YOUR Guide to University Applications

Could you please give us a brief overview of what the application process looks like for current Grade 12 students applying for the U.S., U.K., or Canada?

Mr. Mitchell: For Canada, the first week in October is for Saturday programming. We have an OUAC onboarding session where all the Grade 12 students work with guidance to have a walkthrough of the application from what could be the start to finish for some people in that one morning. For some people, that’s the end of their journey. Some people will be able to complete all applications if they’re just applying to Ontario that morning and they’re done. End of story. Some people might have Ontario supplementals and those are not due until around February 1st. There are a couple of due dates in January. 

UBC and McGill have direct applications to their universities. These two universities have similar timelines to the Ontario application. For UBC, we generally say December 1st because if you submit your application by December 1st, you’re automatically eligible for scholarships, so we always encourage students to do that. McGill’s deadline is February 1st because they really just wait for grades. From January onwards, people start hearing back from different programs. I would say there’s no rhyme or reason in how acceptances are given. This stretch is really all about managing people’s anxieties and “he said, she said, they got in, they didn't get in” comparisons. For Canadian applications, there isn’t clarity or reasoning as to why you get what you get at what time. It makes no difference. Ontario schools will often say the person who gets accepted last just simply got accepted last. It’s not because they were last on the list. They were just last.

Our most popular early deadline for our students is the early action/early decision deadline in the United States. This deadline is when students are identifying their top schools, and have done so probably through pre-research during Grade 11. Most students aim at the November 1st deadline. This is where students are strategizing, early decision-wise, by telling a school that they are their favourite. The early action and decision deadline is a student’s way of telling their top-pick university “Accept me, and I will be on your campus sooner than you know it.” 

Before that, mind you, would be the October 15 deadline for Oxbridge. At Ridley, most of the applicants for this deadline are students pursuing medicine. Much less intense, albeit an earlier deadline by a couple of weeks, for potential doctors in the future. If you want the dates specifically, they are on the slideshow that Guidance shares with all senior students. 

Can you compare and contrast the process of post-secondary athletic applicants and regular students? 

Mr. Doan: I think it really varies on the gender and the sport. First of all, an athlete has to fill out anything a non-athlete student would have to do to get into the school. Even though you may have been selected to go to a school, you still have to go through the entire admissions process.

There’s just extra things in the process. The answer to that question is complicated depending on what sport and where you're going. So, you know, from Canadian schools, it’s a much more simple process. You just have to really kinda get into that school through the admissions process. When it comes to the NCAA, they have more parameters about what you’re supposed to do and things you have to complete as a high school student. There’s an eligibility that students work with the guidance department to ensure that. 

And every year, we always have a lot of students who sometimes take a gap year for sports and athletic reasons, especially the male hockey players. And oftentimes, we’ll get students who graduated a year or two ago contacting us and saying, “Okay, we’re finally applying to university.” 

Because of the nuances in the process of athletes, Ridley actually has an addition to the athletics and guidance department: the PSAC. The PSAC is the Post-Secondary Athletic Counsellor. And that’s Mr. Doan!  

How can the students manage the stress of balancing the applications with school and our personal lives? How would you say you should deal with getting a rejection from a school that you really wanted, or the process of anxiously waiting and watching other people? How would you deal with all that stress?

Mr. Mitchell: Before getting to that answer, I would say that the stress is always going to be there. It’s the level of stress you can control. The sooner that you do your research, take advantage of opportunities that Ridley has, such as visits. 

Trent University was here yesterday, and there was a total of zero students that went to see them. So, students lost an opportunity to find out some things about the process, the cool stuff that motivates them. So start early in research, keep notes, and be proactive because you will be able to control a certain amount of your stress as you fill the voids of lack of information.

I think that in knowing what you want allows you to target schools that are suitable or more of a fit for you. It is also important to understand your academic context and your profile context against that school. While disappointing, but when it's a 3% intake, you have to understand that probably 97% of the applicants that didn't make it could have made it.

And so, again, while disappointing in the moment, in context, you will do really awesome things no matter what your destination is once you get over that disappointment. One of the things we have talked about in managing stress is that an early win is nice. To have somebody say to you, hopefully, a university you enjoy, “Yes. You’re awesome. We want you” does lift the spirits a bit. But if you’re highly competitive and the answers take a long time to come, which is in programs such as commerce and engineering, not hearing back is a little bit difficult. But popping in to get your tires pumped by the Guidance department is helpful. We’re here to support you even though I think there will always be waves of uncertainty. But I think you can counter those waves by recentering yourself and understanding that processes are unfortunately fraught with some disappointment.

Ms. Smajda: I think I’d like to add to what Mr. Mitchell is saying. He’s given very sort of practical, like, university-focused advice on how to plan and strategize effectively for stress management. I think a part of it is being very careful about the voices you let inside of your dialogue about university applications. 

There are lots of “he-said-she-said” conversations going around, on WhatsApp groups, Reddit strands, etc. Oftentimes, I think it’s not a student's fault or it’s not a parent's fault where they’re very self-focused on their own parameters and their own pathway. And then they try to give advice or warnings to other people that they don’t understand where they have a totally different context. And that can be very stressful. Like, “Oh my gosh. You didn’t write your PSATs. Oh, you’re screwed.” And you’re like, “But I’m only applying to Canada.” So, being very careful of the voices you let in; the idea of how too many cooks can ruin a soup is very true. And I think it’s trying to actually limit the advice that you get or what you choose to follow.

