University Admission Desk

 In addition to developing intellectual habits and content knowledge, students need specialized information in order to access the university admission system. Admissions requirements, and timelines in particular, are extremely complicated, and students often do not recognize the importance of either until it is too late.  Specific institutions have additional special requirements. Exceptions are not readily evident. Financial aid options are largely unknown or substantially misunderstood. Students need to understand that different kinds of universities appeal to different kinds of learning styles and interests and the majors a university offers is an important element in picking a college.

Culture of Post-secondary Education

1. Knowledge of the norms, values, and conventions of interactions in the university context 

   • Working successfully in group situations 

2. Human relations skills necessary to cope within this system 

   • Communicating effectively 

   • Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. Actively seeks input from multiple perspectives when studying an issue or concept. Interpersonal and social skills that enable them to interact with a diverse cross-section of academicians and peers.

System of Post-secondary Education

1. Eligibility Norms

2. Understanding Application Process -  timelines and documentation requirements 

3. Challenge Level of Courses 

4. Financial Aid Options

All of this information is necessary for students to make good decisions about university preparation and to demystify the process. Many students give up simply because they feel intimidated or overwhelmed by all of the requirements and activities associated with applying to university. Others may lack the maturity necessary to see as far into the future as the university preparation and application process requires. 

"Mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but a wood that needs igniting"

Any student who enters poorly prepared and not thinking in ways consistent with the culture and structure of post-secondary education will feel overwhelmed because what he/she will encounter during the first year of university will be unfamiliar and disorienting. The student will expend significant energy simply to survive and will not pursue challenges. He/she will drift through college without a clear sense of purpose, will often find ways to navigate the system without really getting a lot out of it. The sense of accomplishment the student derives from university is lessened. University just won’t be stimulating and interesting.