IWantToBeFamous

I'm currently in Grade 11 in Canada. The grading scale in this province is:
100-86% -- A
85-73% -- B
72-67% -- C+
66-60% -- C
59-50% -- C-
49-0% -- F

These are my grades:
Math: 99% or 100%, haven't gotten the final mark yet but it's between those two
English 11 Honours: 84.8%
Foods 11: 91%
Socials 11: 91%
Physics 11: 97% or 96%, haven't gotten the final mark yet but it's between those two
Chemistry 12: 97% or 96%, haven't gotten the final mark yet but once again it's between those two.
Spanish 11: 94%
Accounting 11: 94%

I haven't taken the SATs yet.

I'm very worried about my English 11 Honours mark. It brings my GPA of 4.0 down to a 3.9. I know, I know, grades aren't everything, ECs are important...But just please try to answer my question with regards to the impact this grade has on whether I will get accepted to rejected. The sad thing is that I don't get the major award which is given at my school to people who receive a 4.0 GPA in their top 8 classes in Grade 11: "Honours with Distinction". I will get it next year though, because it only depends on 7 classes, but I'm afraid it'll be too late then because I've already applied to the university. So help me out here guys, did I really mess this up bad with that English mark?

ReesesPieces

Canadians unite! You have awesome grades, but the difference will really be ECs, awards, SAT scores, and teacher recs. A gpa alone is not enough to determine whether you would be a good candidate.

IWantToBeFamous

I participated in the Micro-Business Competition. My team and I came third in the country, and we received the award of "Best Business Idea" and "Best Team Report", but I was just wondering due these prestigious universities care about these awards, and do they care about the fact that I got the award of "Honor Roll" and Super 'G' (It's when you receive a G--good-- in all of your classes/it's pretty much a letter grade but for effort)? I have a feeling awards are my weakness. Just like with the English scenario, I was so close to receiving the award of "Top Physics Student" and "Top Math Student" this year, but I got beat by a percent in physics, and 0.4 in Math. Over all do you think, if I receive 2200+ on my sat, and 700+ on the SAT IIs, along with good teacher recs, basketball, a decent amount of work experience, volleyball, a decent amount of volunteering, and good college essay I could get accepted. Did I mess up my chances greatly by getting the 84.8% in English, and not receiving the "Honours with Distinctions" award?

ReesesPieces

To be honest, that one mark is not going to make it or break it. If you have a good gpa and your scores are in the acceptable range, then there is nothing to worry about on that front. Is the "top math student" thing a school wide award? If so, it will not strengthen your app too much. I think Ivies tend to look for national awards. The disadvantage that Canadians have is that there are fewer than in the US (no National Merit Scholar, etc.) and the adcoms won't know if our awards are important or not. You could try for the Remembrance Day Essay this November though, since it is national. It's difficult for even the best, most qualified applicants to get in so I think you'll need to demonstrate passion for a certain subject area and acceleration in school. Be different! Also, internships are always good Best of luck!