<p>I’m happy for you!</p>
<p>My friend’s A.B. from Princeton will cost him less than a year of tuition and residence at UBC.</p>
<p>My tuition for Yale 2014 will cost less than if I stayed in Canada and went to Western University. So, I definitely think that it used to cost an arm and a leg to attend an Ivy or a top US, but sine Harvard revamped their fin aid and other schools followed suit two years ago, attending a wealthy US institution can easily cost less than attending a peer instiution in Canada, regardless of the quality of academics. </p>
<p>However, I fully agree with Starbright that it is about the student and not about the university. BUT, that being said, a Yale or Harvard degree is known to open more doors than a Waterloo degree.</p>
<p>Typically Ivies are the best bet for Canadians for fin aid since they have a lot of money and are thus need-blind. Places like Stanford, Caltech, and MIT are a bit harder since they are need-aware for internationals. I don’t know about the other Ivies, but Penn and Cornell have fin aid reserved for US’s neighbors Mexico and Canada. However, recently Cornell’s endowment shrank due to the recession, and Cornell dumped Canadians into the international pool in terms of aid, so quite a few Canadians are not getting any aid even though their parents can’t afford it. Because of the recession, Harvard and Yale lost at least a quarter of their endowment. I worry that other “rich” unis (at least Penn) may follow suit or have stricter admission/limited aid for international students.</p>
<p>Being need blind for internationals is very rare and those places definitely get incredible apps. But some of the other ivies and ivy-like schools (mit, stanford, hopkins, Chicago, caltech) do have financial aid for internationals - they just are aware of how much you coming to the school will cost. All of these schools will admit you though if they feel you’re worth the money. </p>
<p>It’s equally hard everywhere whether you’re seeking entrance to harvard or financial aid at Chicago. I think applying to a lot of schools is important if you’re seeking aid. </p>
<p>You have to also be the BEST so looking at top liberal arts colleges (Colby, Macalester, Oberlin) where a lot of international’s don’t really apply can make you stand out. You have to be the best one in the pool to get some money from these schools.</p>
<p>MIT’s need blind</p>
<p>Starbright, how is one supposed to graduate from a Canadian engineering program a year early? It’s practically impossible because of the rigid structure of the program. And how is one supposed to do a dual degree at U of T or Waterloo (and spend only 5 years there)? And how is one supposed to get all those research positions if the university won’t even consider you until after 3rd year (and it’s still overly competitive then)? </p>
<p>And may I ask you why you decided to teach at a Canadian school instead?</p>
<p>MIT is need blind to Canadians. They also impose a quota on the number of internationals (ends up to only 5-10 Canadians a year). So long shot anyway.</p>
<p>You can get research positions earlier if you’re keen enough. I’ll have a summer research position next year (it’ll be my freshman year) at a research hospital in Toronto.</p>
<p>Good for you, then, for being able to get a research position the summer after your freshman year. </p>
<p>But for the rest of us, getting a summer research position is as hard as getting into MIT. Sure, it’s possible, though. </p>
<p>But research positions are practically guaranteed at Ivies.</p>
<p>Have you actually tried looking for a research position? If not, then you really talk unless you’re just basing your argument on what you hear. </p>
<p>I know at McGill you qualify for NSERC after 2 semesters and you can start taking 396 research courses after 1 semester (usually no one does it first year though but second year is a definite possibility). To make the Dean’s Research list you need to complete a minimum of 3 research projects or 9 credits of a research project. It goes without saying, you’ll need a high cGPA to get these opportunities but this occurs at every university - including the ivies.</p>
<p>yes, I’ve tried looking for research positions, or else I wouldn’t be here. </p>
<p>First of all, that’s McGil. What about U of T or Waterloo for those people who can’t afford to leave home unless it’s an Ivy?</p>
