I have both Canadian and American passports, and am planning to apply to schools from both countries.
I’ve found a lot of really helpful websites with admissions data for American schools, but there just doesn’t seem to be that level of information for Canadian schools.
Does anyone know of any places where I could find some useful information?
Note: The Canadian schools that I’m thinking about are UAB, UBC, and Mac.
Thanks
Any data would be on each university’s website. If for American schools you are looking at sites like Niche be aware that the data is usually a couple of years old and sometimes just wrong.
For Canadian schools, the requirements vary depending on the program you are applying to. Generally, it is much harder to get into programs such as CS, engineering and commerce than it is to get into other programs.
I’m applying for a BSc, Biochem or Microbio
McMaster has some very competitive B.Sc. programs. If you’re not applying to Health Sciences or Integrated Science at McMaster, the following would apply. If you are applying to those programs, then your GPA/standardized test scores need to be as high as possible.
For the other programs and universities, if you’re a Canadian high school student, an average in the 90’s should get you in. If you’re in an American high school, an ACT of 30, or the SAT equivalent should get you in.
Check on the specific course requirements for life sciences at each of the universities. You will likely need English, calculus, biology and chemistry. Some schools will specify grade 12 level (for Canadians) or senior level (for Americans) for those courses.
For the schools you’re interested in:
U of A: https://www.ualberta.ca/admissions/international/admission/admission-requirements/competitive-requirements
McMaster: http://future.mcmaster.ca/2018/05/01/sept-2018-admission-averages/
Here’s the coarser data from the Maclean’s university rankings: https://www.macleans.ca/education/canadian-universities-minimum-entering-grades-by-faculty/ You should double check with the university’s website for the schools you’re interested in applying to, but this gives you a general ranking of selectivity.
For all the schools, keeping your GPA >2% above the ‘competitive minimum’ (or the previous year’s minimum average) will usually do the trick. UBC has ‘broad-based admissions’ to consider candidates with borderline GPAs. From what I’ve heard, the boost effect from essays is pretty small. I don’t know for sure, but I’m curious about it and might volunteer for them this cycle to find out more. Remember that your admission average is only calculated based on the courses they’re specifically asking for, and this depends on the degree program you’re applying for.
Funny thing - unlike almost everywhere else, at UBC, Science has always been the most competitive to get into (and stay in), more so than Sauder or Engineering (applied science). Only this year it seems Applied Science is catching up. There’s a degree of snobbery with the science students as a result (definitely was guilty of this myself).
I have a soft spot for U of A because it’s pretty easy to get admitted, and it’s a high quality school. I’m from Western Canada, and out here U of A is very well-regarded by employers. I knew a lot of high school peers who weren’t the best students back then, but got into U of A and really bloomed and got to discover their talents and mature through the college experience.
At UBC and U of A, you declare your major the summer after 1st year or later (I don’t know about McMaster), and it’s a competitive process. At UBC, biochem was pretty easy to declare (need a B+/A- average), but it requires a more rigorous chemistry sequence through year 2-3 (3 semesters of organic and physical chemistry each instead of 1 each). Microbio is more competitive. Physiology, pharmacology and med lab sci were the most difficult.
If you are looking for Common Data Set information
For Ontario schools - http://cou.on.ca/numbers/cudo/
For Atlantic schools - http://www.atlanticuniversities.ca/statistics/atlantic-common-university-data-set
For schools in Quebec & west coast you will have to check on each school’s website and see if they provide that information