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Am I screwed into getting into University in Canada?

waloshin

waloshin

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 9, 2008
3,554
382
Core Grade Ten marks:

Science 10: 75%
Social Studies 10: 68%
English language arts b 10: 71%
English language arts a 10: 56%
Mathematics 10: 70%

Core Grade Eleven Marks:

Biology 20: 72%
English language arts 20: 58%
Social Studies 20: 84%
Mathematics 20: 54%

Core Grade Twelve Marks:

Psychology 30: 57%
English language arts b 30: 55%
English language arts a 30: 65%
Social Studies 30: 58%
Biology 30: 61%
Mathematics A 30: 56%
 
Try to get into university. See what grades you need to improve on and take a night course to upgrade those high school classes.

If you don't want to go to university, I guess you're in the same boat as everyone else that doesn't go. Just get your foot in the door at a company you want to work at, then work your way up.

Even if you got A's and B's in grade 12, if you don't go to university, no one really cares about high school grades.
 
I can't give you much advice on Canada, but I wouldn't worry too much about it.

My grades were pretty similar to yours in high school but once I got into college and was paying for my own school, getting good grades is really not that hard. And I've certainly done fine after all of it.
 
waloshin said:
Can I take this course http://www.siast.sk.ca/programs_courses_descriptions/BTDIP.shtml#

Then after doing well apply to University for Biology? Or would I still be screwed?
Click to expand...

Well, I live in a different province so our rules are a bit different but from reading that you can't. It says you need a minimum of 65% of Chem (You dont have any chem), Bio (You got 61%).

Getting into science at University, from my experience here in Vancouver, is pretty hard. But the courses themselves are even harder. Especially if you plan on doing Physics.

Why don't you considering doing another program such as Business, English, Sociology, Phycology, etc.
 
NathanCH said:
Well, I live in a different province so our rules are a bit different but from reading that you can't. It says you need a minimum of 65% of Chem (You dont have any chem), Bio (You got 61%).

Getting into science at University, from my experience here in Vancouver, is pretty hard. But the courses themselves are even harder. Especially if you plan on doing Physics.

Why don't you considering doing another program such as Business, English, Sociology, Phycology, etc.
Click to expand...

I can write the Accuplacer exam and get in.
 
dude dude dude.. honestly from someone that has already finished 3rd year biology in university in Toronto.

My friend there is always a way to get into whatever you want to get into.
you may have to work a bit harder in a couple of things.

high school grades even tho right now seem like everything to you in the real world they don't mean much.

Listen, if you really want to get into something you will work your ass off to get into it.

The best way for you IMO, is to get your foot into university. Once you are in you can go wherever you want to and the marks you got in HS will matter less and less and the ones you get in Uni. will matter more.
So look at something you CAN get into Uni with those grades. GET INTO UNI.
Once you are in, you do a first semester and take some science related courses. Talk to a counselor in the bio. faculty and ask him what you need to transfer into Bio because you feel that is what you really want to pursue (of course this is all after you are in) and they will tell you what courses to take. Then you can next semester apply to the faculty you want to go into (Bio in your case) and go from there.

Don't let anyone tell you you are screwed for life or career path fro a stupid ass mark. Even if you did not finish High School, you can still apply as a mature student in most cases, do part time for a semester, do really well and you are in full time next semester. University of Toronto offers that option.

Believe me if Biology is what you really want to study, you may have to work hard but if it really is what you want, that's what you will study.

oh and I really don't believe high school marks always reflect your intelligence.
 
You are NEVER screwed. Your life is in your own hands, and your choices are yours to make.

If your current grades aren't acceptable, take upgrading courses at college.

Again, your life is in your own hands. Pick a career goal, determine what education and experience you require to reach that goal, and lay out a road map.

The only determining factor is how hard you are willing to work.
 
Your high school grades only matter when it comes to getting into university, once you get in they're ancient history. However I doubt you would be able to get into a science program from a decent university with those grade 12 grades. Try to get into philosophy, study it for 4 years and shoot for law school. But as others have mentioned, try your best to just get into university, no matter what program. You can eventually work your way into whichever program you like if you can get good grades in uni.
 
i will honestly say this.

you are screwed for getting into a decent university.

BUT you can do quite well in community college and then transfer in for third and fourth years.
 
Leareth said:
i will honestly say this.

you are screwed for getting into a decent university.

BUT you can do quite well in community college and then transfer in for third and fourth years.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this.

You can't talk your way into university in Canada.

