Welcome to 2008!
Today is my first day back at work after a long and restful holiday, so I must confess that this blog entry is coming to you from a bit of a turkey- well, tofurkey – and pie-induced haze. Since I have something very important to tell you, I’ll try to fight that off…
Through my food-related reverie, I happened to notice that when I changed my calendar, there are a few very important deadlines coming up in the next couple of months. For those of you who are applying to university this year, you’ve likely heard your parents and your guidance counsellors say over and over again that deadlines are important, and the fact of the matter is, they’re right. It is really important that you keep an eye on deadlines this year since they can often really affect your application. That said, since most universities have slightly different deadlines, keeping track of all of them can be a bit confusing. Since there are a couple of them coming up – and since a few of them are close together – I thought I’d highlight a few that are worth marking on your shiny, new calendar:
If you’re currently attending school in Ontario:
- January 9, 2008 – There has been a bit of confusion about this date, so hopefully we can clear that up. This is the date by which the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) would like you to have applied. If all of you apply by this date, it makes it a lot easier for the OUAC to pass on your information to the universities and makes it easier for us to start processing your application (i.e. because of the sheer number of applications). You can still apply after that, depending on the university’s specific deadline; for example, at Queen’s, you can still apply up until February 1, 2008, but we would encourage you to do it by January 9th.
- February 1, 2008 – See above note. This is the final deadlines for applications and amendments, meaning that if you want to change your program options (e.g. you originally applied to Arts but recently realized that your soul is really meant to be in Engineering), you need to do it by this date.
- March 1, 2008 – Deadline for your Personal Statement of Experience (PSE) and any other documents (e.g. TOEFL test, portfolio). After you apply to Queen’s, you’ll receive information – either online or in a paper format – which will tell you what we need you to do next. We’ll also tell you about ASQ, which is where you’ll go to find out exactly which documents you need to send to us. Please note that this is a very firm deadline, so it’s important that you submit your information by this date. This is also the deadline for Entrance Bursary (needs-based financial assistance) applications for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
If you’re currently attending school full-time in Ontario, your high school will submit your grades for you. Ask your guidance counsellor for more info!
If you’re currently attending school outside of Ontario:
- February 1,2008, if you attend school in Canada or the US; February 15, 2008, if you attend school outside of Canada and the US – Of course, we would love for you to apply earlier than this, so please feel free to keep sending in those applications! This date is the final deadline to apply and to amend your application, meaning that if you originally applied to Commerce and now feel the urge to explore Computing, it’s important that you make changes by this date.
- March 1, 2008 – Deadline for your Personal Statement of Experience (PSE) and any other documents (e.g. TOEFL test, transcripts, portfolio). Just as with Ontario students, after you apply to Queen’s, you’ll receive information about ASQ and what we need you to do next. We will continue to accept your transcripts and other documents (except the PSE – it must be submitted by March 1) until April 30, but if you’d like to be considered for early offers of admission, you’ll need to try to get everything in by March 1, 2008. This is also the deadline for Entrance Bursary (needs-based financial assistance) applications for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
- April 30, 2008 – Final deadline for documents (except the PSE, which is due March 1).
Those are all the big ones! It’s important to check over letters and emails for any other little dates, but this is a good start. I think I hear your new calendar calling…
Happy 2008!
P.S. Oh, I forgot something (I did say that this blog had to fight through tofurkey and pie): don’t forget that if your address changes this year, you need to let us know! If any of your contact information changes, you’ll need to update your information on your OUAC account (then, they’ll pass it on to us). Also, don’t forget to keep an eye on your email account over the next few months!
Danyal Martin
Admission Coordinator
