Dont Give Up on Your Dream School Plan Your Next Steps

By Kelly Shaw, The University of Western Ontario

If you didn’t get the news you were hoping for from your first choice school, don’t give up on your dream!  Instead, take action and find out how you can become admissible in the future.

If you received an offer to your Dream School, but not to your first choice program, speak to an Academic Counsellor.  If the school has a general first year, you may be able to shadow your preferred program and formally switch in second year.  

If you did not receive an offer of admission to your Dream School, your first step will be contacting the Admissions Office to discuss your application.  An Admissions Officer can explain the reasons behind your admissions decision and tell you what you need to do to reapply next year.  

This could be upgrading your high school marks to make yourself competitive for 2012.  Consider returning to your high school for a semester or a year, attending classes at a local adult education centre, or completing accredited high school courses online.  Maybe you didn’t do as well this year as you hoped because you took courses that didn’t interest you.  Take this opportunity to explore your interests and take courses that you are passionate about!

If you don’t want to return to high school, you could go to college for a one year General Arts and Science Certificate and then reapply to first year at your Dream School.  If you complete a longer two or three year college diploma program, you could be eligible for transfer credits that will count towards your university degree.  

Or, if you choose to accept an offer to another university for this September, remember that you can apply to your Dream School as a transfer student before second year.   

Your Dream School is still within reach!  Talk to an Admissions Officer to make a plan that will get you there.