You're definitely not screwed in terms of career options, but you need to learn how to study and to produce better grades.
 
i am not going to make this sound all rosy and stuff like other posters. Your grades are troubling and it matters a ton.


if your grades are really bad..you need to take a look at why they are bad. It could be an issue with a lack of initiative, a lack of comprehension, a lack of interest, etc. etc.

Generally speaking, people who do well in HS, end up doing fine in college, and at least give themselves a shot of a decent job. Of course, you have people who fall of the wagon, but the majority of kids that are in your classes that do well will end up being just fine when its time for your 25th year reunion.

There are generally a few instances where people who are okay in HS, end up doing great in college and get a shot of a decent job. These students are not D or F students, but C's and B's.

There are few, if any, instances of people who do so bad in HS (that they cant even get into college) but are still able to get a good job.

This trend can apply anywhere, in any country.

The logic is basically, if you are flunking math, science, language arts, etc.., you cant get into a good college, and are therefore demoted to some bad college where you dont even learn much (if you even get into college at all). These people are forever limited to minimal wage, manual labor jobs.

malcolm gladwell has written some interesting pieces on this issue and is definitely worth a read.

my advice then...is..if you really do care about your grades (care as in you cant fall alseep at night...etc..and you generally find yourself doing some interesting things (building random stuff that is pretty technical)...there is some chance of something in the future...but if you find that you really dont care much and you spend your time just fooling around...you probably lack initiative and determination and you will be limited to a minimal wage paying job.

you still have time to change before you get a kid and stuff and you are forever chained to a boulder.

btw..even technical jobs - HVAC, Carpentry, Plumbing, etc..require determination and decent grades in HS and technical school so that isnt some sort of shoe-in either.
 
Can't say I know much aboot jobs in Canada. However, focus on a community college...then look into transferring to a university. Make sure you work hard and get your best grades possible. Then, you'll have many more opportunities open to you....

Worse comes to worse, you can always become a lumberjack.
 
Antares said:
Can't say I know much aboot jobs in Canada. However, focus on a community college...then look into transferring to a university. Make sure you work hard and get your best grades possible. Then, you'll have many more opportunities open to you....

Worse comes to worse, you can always become a lumberjack.
Click to expand...

you ever see that discovery channel show about lumberjacks?

they mean business and they wont take any normal bozo.

its actually a decent paying, yet demanding, job, from what I understand.
 
Antares said:
Can't say I know much aboot jobs in Canada. However, focus on a community college...then look into transferring to a university.
Click to expand...

I don't know how it works in Canada, but I can say that here in the States this "go to community college and just transfer into a four-year school later" thing doesn't work out nearly as often as people think it does. I speak from at least second-hand experience, as someone in academia.

It's not that it's impossible, and it certainly does happen. However, most good universities here in the US would much rather accept quality (on paper, at least) students straight out of high school. Those who went the community college route first often have a stigma attached to them. Sometimes this might be seen as deserved (the student was a slacker in high school and decided to take "the easy route"), and sometimes it's totally undeserved (the student had financial or family issues that precluded him/her from going to a more expensive school or one further away from home, etc.) It is real, though, and it is a challenge to overcome. Hell, it's hard enough to transfer between quality four-year institutions.

In addition, I've met plenty of community college students who have this transfer goal as part of their master plan, only to have it fall apart for lack of effort later.

I'm not saying that it's impossible, only that it is much more difficult than most people are led to believe.
 
Antares said:
Can't say I know much aboot jobs in Canada. However, focus on a community college...then look into transferring to a university. Make sure you work hard and get your best grades possible. Then, you'll have many more opportunities open to you....

Worse comes to worse, you can always become a lumberjack.
Click to expand...

iOrlando said:
you ever see that discovery channel show about lumberjacks?

they mean business and they wont take any normal bozo.

its actually a decent paying, yet demanding, job, from what I understand.
Click to expand...
There are no more jobs as lumberjacks. The industry is in the ******* due to the housing downturn in the US. There are no more fishing jobs either due to the dwindling stocks. For manual labor in a primary industry, mining is about it. 75% of all jobs now require some form of secondary education, either University or Community College. There are more than 25% of people competing for the other 25% of jobs.
 
Go to the best four year school you can get into -- identify and apply to a few safety schools -- be prepared to go anywhere in Canada or the US to get there.

Edit:
- Does taking a year off and doing something productive (volunteer work, exchange, etc.) help your chances in Canada (in the US this is generally the case)
- Are you too late for getting in this semester? In the US, this time of year would be considered very very late to be thinking about schools
- Are there universities in the more remote provinces which are easier to get into, but offer a good four year education -- if so go there, work hard and think about grad school.
 
iOrlando said:
There are generally a few instances where people who are okay in HS, end up doing great in college and get a shot of a decent job. These students are not D or F students, but C's and B's.

