Think Canada for College!

 Many students (or their parents) have set their hearts on admission to the top 20 undergraduate or graduate programs in the United States. They may think that, without a degree from MIT or Stanford, they’ll have little chance at a successful career at a North American company after graduation.

Not true! One exciting educational opportunity worth pursuing is university in Canada—at either the undergrad or grad level. Canadian universities offer a complete array of programs in the sciences, the social sciences, medical fields, engineering, business, the arts and humanities, and more. Several universities rank among the top 50 in the world (for instance, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and McGill), but even if you are not at the top of your class, there’s still a wide range of excellent colleges from which to choose. Of course, English is the primary language of instruction at most Canadian universities, but if your French is strong, you might even consider colleges in the French-speaking province of Quebec, home to the University of Montreal, Laval University, and others. (Incidentally, McGill is also in Quebec, but it’s actually one of just three English-language universities there.)

A benefit of obtaining your college degree in Canada—either undergraduate or graduate—is that tuition and other fees for international students tend to be cheaper than at U.S. universities. For example, for the 2020–2021 school year at Stanford, tuition and fees (not including room and board) for international students add up to a whopping $55,796 for undergrads and $55,011 for grad students, regardless of your major. In contrast, at the University of British Columbia, tuition ranges from $37,460 to $51,635, depending on your field of study, with majors in music, fine arts, computer science, nursing, architectural design, and environmental design falling at the less expensive end of the scale. Commerce (business), medical laboratory sciences, and applied sciences are at the higher end. Fees (not including room and board) add another $1,000 to $1,400 per year, except for commerce, where the fees add up to $1,900 per year. Although business is one of the more expensive majors at the University of British Columbia, Maclean’s University Guide ranks it as the top business program among all Canadian universities. And remember, scholarships and aid may be available to international students.

Other less expensive universities are worth exploring. International undergraduates at Dalhousie University currently pay between $10,098 and $13,077 in yearly tuition, whereas international master’s-degree students pay between $6,972 and $13,077, and Ph.D. students pay $9,795. Find the Canadian universities that fit your academic interests and budget. Cheaper doesn’t mean bad—not by a long shot! For example, Dalhousie University consistently ranks among the top 10 or 12 universities in Canada, and its medical school ranks 7th. Employers gladly hire Dalhousie graduates.

Another important benefit of studying in Canada is that you considerably increase your chances of getting a job in Canada after graduation. As you probably know, Canada has recently made available two new dedicated paths to permanent residency, one for students and the other for young workers from Hong Kong.

The first path is aimed at students from Hong Kong who have graduated from university in Canada—and that can be you! This pathway applies to students who have obtained either their undergraduate or graduate degree in Canada. You can apply directly as soon as you complete your degree.

For the second path, starting in 2021, if you already have obtained your college degree within the last five years, you can apply for an “open work permit,” which allows you to work in Canada for up to three years. Whether you obtained your degree in Hong Kong, in Canada, or elsewhere, you may be eligible. There are minimum language and education criteria, plus you must have one year of work experience in Canada before applying.

The possibility of gaining permanent residency in Canada makes exploring Canadian universities all the more valuable, especially given the relative ease (compared to the United States) with which Hong Kong residents can gain permanent residency in Canada.

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A Writing Guide For English Learners

 

Is English not your first language? Then maybe you’re intimidated by writing in English. Maybe you feel that writing in English at a native level is a bar you can never reach… WRONG! Whether it’s writing a gripping application to college or preparing for the IELTS writing section, mastery of English writing IS within your grasp.

Better, even! If you follow these tips, you’ll write at a higher level than most native speakers, many of whom never fully learn how to use their birth-given language!

Tip #1: Avoid writing polysyllabic if you’re not actually familiar with them

There’s an error in the grammar of that tip! Can you spot it? “Polysyllabic” – though it IS a word in the English dictionary – isn’t an adverb or noun! It’s an adjective. The correct sentence would be “Avoid using polysyllabic words if you’re not actually familiar with them.”

This can be a problem for ESL learners looking to improve their IELTS writing score, or for anyone looking to write better in English. Rather than copy and paste from the thesaurus, it’s better to just cut “polysyllabic” from your draft – and anything else you exhumed from the thesaurus. Don’t use those rococo words unless you actually understand them!

