming magazines and read it and hope it'll improve your English. That is definitely not the way to go.

[Sgt_Strider]

Teachers decide ur mark not how smart you are. Im sorry but its tru... I went from honour roll in grade 11 to just barely making cutoff mark for university the next year. I went from like an 82 in English to a 70. It all depends on the teacher

Um...if a kid is really stupid and is destine to fail history 12 then he's going to fail. Even if this individual is a teacher's pet, the teacher is still going to fail him/her.

[Bskll]

i'm sort of in the same boat as you op, but i think i have a couple of things you can do:

1. enroll in something like kumon to help you do math, its cheap and if you stick to it, you can improve your math in a couple of months

2. to improve your english, you have to read with an eye for style + language. its not simple pick up harry potter and have a good time. Its more about you pausing while reading to dissect the author's arguments and how they structure it. One book i suggest you read is called "The Norton Reader", which is a collection of well-written essays + short stories that basically covers any writing assigment you'll encounter from now until Graduate school.

3. Remember that gr 12 is the trasition point of your life, and be determined to throw away all distractions that will bog you down. I personally have uninstalled every game from my comp so i'll actually do work now instead of just playing Dota.

4. Once you hit gr 12, its not that hard to get a 90+ average with only 6 courses.(at least in Ontario). Don't be discouraged by your gr 11 and try you hardest. At least you'll leave HS knowing you've done the best you can with what you have instead of regretting that you could've done much more.

Hope that Helps :)

[red_roses101]

i'm sort of in the same boat as you op, but i think i have a couple of things you can do:

1. enroll in something like kumon to help you do math, its cheap and if you stick to it, you can improve your math in a couple of months

2. to improve your english, you have to read with an eye for style + language. its not simple pick up harry potter and have a good time. Its more about you pausing while reading to dissect the author's arguments and how they structure it. One book i suggest you read is called "The Norton Reader", which is a collection of well-written essays + short stories that basically covers any writing assigment you'll encounter from now until Graduate school.

3. Remember that gr 12 is the trasition point of your life, and be determined to throw away all distractions that will bog you down. I personally have uninstalled every game from my comp so i'll actually do work now instead of just playing Dota.

4. Once you hit gr 12, its not that hard to get a 90+ average with only 6 courses.(at least in Ontario). Don't be discouraged by your gr 11 and try you hardest. At least you'll leave HS knowing you've done the best you can with what you have instead of regretting that you could've done much more.

Hope that Helps :)
Kumon is amazing. I enrolled in it during Grade 7, I brought my Math mark up 40%+. He's not going to be able to jump right in to a grade 12 level math...they give you tests and if you don't nearly ace them, they'll put in a lower level.

[Mems]

Cut down on the partying. Thats the main key. I'm going into Grade 12 as well, but in grade 11, I cut down on the partying and chilling and scored myself a 94% average. (I'm taking all science courses as well).

Something you should've though of earlier is to take english during summer school. ITS MUCH EASIER. I got 86% in grade 12 U english during the summer, its maaaaaad easy.

-Mems

[red_roses101]

Cut down on the partying. Thats the main key. I'm going into Grade 12 as well, but in grade 11, I cut down on the partying and chilling and scored myself a 94% average. (I'm taking all science courses as well).

Something you should've though of earlier is to take english during summer school. ITS MUCH EASIER. I got 86% in grade 12 U english during the summer, its maaaaaad easy.

-Mems

It varies. You're doing a lot more work crammed into a small period of time. I still regret not taking it...English usually 5-10% lower than most of my marks :mad:

[don_lee103]

It varies. You're doing a lot more work crammed into a small period of time. I still regret not taking it...English usually 5-10% lower than most of my marks :mad:
I actually did take summer school this year in English although the teacher was a ***** and marked every single homework assigned. Its not that I didn't do my homework, It was marking that dropped my mark down...
and at the end we had the %20 worth of mock exam which was really stupid...

