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UNIVERSITY DILEMMA
The universities are starting to send out their letters of acceptance for next year. The students have sent away their choices to the Ontario University Application Center who processes the forms. Each university has a different magic cut off average i.e. 80-85% for the best six grade twelve credits taking into account the mandatory credits needed to be accepted.
If one is fortunate you may have multiple offers of acceptance but you are only allowed to accept one offer. Parents and students are now faced with the dilemma to pick the right campus and program for the next 3-4 academic school years.
I trust before signing on the dotted line that students with the guidance of their parents have gone on line and personally visited the various choices. After deciding on the best choices you email back your letter of intent.
I find it interesting that the host university doesn’t do any testing to see if your son/daughter has any aptitude to be successful. Mom and dad have high aspirations for their children and the way to please them is to grasp the gold brass ring and please them by going to university.
It is the social acceptable choice of middle/upper class parents that going on to a prestigious school will hopefully guarantee a good paying career along with like minded eligible marriage choices.
No questions are asked about strengths or weaknesses. Simple if you make the cut off and have the money you can find yourself in university. Eureka, your in like fin.
If you are planning on staying in the London area you have the choices of Western, King’s/Brescia, Huron University Colleges. Staying home can save thousands of dollars needed to pay for living in residence or renting an apartment.
Hope the students are able to make the change from their high school where one takes a maximum four credits per semester to a minium of five courses for a first year - Arts/Social/Natural Science program along with labs and tutorials. Scary, that too many students have not been prepared by their high schools to do multiple choice exams, take lecture notes or the importance of attending classes on a regular basis.
Th mid-term exams will soon arrive. Too many of our students become Christmas grads after being advised by the university that their grades are not acceptable and they are asked to withdraw.
Some students see the writing on the wall that university is not for them and do not wait to be asked to leave. Hard to face the folks and your friends who have stayed behind to admit that you have made an inappropriate choice of university or program.
Parents need to welcome their son /daughter back home and then look at positive choices for the year. Perhaps the time can be spent in employment, travel or volunteering at the local food bank or hospital. There are lots of good opportunities to learn outside a classroom environment.
Restoring one’s positive self-concept is learned often times through positive feed-back from parents. Your son/daughter has to believe that they are not failures. Bill Gates/Steve Jobs both dropped out of first year university and they have changed the world of technology.
The university acceptances are in the mail and your daughter/son has to reply by February 7 to be eligible to attend university in September. Folks please take the time to talk to your son/daughter about choices.
A university education is not for everyone. Check out the opportunity to do a Gap Year/Victory Lap before going on to a post secondary education.
Len Lesser