Worried About Grade 12. Can you help?

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

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).

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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)

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 =).

Originally Posted by don_lee103

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.

Originally Posted by 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 =).

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.

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.

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

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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!!!!

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!

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

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 =)!

Originally Posted by 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!

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.