[iWong]

Cut down on the partying. Thats the main key. I'm going into Grade 12 as well, but in grade 11, I cut down on the partying and chilling and scored myself a 94% average. (I'm taking all science courses as well).

Something you should've though of earlier is to take english during summer school. ITS MUCH EASIER. I got 86% in grade 12 U english during the summer, its maaaaaad easy.

-Mems

I think that depends on the teacher again. My friend just finished English 12 summer school with 70%, the top mark in his class was 80%.

[evman150]

I have to agree with the people that say the teacher you have for english makes a huge difference. I consider myself very proficient when it comes to the language. I am an excellent essay writer, an excellent speller, and I have no troubles with grammar or syntax. My grade 12 teacher was an *******. I averaged 65% on the essays assigned to us during the semester. The class average on these essays was probably around (70-80)%. I knew I was the best writer in the class. I read some of my friends' essays that got a higher mark, and they were nowhere near the level of my essays.

It was extremely frustrating. But the provincial exam was my chance to show the prick that I was, in fact, a skilled writer, something he vehemently denied. The average on the exam was 67%. I got 92%, the highest mark in the class and in the top few percent provincially. I went and saw him after getting my mark. I basically shoved it in his face and told him that maybe I wasn't such a terrible writer after all.

He was so imcompetent. I could have taught that class much more effectively.

[natefive]

I have to agree with the people that say the teacher you have for english makes a huge difference. I consider myself very proficient when it comes to the language. I am an excellent essay writer, an excellent speller, and I have no troubles with grammar or syntax. My grade 12 teacher was an *******. I averaged 65% on the essays assigned to us during the semester. The class average on these essays was probably around (70-80)%. I knew I was the best writer in the class. I read some of my friends' essays that got a higher mark, and they were nowhere near the level of my essays.

It was extremely frustrating. But the provincial exam was my chance to show the prick that I was, in fact, a skilled writer, something he vehemently denied. The average on the exam was 67%. I got 92%, the highest mark in the class and in the top few percent provincially. I went and saw him after getting my mark. I basically shoved it in his face and told him that maybe I wasn't such a terrible writer after all.

He was so imcompetent. I could have taught that class much more effectively.
Amen to this. My story: in grade 10, I got a 91% in english, and was by far the best in the class. Then, grade 11, my mark drops 15% to 76%, despite the fact that I actually worked a lot harder in grade 11. All my other marks went up in grade 11.

[ChonChon]

you need to focus as much as possible on keeping your english at 80+. im sure u know that's the only complusary credit course in grade 12 and beyond. try ur best to bump that up!

[newsflash]

Life is only going to get harder for you. If you're struggling to get a high average in high school, then chances are you're not going to be doing very well in university. Getting into med school is extremely hard so unless you work hard in university, you're not likely going to even have a shot.

If you're struggling with English, then perhaps you should consider getting a tutor.

Yup. My friend's sister was an honour student all through high school, graduated at the top of her class, and even made it into Times magazine. Med school rejected her application the first year she applied. She's in med school now, but if someone like her was rejected, what chance do you think you have? Having said that, if you REALLY want to be a doctor and you're REALLY passionate about it, then you'll get it with a lot of effort and hard work.

I believe in Canada you can do any undergrad degree for med school. So pick an undergrad program that you're interested in and will actually enjoy. That way you'll have something to fall back on if you change your mind about medicine.

Regarding your English, READ READ and READ some more. Don't worry about all the technical stuff. Just read for enjoyment and your English will eventually improve. Reading should be fun, don't turn it into a chore!

