What to Consider if You're Considering University — Knowing Your Options by Bill Morrison

Author:Bill Morrison
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2014-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

Check Everything Out

Your campus visit should be much more comprehensive than a simple tour of the buildings and grounds. It is vital that you find the other services and supports that the university has to offer. Find out about the special programs for first-year students — you need to know what the institution does to help students adjust to the campus. Make sure you locate the writing, math, and study skills centres at the university. While you may think you won’t need such support, the chances are better than even that you will. When you need help, you’ll need it in a hurry. And, since your university career may depend on them, you need the services to be first-rate. There are other things worth checking out: counselling, career advising, co-operative education, health services, and financial assistance. And don’t forget the people in the registrar’s office. They’re the ones who handle all of your administrative work, process your grades, and otherwise monitor your progress through your years of study. Treat them with respect; they’re not your servants, and they can be helpful in times of stress.

Some of the stuff you hear on a campus visit won’t be of much importance to you. Guides will tell you about famous alumni, social life, guest lectures, great facilities, major donations to enrich university life, and a great deal of other good news. You need to look more deeply. Try to get a sense of the people on campus. See if you can meet with some faculty members, departmental advisers (the people who guide you through your academic program), and, in particular, the staff. It will surprise you to learn that support staff — departmental secretaries, janitors, cafeteria workers, residence advisers, reference librarians — can have a great influence on your enjoyment of campus life.

Sample Acceptance Rates

Canadian universities:

Queen’s 40%

Western 58%

Manitoba 67%

Cape Breton 88%

Waterloo 20 to 58%*

International universities:

Hong Kong 9%

Duke 11%

Cal State Northridge† 74%

Harvard 6%

Tokyo 20%

Cambridge (U.K.) 22%

Indian Institutes of Technology 2%

*depending on program

†a non-elite US institution

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