Tip #2: Lay off the slang, dude.

If you’ve learned a tonna English from catchy songs or TV, academic writing and the IELTS are NOT the places to use them. In other words, the title of this tip (and the sentence preceding this one) are great examples of how NOT to write the perfect IELTS essay!

Some commonly spoken expressions (“gonna” for “going to”, or “a tonna” for “a ton of”) aren’t even proper English words. Other words, like “dude”, are probably going to hurt you far more than they’ll help. In general, in academic writing, you should avoid slang and colloquial expressions altogether – or “lay off” them, as people might say in the street, but NOT in a formal essay!

Tip #3: You probably shouldn’t use “you”, either

When you’re getting ready to write an academic essay – for example, preparing for the IELTS essay – you’re NOT speaking to an audience. There’s no “you” in a formal essay. You’re presenting the facts or your viewpoints; nothing more.

There ARE places to use the word “you” in English writing. When there’s a defined audience – for example, people looking to improve their English-language writing for college applications or for the IELTS. When I’m writing to a group of known readers, I can write “you”. However, if you write “you” in the IELTS essay or your college application, you’re writing to the people who will be scoring your essay or deciding whether to admit you. This is probably NOT a good idea!

These are just a few writing tips for academic English. Follow these, and you’ll write better than ninety percent of native speakers, who don’t take the trouble to improve their English writing! But, if you’d still like help in Hong Kong, Helppo offers personalized, native English-speaking tutors to help you prepare for the IELTS writing section, or to apply to college in the USA or UK. Take advantage of Helppo’s expert, Hong Kong-based tutors, and reach out today!

Develop Your College Application Strategy With Helppo's Admission Consultants

Applying to colleges is more than just achieving high grades, excellent standardized test scores, and fulfilling other requirements of a particular college. It requires intensive research as well. Of course, you'd want to begin by performing research that interests you, such as determining the location of where you want to spend the next 3-5 years of your educational journey, which type of major and program you're interested in pursuing, financial matters, and other factors that you and your family feel are important for finding a right college fit. Admission consultants are always available to decrease the time you spend doing this type of work, but the truth is you can do much of this on your own.

Once you determine a major and type of school, you need to consider placing potential schools into three categories: Reach, Target, and Likely:

Reach schools are highly selective, with an acceptance rate of around 30% or less. Additionally, if your standardized test scores and GPA fall below the 50th percentile, then the school is a reach.

Target schools are moderately selective, with an acceptance rate of 30-60% or more. Additionally, your standardized test scores and GPA need to fall within the 50th-75th percentile of previously admitted students.

Likely schools are considered to have an acceptance rate of 60% or more. Your standardized test scores and GPA should fall above the 75th percentile of admitted students.

Therefore, you'll need to have the final value for your cumulative GPA, standardized scores, and the data from the schools that you are interested in before placing them into Reach, Target, and Likely categories. Weighted and unweighted GPAs, SAT Superscores, and other factors need to be accounted for, but this is a simple method to jumpstart your research. A reliable resource for researching university or college data is College Navigator, provided by the United States Department of Education, or requesting assistance from an educational consultant or college admissions counselor.

Here are some tips for creating an ideal application strategy: 

1. Choose 2-3 Reach schools, 3-5 Target schools, and 3-4 Likely schools.

2. Keep track of any restrictions in early application deadlines. Some schools have Restricted Early Action or Single-Choice Early Action which prohibits applying early to other schools. This is also true for applying to any programs that offer Early Decision.

3. Plan to apply to regular Early Action deadlines as often as possible. Ideally, you can apply to most of your schools Early Action. Data supports applying early results in better outcomes and provides early admitted students with stronger financial aid packages.

4. If you’re pursuing a major that is provided in multiple schools or colleges of the same university, research the data for each program to determine better chances of admission. For example, computer science majors are often available at schools of engineering and schools of arts and sciences.

By following these steps, you’ll put together an ideal application strategy and pave the way for plenty of options after submitting your college applications.

Post originally shared on www.hihelppo.com.hk