Good luck! :)

[froster]

hey don I recently just came out of that stage of worrying about university acceptance..now going to be a 1st year ubc science student..i still remember early in senior year when I applied for early admission and seeing "you currently do not have a competent average to be admitted into this program.."

most of my friends that are going to ubc applied in the applied science faculty, and they got in early admission with 84-89% averages and i think they were required to maintain an 82% to secure their admission..

physics 12 (which is required for AS at UBC, along with math 12 and eng12) was the average killer for most of em, and the provincial is a toughie...so i guess i should ask, how are you in physics?

as for succeeding in english 12, i don't have good news there, from my experience I haven't seen someone who was never academically good in english suddenly succeed in senior year..but yes study provincials throughout the year and try to read and learn off the essays of your classmates who do well in the class. And you can take the LPI as well, a saving grace for a lot of people who score just below 80% in eng 12...

hope that helps a litte, any other questions and i'll try my best to advise..

[keanefan]

isn't it true that in university, you are not required to take an English course

so if you are in science, most of your courses will be science-math related

think about if you want to work in a medical office, research lab, hospital, university, pharmacy or if you'd rather work in an office (computer science, business, etc)

[deeplove]

you are asking if someone with 80% avg grade 11 can get 85+ % in grade 12. yes!! if you work really hard at it.
my brother is a living example. he had like 87% in like december of his gr.12 year and this uncle of ours said your chances of getting into waterloo's computer engineer program is slim. after that he worked very hard and came out with a 93 point something average near 94%..

so yes, it is possible!!! if he can improve his grade more than 5% in a couple months.. you have one year (more like half a year because they until look up and until mid-terms) to improve and pick up your english.

why do you have to take french and all those other courses?? wouldn't you pick only maths and sciences..

all i can say is suck up to your english teacher ;) hehe, if you really need those marks and by mid-term you find out the mark you getting is just missing the margin by a bit. ask him if he/she will add on a couple marks whether it be for participation or what not. ask! it never hurts. im sure they want you to get into a good program and university too.

i remember my gr.12 english mark really hurt my grades.. it went up AFTER mid-term.. so yeah. life sucks like that :( thats how i didn't get into UofW.

[don_lee103]

hey don I recently just came out of that stage of worrying about university acceptance..now going to be a 1st year ubc science student..i still remember early in senior year when I applied for early admission and seeing "you currently do not have a competent average to be admitted into this program.."

most of my friends that are going to ubc applied in the applied science faculty, and they got in early admission with 84-89% averages and i think they were required to maintain an 82% to secure their admission..

physics 12 (which is required for AS at UBC, along with math 12 and eng12) was the average killer for most of em, and the provincial is a toughie...so i guess i should ask, how are you in physics?

as for succeeding in english 12, i don't have good news there, from my experience I haven't seen someone who was never academically good in english suddenly succeed in senior year..but yes study provincials throughout the year and try to read and learn off the essays of your classmates who do well in the class. And you can take the LPI as well, a saving grace for a lot of people who score just below 80% in eng 12...

hope that helps a litte, any other questions and i'll try my best to advise..

Thanks very much for the comments. I really appreciate that.
According to my information, I believe you are only required to take 1 GR.12 SCIENCE COURSE and I chose chem 12 because I don't like physics nor bio.
Havin said that, I have received my schedule today and it looks like the following:
English 12, Chemistry 12, Media Arts 12 (I believe this also counts at SFU.. thats the only reason why I'm taking it.), Math 12, Geography 12, Calculus 12, Study block and Woodwork 12.
Am I missing any courses that I should be taking?
I'm still deciding whether I should take AP calculus because I remember from the previous RFDer that it's better to take AP courses over normal ones but hows the difficulty?
Any other courses that you guys can recommend? (I'm getting my course switched soon as it's not working great right now)
Thanks again
Don

[don_lee103]

hey don I recently just came out of that stage of worrying about university acceptance..now going to be a 1st year ubc science student..i still remember early in senior year when I applied for early admission and seeing "you currently do not have a competent average to be admitted into this program.."

most of my friends that are going to ubc applied in the applied science faculty, and they got in early admission with 84-89% averages and i think they were required to maintain an 82% to secure their admission..

physics 12 (which is required for AS at UBC, along with math 12 and eng12) was the average killer for most of em, and the provincial is a toughie...so i guess i should ask, how are you in physics?

as for succeeding in english 12, i don't have good news there, from my experience I haven't seen someone who was never academically good in english suddenly succeed in senior year..but yes study provincials throughout the year and try to read and learn off the essays of your classmates who do well in the class. And you can take the LPI as well, a saving grace for a lot of people who score just below 80% in eng 12...

hope that helps a litte, any other questions and i'll try my best to advise..
Hey forster, what is the minimum percentage that you need to get in to Sciences in UBC? I've heard it was %80 for SFU and UBC this year but am I wrong"?

