The 5P university admissions strategy – Preparation
The third P in the 5P university admissions strategy is Preparation. Specifically, academic preparation for university-level study.
Preparation US style
In the US, preparing yourself for university is a complex game. While some colleges are moving away from requiring the SAT or ACT (though they will still look at your scores, if you choose to submit them), others are requiring more SAT Subject Tests (formerly SAT II Tests) than ever before. It is essential to thoroughly review each school’s particular requirements (which are more than just “take these six 12U courses”) to ensure that an applicant isn’t closing any doors.
Ontario almost takes the fun out of it
In Ontario, however, there has never been much strategy to preparing for university. Some, but not much. All 12U courses are considered to be appropriate “university prep” material. There are no “advanced level” subjects that “look good” on a university application. If the university requires Calculus, you take Calculus. If they require only two sciences, they generally don’t care whether you choose to take three. There are no bonus points to be had by taking courses other than the stated prerequisites. The assumption is, if you take the required 12U courses and get the grades, you’re prepared.
Furthermore, while our Ontario course codes are technically equipped to distinguish between a regular course (AAA4U1), an enriched course (AAA4U2) or a gifted level course (AAA4UG), course codes in the past (and the jury is still out on whether this still happens in some schools today) were often reported to universities as five character codes. Often, this distinguishing sixth character was omitted from the list of marks that would be sent by guidance departments to universities. So, there may not be much a high school student can do in the way of program selection to show the universities that you’re prepared for university, unless the program allows for a personal statement or extra information on the application. (In my high school days, it was common for high schools to send a letter to the universities indicating that a student had been in a gifted program, for example, since the course codes were truncated when submitted.)
While standardized test scores, voluntarily taking several SAT Subject tests, optional honours classes and AP “credits” (signifying the class was taught at an AP level) might be all the rage south of the border to demonstrate one’s academic preparation for university, in Ontario they are all but non-existent.
What does this mean for homeschoolers?
Preparation, and evidence thereof, will be especially important to home schoolers who are not taking 12U courses. These students will have to demonstrate through other means that they are academically prepared for university. So for homeschoolers, test prep is a big deal. While standardized test scores are not always required for university entrance, they do provide for one of the most straightforward indicators of academic preparation, from a university admissions officer’s point of view.
A solid SAT or ACT score can go a long way to alleviating a university’s concern about academic readiness, and can help them justify an offer of admission.
AP examinations are also open to home schoolers (though one must find a willing, accredited high school at which to participate) and can provide a unique advantage over the traditional high schooler who is simply “going through the motions” of fulfilling the OSSD requirements.
Many high schoolers may be unaware that the AP program exists, since only a handful of Ontario schools (compared to US schools) choose to offer the program. It may not occur to these students that they have just as much right to write the examinations, and that they don’t need to be taught in a classroom in order to prepare for these exams. Here’s where homeschoolers, used to seeking out their own academic opportunities, can use a school-based program offering to their advantage! By looking beyond what is placed in front of them and exploring the options that exist in university preparation, home schools have a real chance to distinguish themselves as having already studied university-level material.
So, homeschoolers do bear a heavier personal burden than traditional applicants to prepare themselves effectively in a way universities can evaluate (often resulting in standardized tests). But, they also have the opportunity to be measured against arbitrary standards and cut offs (generally sane and reasonable) instead of against the regular applicant pool where grade inflation and competition run rampant. This can be an advantage because there is less direct “competition” when presenting standardized test scores or a portfolio application than there is when presenting 12U grades. Taking advantage of that which a regular high school student might not think to do (since there is so little strategy involved in admissions for the general population) can also make a favourable impression.
As always a key part of preparation is preparing for the individual requirements of your desired universities. Every homeschooler wishing to apply to university should have in the back of his or her head a plan for preparing, in whatever way they see fit, to take 12U courses or write standardized tests, or both. The preparation involved for either of these outcomes will help your family decide which, if any, of these paths are right for the student.
In preparing for SAT Subject tests or AP exams, for example, a student may come to realize that he or she is perfectly capable of university level studies, and may wish to apply to an open university and jump into classes right away. Or, a student may realize through preparing for university that he or she is not cut out for high stakes tests, but is extremely interested in an internship/academic opportunity that works out so well, this student doesn’t mind putting off university entrance a few years and will choose to apply as a mature student.
While you don’t need to put pressure on your toddlers to begin mastering SAT vocabulary and multiple choice test taking strategies, you do need to be prepared for the very real possibility that your child’s best shot at both being admitted to and being prepared for university will involve standardized test prep. As I wrote in another post, instead of feeling constricted by this possibility, view it as a liberating freedom.
Prepare for the tests, but do so in the way we all know one should prepare for any academic testing — through a solid foundation of educational experiences that foster curiosity, confidence and competence. You might never need to write them, but the preparation you’ve done can never be taken away from you.
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