Donna Naufal Moffatt
It has been a busy start to the final term of school. I continue to support Grade 12 students, Class of 2022 with regard to any questions that relate to their university applications, documentation, and decision making. At the same time, I have also shifted aspects of my focus to Grade 11 students, Class of 2023, in preparing and providing them with information that will support their preparation towards their post-secondary goals. My updates will include information for both groups.
Grade 12 Students:
I know many students received university decisions over March Break. This can be both joyful and sad at the same time. Please remember to keep things in perspective.
Teachers will be submitting a final set of grades to the University Counselling Office later in April. These grades will include IB predicted grades and Ontario percentage grades. This is essentially the last round of grades sent to universities that will afford a student an opportunity to capture any outstanding offers, depending on the universities final release date.
Deadlines for students to respond to offers will vary by region/university (U.S. and UK schools usually May 1st, Ontario usually June 1st – read fine print). If a student is still waiting to land an important offer, which in many cases may still arrive in late May, please be sure to speak to me about how to approach safeguarding current offers. Also, when it comes to making decisions, please be sure to read the fine print in offer letters. Understanding conditions is a key piece to safely securing an offer.
Students are reminded to follow steps for residence applications. These applications may be directly tied to accepting an offer, or in some cases, residence applications can be done without firmly committing to a school. Again, reading the fine print is key to understanding the necessary steps in this process.
Grade 11 Students:
I met with the Grade 11 students during Community Time yesterday, to present the first of a series of information sessions focused on post-secondary planning. Yesterday’s presentation was a broader general overview. The General Overview presentation will be posted to their One Note Class Notebook titled Guidance Class of 2023. This will be the holding area for all presentations. Please ask your student to see if you are interested in seeing the content.
Each week there will be a different presentation focus. Next week’s presentation will focus on Canadian post-secondary scene.
Wednesday, April 6, 4:00pm-Canadian Landscape Presentation, Ashbury Theatre. All Grade 11 students should be attending this live presentation to learn more about the Canadian application process.
Upcoming outside community events that may be of interest to Grade 11 students noted below. Please note, these events are meant to support the research stage of applications and are not meant to substitute application support and information delivered by the University Counselling Office at Ashbury.
EducationUSA Canada Virtual Fair -Thursday, April 21, 5:00-9:00 EDT
Meet 100 U.S. universities, colleges, and more! Explore your U.S. undergraduate options with EducationUSA! Speak with admissions representatives from 43 different states, representing diverse higher education institutions including community colleges, art institutes, research universities, liberal arts colleges, historically black universities, and more! There will also be presentations by NCAA and NAIA athletic organizations. This event is free and open to all students/parents and educators in Canada.
US College Expo – hosted in Toronto – Saturday, August 30
A one-day event in-person event to connect with U.S. College representatives and to learn more about U.S. college admissions, including athletics and financing. This event is hosted by Prepskills.
Princeton Review – Digital SAT Info Session: Thursday April 7, 2022, 7pm EST (4pm PST)
The SAT is going digital! This event will review key points regarding the College Board’s transition to a computer-based SAT as of March 2023 in Canada. Should you have trouble registering, please email Lauren.Mastroianni@Review.com
Princeton Review – High School Academics and College Admissions, Friday, April 8, 2022, 7:00 PM ET