[red_roses101]

Don't take my word, but I read one of cheeseshredder's posts and it said 89%.

[sarsee]

UofT is HORRIBLE for Undergrad.
Great for Graduate Studies.

[sarsee]

isn't it true that in university, you are not required to take an English course

so if you are in science, most of your courses will be science-math related

think about if you want to work in a medical office, research lab, hospital, university, pharmacy or if you'd rather work in an office (computer science, business, etc)

It's good to take a writing course while you're in University, as it can make a difference in your ability to write essays and scientific papers (if you're in the sciences or doing research).

Although an English course is not required in my program of study (I'm in Life Science),
I took an effective writing course in my first year, and in the following year, I did reasonably well on my cell biology writing projects (the average was mediocre).

[trixstar]

if you are rich..you can always go to med school in the carribeans..its a route ppl with low avgs in life sci take.

ok there... :confused:

[sarsee]

^ No wonder I hear all these people thinking of going down to the Carribean for Medical School!

[keanefan]

UofT is HORRIBLE for Undergrad.
Great for Graduate Studies.

why HORRIBLE????

Please recommend some good schools.

McGill, McMaster, Queen's, Waterloo, University of Alberta, University of Calgary???

I imagine U of T and UBC are big schools and the others that I listed are smaller???

[sarsee]

The class average in almost all of the courses I've taken so far was C or C+ !

[Anessa]

UofT is HORRIBLE for Undergrad.
Great for Graduate Studies.

It's true you don't go to UT for As...
They bellcurve and adjust you down to keep consistent C averages in life science classes.

[Anessa]

^ No wonder I hear all these people thinking of going down to the Carribean for Medical School!

One of my friends is at the University of the West Indies...and he graduated from UT life sciences '04

[keitaro]

It's true you don't go to UT for As...
They bellcurve and adjust you down to keep consistent C averages in life science classes.

That's terrible...so this means that people who are not in the life science program but also biology, biochemistry, etc. and anyone who takes those courses are all screwed?

[don_lee103]

I don't get it.

Someone who deserves an A won't get an A? They will get a B?
Thanks very much for the comments. I really appreciate that.
According to my information, I believe you are only required to take 1 GR.12 SCIENCE COURSE and I chose chem 12 because I don't like physics nor bio.
Havin said that, I have received my schedule today and it looks like the following:
English 12, Chemistry 12, Media Arts 12 (I believe this also counts at SFU.. thats the only reason why I'm taking it.), Math 12, Geography 12, Calculus 12, Study block and Woodwork 12.
Am I missing any courses that I should be taking?
I'm still deciding whether I should take AP calculus because I remember from the previous RFDer that it's better to take AP courses over normal ones but hows the difficulty?
Any other courses that you guys can recommend? (I'm getting my course switched soon as it's not working great right now)
Thanks again
Don

[neoking77]

hey for any 07'er in BC, got a question for you. will ubc still use only 4 marks that you submit (english, math, and 2 other subjects in most cases) for admission? or is it different for our year, as some of my friends say?

thanks

edit

1 more question...AP English, is it worth it? we have a very difficult teacher teaching it and i've heard smart people ended up getting 68% first term. also do you think AP Physics is worth it? i'm going into science (not applied science) so i donno if i should take it or not. i'm probably going to use Math English Bio and Psych as my 4 marks. i've received 5 in both ap bio and psych. here is my schedule as of now

Study
AP Chem
AP World History
Info Tech
AP English Literature
AP Physics
Japanese
AP Calculus