There are few, if any, instances of people who do so bad in HS (that they cant even get into college) but are still able to get a good job.

This trend can apply anywhere, in any country.

The logic is basically, if you are flunking math, science, language arts, etc.., you cant get into a good college, and are therefore demoted to some bad college where you dont even learn much (if you even get into college at all). These people are forever limited to minimal wage, manual labor jobs.
Click to expand...

How about you post some sources and statistics for what you've stated above? It's not very helpful when you pull a Fox News and present opinion as fact (Some people say....).

And your logic is flawed. Basically.


I agree that his/her outlook isn't rosy and the work ahead for him/her isn't going to be easy, but it's not all doom and gloom.
 
Not sure about Canada and this may have been said (I didn't read the entire thing) but honestly college is a whole different scene.

In highschool, I couldn't get above a C ever. The teachers sucked (seriously not one could tell me how to get sine, cosine, and tangent w/o a calculator!) and I just didn't care.

Then I went to college. My first college I had straight A's (95% and up) but found out the school I was going to lied and really wasn't accredited, my second college, my grades weren't so great but I wasn't in a caring phase, and my third college I'm always on the deans list and almost finished.

When I was in high school I had horrible math grades, but I wanted to be a videogame programmer. I always thought I was bad at math but realized I just had bad teachers. I went on to re-learn math from the ground up, learned computer science from the ground up (and am still learning both) and I now make games on the side as a hobby while going to school and working a full time IT job where I travel overseas all the time (I still don't have a degree yet : /).

Needless to say you won't get screwed, you will just need to put forth some effort, find out what you want to do and work for it. If you don't get into the college you want the first time no biggie, go to another college, get your grades up and transfer.

I'm 28 now and wish I wouldn't have goofed off in high school and my first two times in college because that would mean I have my degree but no one can change the past. Better to work towards the future.
 
spice weasel said:
I don't know how it works in Canada, but I can say that here in the States this "go to community college and just transfer into a four-year school later" thing doesn't work out nearly as often as people think it does. I speak from at least second-hand experience, as someone in academia.

It's not that it's impossible, and it certainly does happen. However, most good universities here in the US would much rather accept quality (on paper, at least) students straight out of high school. Those who went the community college route first often have a stigma attached to them. Sometimes this might be seen as deserved (the student was a slacker in high school and decided to take "the easy route"), and sometimes it's totally undeserved (the student had financial or family issues that precluded him/her from going to a more expensive school or one further away from home, etc.) It is real, though, and it is a challenge to overcome. Hell, it's hard enough to transfer between quality four-year institutions.

In addition, I've met plenty of community college students who have this transfer goal as part of their master plan, only to have it fall apart for lack of effort later.

I'm not saying that it's impossible, only that it is much more difficult than most people are led to believe.
Click to expand...
i know people who did cc soley for the cost savings and being able to get a 2 year degree and then transfeering to a uni

not bad if you have the mindset to follow through
 
Part 2 Can I transfer if I ?

If I take this course http://futurewww.siast.sk.ca/programs_courses_descriptions/ADCDIP.shtml

And do well can I transfer to the University of Regina into there Social Worker program?

The program is recognized through a block credit transfer of 60 credit units with Athabasca University's Bachelor of Professional Arts, Human Services major.

* 13 credit hours of transfer credit are recognized through the University of Regina's Faculty of Social Work.

Transfer is considered on an individual basis with the University of Lethbridge's Health and Sciences Faculty, Addictions Counselling Program.
 
It depends on what you mean by "career"? If you are thinking of becoming a brain surgeon, then you are going to have spend some time upgrading courses - either by redoing some HS courses, or spending extra time at a university. And, if you look at universities in the boonies you will find some whose admission standards are lower than the big science ones.

If by career you mean one where a college diploma is sufficient, then I think you're fine. And don't downplay college diplomas. You can be the owner/cook of a 5 star restaurant with a college diploma. You can fly planes with a college diploma, etc etc.

So, it all depends on your career aspirations.
 
Antares said:
Can't say I know much aboot jobs in Canada. However, focus on a community college...then look into transferring to a university. Make sure you work hard and get your best grades possible. Then, you'll have many more opportunities open to you....

Worse comes to worse, you can always become a lumberjack.
Click to expand...

I saw what you did there, eh?!.... very funny. ;)
 
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