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Grade 12 is an important year with many decisions to be made throughout the year. Parents of grade 12 students have a pivotal role at this time as they guide their son or daughter through the many decisions that will affect their child’s future after high school is completed.  Grade 12 is when many high school students begin thinking about and making these decisions, however, to be on top of things, students should start in Grades 10 and 11 to begin asking the following questions:

“What am I Going to do After Grade 12?”

Some of the available options are:

• Find a permanent job 
• Work for a year or so and then go to further education or training 
• Continue studying or training at a post-secondary institution 
• Enter into an Apprenticeship Program 
• Travel or participate in an exchange or work abroad program 
• Apply to the Canadian Armed Forces

“Will I Meet the Requirements for an Alberta High School Diploma?”

• A minimum of 100 credits is required 
• A minimum final mark of 50% is required to earn credits

“What Do I Want to Study and Where?”

Make sure that your decision whether to continue with further education or training, where to attend and what to study are based on sound planning and careful thought. With costs for post-secondary education in the $7,000-$14,000+ range per year for tuition, books and living expenses you are making an important investment in your future.

Find out what really interests you, what you are good at and how you like to learn. Use a variety of resources to assist you

• Career Cruising - an online career exploration program (see your Guidance Counsellor for the username/password) 
• ALIS - a career planning website from Alberta with self-assessments & occupational profiles 
• Student Financial Assistance - a Canadian website to help you plan, save and pay for post-secondary education 
• Post-secondary school websites and course calendars 
• Student-For-A-Day programs 
• Open Houses 
• Information sessions and presentations by post-secondary institutions at school and in Calgary 
• People you trust: family, Guidance Counsellor, Career Practitioner, teachers, coaches can also assist and guide you through this process

Once you have considered a program of studies and a post-secondary institution you should ask:

• What are the entrance requirements for the program (courses and/or marks required, SAT or ACT Scores)? 
• By when must I apply for the program (application deadline)? 
• Is there an Early Application deadline date for certain programs or institutions? 
• How do I apply (online, paper application forms)? 
• Do I apply directly to the institution or go through a Central Application Centre (Apply Alberta, OUAC, Apply BC, Common Application for select US colleges)? 
• What do I include with the application form (interim/predicted marks, application fee, personal profile, other information)? 
• What do I need to know if I am applying to an institution outside of Alberta?
  Outside of Canada? 
• What are the costs for tuition, books and supplies? 
• How do I finance my education (scholarships/bursaries, student loan, personal bank loan, family resources)? 
• Where can I get information about scholarships, student loans? 
• Can I qualify for scholarship money in Grade 10 and/or 11? 
• What are the deadline dates for scholarship and student loan applications? 
• When must I arrange to have an Official Transcript of my final marks forwarded to the institution and/or scholarship organization? 
• How do I arrange to forward an Official Transcript of my final marks? What is the cost?

How to Prepare to get into University Grade 12 to do list: 

November 

Request reference letters from teachers or Community leaders for scholarships. Give them your brag sheet from D2L shell and the particulars of the scholarship to assist in their letter. Give them 2 weeks at least.

Deadlines for some scholarships are due. 

Continue applying to the universities and programs of your choice. You should have a reach program, a likely, and a definite. So you know you can start a program at university and change programs or faculty later if necessary. 

If applying to UBC start the application and work on the personal profile questions. It is worth as much as the %. Check out the link https://you.ubc.ca/applying-ub...

December

You can have all your applications and many scholarships completed before you go off on break.

If not please take the time to complete them before your return to school in January. 

Some Application deadlines are in January!

How to Prepare to get into University Grade 11 to do list

First semester 

Check out myBlueprint to look into career options. (Often done through CALM) Link is on Website

Research careers you are interested in, talk to professionals and attend career fairs.

Visit the career centre to assist with your career exploration and focus them on a major

Talk to your teachers about picking your major – they know you very well, including your strengths and your weaknesses.

Discuss costs for post-secondary education with your family. How will you afford it? Can you leave the city or are you looking at post- secondary institutions in Calgary.

Begin or continue with extracurricular activities. It may not help you to be admitted into a program, but it will help you to apply for and receive scholarships. Universities love students with leadership, drive and community involvement experience. 

Take school seriously – studying hard and getting good marks will help you secure an admission to a university program. It will also set you up for success at the university as you will already have good study habits.

Talk to the Career Advisor and/or Guidance Counsellor to choose the right courses and prerequisites you will need for your university program of your choice. 

If interested in US schools, register for SAT exam offered five times per year. Visit www.CollegeBoard.org for dates. January – February

Post-Secondary Updates 

Alberta University of the Arts Virtual Open House on Saturday, November 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Get expert tips on your portfolio, attend a virtual; tour of campus, hear from current students, see different specialties in art techniques and find out more about the AUarts and how to apply. Students must register to attend. Registration link

Ryerson University Virtual Tours. These are personalised tours by a current student.

Register: Ryerson.ca/admissions/visits-tours
Virtual Open House November 9-20 Connect with Ryerson professors, admissions representatives and students. Register today Ryerson.ca/at-home