<p>Research course = you have to pay for it and it’s in school year. </p>
<p>And you might qualify for NSERC after 2 semesters, but how many first years could actually get hired? Come on. Even third/fourth year students have trouble looking for volunteer positions in the summer, much less get paid for them.</p>
<p>What do you guys think matters more: one’s grade 11 average (and grade 12 1st sem.) or the overall?</p>
<p>people say gr.11 grades more than anything.</p>
<p>Grade 11 matters a lot… grade 12 matters a lot too… grade 10 and 9 are not a important but for top schools, it still can be. The exceptions are that some schools like UC schools (I believe) don’t look at freshman grades. My strongest year was grade 11 and I think that is partly the reason for many of my acceptances. They were willing to forgive me for my freshman year slacking. I, however, do not suggest slacking in any way shape or form in high school, especially if you’re aiming for HYP.</p>
<p>^^ AGREEDDDDD</p>
<p>And, I dont know if anyone actually answered the original question of this thread, but for Canadian Students, you can calculate your GPA with this general scale:</p>
<p>90-100 = A = 4 points
80-89 = B = 3 points
70-79 = C = 2 points
60-69 = D = 1 point</p>
<p>Take your marks, say 91, 89, 95, and 90, then allot the points, 4, 3, 4 and 4… Add them together 4+3+4+4 = 15</p>
<p>Now divide by the number of classes 15/4 = 3.75 GPA</p>
<p>Its fairly simple, and I know there is a lot of debate about the hardness of the Canadian schooling system vs the USA, but this is the most accurate scale I have found. More or less, if your average is over 90%, you have a 4.0 unweighted GPA. </p>
<p>I have no idea about weighted, since Canada has the U/C program, but AP/IB are the norm for high achieving students in the USA. And, even then, Canadian APs are different from American, so I really dont know how correlated they are.</p>
<p>Ok guys, thanks for the clarification. So, although 11 and 12 matter most, 9 and 10 are looked at and it varies from school to school.</p>
<p>@thatguy100 - the problem with your scale lies in the fact that in Ontario:</p>
<p>80-100 = A
70-80 = B
60-70 = C
Below 60 = D</p>
<p>So it is harder for Ontario students to get 90s in subjects like English and History as opposed to US students because the criteria for an A starts at 80. But with courses that are purely based on right and wrong answers (i.e. Math for the most part), it should be just as easy to get 90s because it’s so objective.</p>
<p>PS can anyone tell me how to quote someone in my reply with that box thing…it would save a lot of hassle.</p>
<p>@itsinreach,</p>
<p>I know what you mean… perhaps the grades are lowered?? All I know is that it is a much better idea to underestimate versus overestimate your GPA</p>
<p>If you apply with a “3.9 GPA” from the scale I put on there, but then when the school sees your marks, it makes you look even better by comparison… but if you went in with a “4.0 GPA” cause you included an 80 as 4 points but the university doesnt, it looks like stretching the truth…</p>
<p>^ very true…i see your point. I suspect it comes mostly down to school rank.</p>
<p>i am so confused. and my guidance counsellor doesn’t know anything about converting GPA, so i feel like i’m screwed…
i currently have 94.5… what does that convert to?</p>
<p>itsinreach, I’m sorry but I have to advice people to ignore your conversion chart (its for their own benefit). YOU CANNOT CONVERT CANADIAN GRADES TO AMERICAN GPA SYSTEM. Simple as that. Do not try and convert them. US schools will look at your grades relative to the grades of the other students in your peers. Class rank can be important as well.</p>
<p>Alam1</p>
<p>How are you getting that info? Cause I most definitely was able to convert mine… it was fairly simple… I was maintaining a 95% average, so if you had to look at that as a GPA its a 4.0</p>
<p>Its kind of like slang in one language trying to translate into another?? I dont really know…</p>
<p>And, consider this – my school doesnt rank, nor will guidance counsellors tell you your rank if you ask them…</p>
<p>ANNDDD. You have to find ways to change your marks to a GPA… Americans only look at GPA. They dont even have a “percent mark” section on the common app. Its all GPA.</p>