We’ve had some students who followed channels where people open their application results. This can also be very stressful as people are going to post the ones they got in. And then they’re not gonna post the ones they don’t get into. So all of a sudden, that 3% chance of getting in seems like a 60% chance of getting in because of social media. 

It’s also important not to tie your identity to the school you end up at. You may have been aiming for a particular school for years, but life is full of surprises. Ridley has hopefully equipped you with resilience, grit, and the ability to adapt. Balance your expectations and be cautious about the input you allow during this journey.

In short, it’s all about being balanced, taking context, and being very careful about the input of voices that you’ve had in this journey. 

Can you share your favourite application essay topic you have come across without sharing names, data, or specific schools? 

Mr. Mitchell: One of my favourites most recently is one about the dumpling or chicken ball. Another one was a near-death experience, in a swimming pool, and being saved by somebody. In that one, there was a little bit of Chinese diaspora and about her relationship with her family. Her grandfather is very traditional Chinese, and she shaved her head. It was her reflection on the sort of stature of females. 

The connectivity between all of them is a small personal story that might come out in a very novel way, but underneath it, like underneath a chicken ball, is a very deep and thoughtful, introspection of someone’s personality or something like that. Those are kind of the ones that stand out over 20 years. It’s just good writing. Like, imagine if you were on the other side of the table and had to read 400 essays. 

Ms. Smajda: I remember one where, through the process of writing their essay, the student discovered that they had a passion and a gift for giving back to young kids. And that theme showed up in a lot of their extracurriculars too. Like, when they realized that, they noticed that most of the things they were involved in had an element of helping children. It all came full circle — whether it was excelling in a sport and also coaching a little league team, or working for a charity and helping kids through that. 

A good personal statement highlights the essence of the person. The statement highlights the core of who they are and how that impacts the world. It should pick up on the Inside Out movie idea, the little islands of personality. A personal statement should tap into at least one of those islands and clearly explain why it’s important and why it’s there.

And then, with extracurriculars — even if on paper the activities seem different, you should know why you’re doing them. Like, for someone like Rawnie, advocacy might be the common thread in all the things she does. Even though DECA, Prefectship, and The Tiger Times seem like separate things, the common theme is community advocacy.

So, it’s about finding that purpose and starting with it too. 

What's one thing you wish every student knew about application classes before you start? 

Mr. Mitchell: I strongly feel that it doesn’t matter where your destination is. It’s what you do with it. And it’s easy for me to say that, after reflection over a couple of decades and my own personal experience. But it really is a stop in the journey, and if you don’t take advantage of it, then you will have lost an opportunity.

So to me, that’s the sort of more integral feelings one, but on the second part of it, it is that you have control over the process, to an extent. Obviously, not the decision-making, but you do have a great deal of control, and you need to start as soon as possible. 

What do you think are some common misconceptions that students have about applying to university or to college?

Mr. Mitchell: Well, many. And I think Ms. Smajda has actually talked about some of the misconceptions. One of the ones that we have seen more recently has been, early decision, and what if I apply to the same school as somebody else. As in, how do our students do when they get there? Is there a reflection from us? And really, there’s very little commentary about that from universities. Individuals are assessed as individuals. 

Ms. Smajda: Okay. I will be totally candid and slightly humorous, and my advice is to not take yourself too seriously. And I think I’ve said this to people who come to see me sometimes when they get all stressed and confused. I’ll say, at no point in anyone’s life do we ever go to a 17-year-old for life advice.

As a 30-year-old, the first person to turn to advice for at the thought of “what should I do with my life?” is not going to be a 17-year-old. And I think that is a really sobering contextual reminder to ourselves that in this moment when you are 17, 16, or 18, and you have not had the life experience or personal wisdom that no one else can give you.

You are your own self that makes these very big decisions. Take yourself with a grain of salt. Take the admission process with a grain of salt. If you talk to faculty or people who’ve graduated, you’ll probably hear more stories about how things didn’t go as planned than about how they did. And that’s okay. I think that it’s important to hear those stories because they remind us that success doesn’t always follow the traditional path.

I actually went this way and life is great. It’s fine to go to Harvard, have lots of money, and drive 3 Teslas at once. That’s perfectly fine, but it’s also not the only life pathway. That is what I wish kids knew in the beginning. The 17-year-old kid is driving the car. Nobody wants to get in this car. The pathway is not always straight. High school will not be, and should not be, the highlight of your life.

What should students who aren’t in Grade 12 be doing now to make their application process easier? Is there anything that you wanna say to them? 

Mr. Mitchell: Our focus is primarily on the Grade 12s due to the nature of applications at this time, but there are many opportunities for Grade 11s to take steps that will benefit them down the line.

Firstly, excelling in their courses is key. Additionally, attending university fairs to explore the new and exciting programs universities offer each year is important, since it’s difficult to stay updated on all the developments. These fairs give students a chance to learn firsthand about opportunities they might not otherwise be aware of.

I also think students often underestimate how fortunate they are to have a wide range of options to choose from globally. This process starts with researching and asking questions, coming by for advice, and really taking the initiative. However, it’s crucial to approach this with intention rather than using what I call the “scatter-shot method,” where students take on too many different activities without a clear focus. Instead, it’s better to find a passion, commit to it, and let that drive your decisions.

This approach benefits students in the long run but also tends to result in genuine reflections that are valuable during the admissions process. My advice, whether for Grade 11s or other students, is to always pursue things with authenticity. People can tell when you’re genuinely passionate about something, even if you don’t immediately see the common threads connecting your various activities.