<p>Hi
I am a Belgian student in a rather unusual situation. </p>
<p>I've been looking at Canadian Unis such as mcgill, ubc... and in order to get in, it seems that your GPA is practically the only thing that matters. Now, I've always had the best grades in my school in Belgium during my first 4 years of high school (in Belgium there are 6 years of high school). However last year I decided to challenge myself to the fullest and try to finish my 5th and 6th year at once (which equals 11th and 12th grade in america). I succeeded but naturally, I now have a relatively lower GPA for the 11th and 12th grade.
However I now fear that the admissions office won't take my application seriously because my senior year grades are too low. :s</p>
<p>Could I make up for this by taking the SAT, or explaining them how I graduated one year early? I'am now 16 and will start my gap year in the US in september. </p>
<p>Gap years are not very common in Canada, but becoming more so. Here, the attitude has often been that gap years are taken so applicants can apply as mature students when grades were not good enough for entrance.
There is almost no essay commitment for Canada, unlike USA. You could write SAT for another option for admission.
Generally, if your scores are over 70%, you will probably be fine. If your program requires an interview, that’s when your input will have a determining factor.
Did you do an IB school, because those grades are considered in place of your GPA.<br>
Also look at the grading translation. A Canadian generally can add 7-10% to their scores to convert to a US score. No idea what it would be to convert Belgian to Canadian.<br>
Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your reply.
IB schools are pretty much non existent here in Belgium. Sadly there are no programs in High school here in Belgium to really set yourself apart from the crowd (like americans take AP classes and stuff like that) due to the 100% acceptance rate in all Belgian universities. I do believe my senior grades are mostly above 70%, except for math 60%. However I took the highest level possible of math classes in the country and in general Belgium scores way better when it comes to quality of teaching in high school than the US so maybe I can still make myself a competitive candidate if I take the SAT or ACT during my gap year.</p>
<p>Btw would you advise an international applicant to apply in Canada rather than the USA?</p>
<p>I went to UBC and when I applied there was no essay - so I know what you’re talking about when you say it seems to be entirely focused on grades. But I hear Canadian unis are changing to become more holistic - I know UBC started a Personal Profile with their application a few years ago, which is kind of like an essay but instead of one big question I think it is 4 or 5 shorter questions that get you to talk about extracurriculars, life experiences, etc… the kind of stuff you talk about in essays anyway.</p>
<p>A friend of mine who took a gap year applied and got in - I think as long as you do something valuable, like travel or volunteer and have something interesting to say about, it’s not a bad thing. Now, if you took a gap year and just stayed home playing videogames and going on facebook all day, then it could be a problem…</p>
<p>As for applying to Canada - I definitely recommend it: very international country (especially in Vancouver) and really good schools that are half the cost of US schools. Good luck with all the decisions!</p>
<p>Thanks so much, that’s really helpful!</p>