Tips on Post-secondary Applications

Tips for Students

Click here for the questions you may want to have answered before registering at a post-secondary institution.

The School Finder web site has a section for parents and students with hints for students on taking tests, studying, and what to take with you when you move to a post-secondary institution.

Campus Access web site has a section with information to help high school students get ready to attend and survive at university.

The British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) web site provides information for students regarding admission to post-secondary education directly from high school or from a college or university college.

Applying to a Post-secondary Institution

You can apply to many of BC's post-secondary institutions on the web. You can also find out if you've been accepted. The service is called the Post-secondary Application Service of British Columbia (PASBC). If you'd rather not apply in cyberspace, you can still complete hard copy applications.

Once an institution receives your application and supporting marks information, they'll look over your school record to see if you meet their minimum entrance requirements. Universities usually use English 12 plus other Grade 12 examinable courses to calculate your grade point average. As a general rule you must have at least a B average, and often higher, if seeking admission to university directly from grade 12. Colleges and university-colleges have a wider range of entrance requirements.

If you are applying for a specific program, you will also have to meet the minimum requirements for that particular program. Be sure to check the annual calendars of the institutions you are applying to for the most up-to-date entrance requirements.

Tips For Parents/Guardians

Some of the questions parents and guardians might ask before their teens register for an educational training program are:

• Is there an institution that offers the program nearby?
• Does my child meet the entrance requirements?
• Will my child need to leave home and pay room and board?
• Is the training program recognized by employers?
• Do instructors have recent industry experience?
• Is the equipment up to date and compatible with what exists in business or industry?
• Does the cost, program length, and course content compare favourably with similar programs in other institutions?
• Does the institution make an effort to place its graduates in work after completion of the program?
• Do the program characteristics (i.e. hours of study or physical requirements) fit with my child's lifestyle?

Parents and Teens Talk: Futures; Career Education Society of British Columbia
(Copied with permission by the Career Education Society of British Columbia)