Chance Me For LSE! -- Canadian

<p>Grade 12 Marks:</p>

<p>Biology -- 100%
Physics -- 100%
Advanced Functions -- 96%
Calculus -- 96%
English 93%
Environmental Science -- 99%</p>

<p>Marks aren't easy to come by in Canada, unlike America where people routinely get perfect marks.</p>

<hr>

<p>Extracurricular Activities:</p>

<p>Summer Intern At Venture Capital Firm
Summer Intern At Marketing Research Firm
Varsity School Hockey Captain
Blood Drive Volunteer
Community Centre Volunteer</p>

<h2>+Small Things</h2>

<p>Awards/Distinctions </p>

<p>Mensa Member
International High IQ Society Member
138 on WAIS IV
+Small Things</p>

<p>Love you all, thanks!</p>

<p>You haven’t said what you’re applying for…</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply. </p>

<p>Either Economics or Accounting & Finance.</p>

<p>Firstly, I have not idea how UK schools consider Canadian grades. Do they even accept “grade 12 marks”? You need to find this out. Secondly I think you probably need a LOT more math. UK students who do A-level math don’t just do calculus, they do algebra, trig, stats etc. These are not considered separate subjects. You have t have all of them.</p>

<p>What is advanced functions?</p>

<p>ECs are usually irrelevant for UK admissions unless they are very course specific. Did you do anything in accounting or finance at your internships?</p>

<p>I wish I knew more about the Canadian educational system so that I could help you.</p>

<p>If an American student wrote what you wrote, i.e. “Here are the grades (i.e. marks) I earned in 12th grade, here are my extracurriculars, and here are my awards/distinctions” I would say “Big deal, NONE of this matters for college admission in the UK”. (I am assuming that your ‘grade 12 marks’ were given you by your school, and are not the results of some standardized test)</p>

<p>You need to contact LSE and specifically ask them what the requirements would be for a Canadian.</p>

<p>When UK students apply to a UK college or uni, the most important things are how they do on a set of tests called “A levels”, together with their application and interview. For foreign applicants, UK unis will look for the tests from that country that is “closest” to “A levels”. For Americans, this would be AP tests or Advanced SATs, I don’t know what the Canadian equivalent is.</p>

<p>UK unis are looking for someone who is committed to the subject they intend to “read” (i.e. major in). They aren’t looking for someone who is “well-rounded” the way American (and I am guessing Canadian) unis are.</p>

<p>You may get in, you may not. You haven’t actually told us anything that would be relevant to a UK college like LSE’s admission decision. (Unless I am wrong, and your “Grade 12 Marks” come from some sort of standardized test that would be equivalent to UK A levels.)</p>

<p>And I do realize that if you did Calculus in 12th grade, you must have done all the other branched of mathematics in earlier grades.</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

<p>[Canada</a> - North America - Information by country/region - Information for international students - Study - Home](<a href=“http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/informationForInternationalStudents/countryRegion/northAmerica/canada.aspx]Canada”>http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/informationForInternationalStudents/countryRegion/northAmerica/canada.aspx)</p>

<p>I’m from Ontario.</p>

<p>“Ontario: University Preparatory Courses - 90% (85% for BBB programmes at A level) in six grade 12 courses at least five of which must be University Preparatory Courses (4U). The sixth course could be a University/College Preparation Course (4M).”</p>

<p>We don’t have standardized testing at my school. : / There is no Canadian equivalent unless you go to a $15,000 private school where they offer AP classes. I go to a public school, so grades are even harder to come by.</p>

<p>Venture capital is a job in the finance sector. Working at a firm with a ~$180 million portfolio…</p>

<p>Advanced Functions is a pre-req to Calculus. They’re both the highest and hardest Mathematics corses offered in Canada. I can also take Data Management, but the thing with Data Management is that it’s not as hard as Physics or Bio. Would you recommend I take it? </p>

<p>To put these numbers into perspective, my average after my final year was 95.33% (I did Physics and Biology in the summer). A girl in my school averaged ~97% and she got into Harvard. Obviously with SATs but using the same marks as myself. The highest cutoff, percentage-wise, in Canada, in terms of universities, is ~93% for some programs at McGill. I’m miles above it.</p>

<p>Any guesswork here is appreciate, guys. I’ll call LSE today, but I’d like to know if I have any chance with the current grades I do. Would it be a good idea to redo a course? I can’t get any higher (1%) without retaking a course.</p>

<p>

Yes, but what did you actually DO? It is not relevant if you only made the coffee. ECs have to be specific for them to be considered. You need to say in your personal statement “At internship X, I did Y and I learned Z which increased my desire to study Q”. But if you want to talk down to me like I’m an idiot, fine. I don’t have to help you, so I won’t.</p>

<p>I’m not talking down to you, in any sense. I was simply trying to say that venture capital is entirely relevant to finance.</p>

<p>I worked on a relevant project and learned boatloads. Do as you must.</p>

<p>I suggest you do more of your own research into the topic. If needs be; call the LSE admissions dept and ask your questions there. However here are some general things to consider:
Have you thought about/researched your personal statement?
Do you understand and know how to use the UCAS system as an international applicant?
Have you considered back ups? (you can apply to 5 UK unis per UCAS year entry)</p>

<p>As to your “chances”; your percentages seem good, but I have no idea how they compare to A-Levels/IB which UK applicants use (this would be something to ask LSE directly). Your internships will be something to mention in your personal statement if you can form a convincing point that they were both relevant and beneficial, the other stuff… maybe condense it all into a small paragraph about yourself “outside the classroom”, but it should be 80-90% Academic focus, especially as your applying to one of the most competitive courses anywhere in the world (Economics at LSE).</p>

<p>Okay Topiary, if you have what the website says Ontario students need then go for it. It looks like you have six courses with 90% or higher, again I don’t know the Ontario system so do you meet the other requirements (are at least five of these “4U” with the other one being either “4U” or “4M”(I have no idea what that means))? If you have all that, then yes, you have a chance. If you don’t, then get those requirements.</p>

<p>It’s difficult to say whether you have the right subjects for the programs you are interested in. For the BSc in Economics a UK student to be competitive would need four A-levels, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, and two other “academic” subjects. Maybe your Calculus and Advanced Functions are equivalent to Mathematics and Further Mathematics, I just don’t know. And I am sure your Biology, Physics, English, and almost certainly Environmental Science count as “academic” subjects. And it looks as though the requirements for the BSc in Accounting and Finance are much lower than those for the Economics programme, that programme will take folks who don’t even have Math at A level (as long as they have an A on the GCSE, an easier test than the A level.).</p>

<p>I say, if you’ve got the requirements they are looking for, go for it.</p>

<p>(And I do agree with Oscar’s post above)</p>

<p>KEVP</p>

<p>I’ve read up on the personal statement. From what I gather, they’re fairly different from what Canadian/American schools want to see. I’ll look into deeper. That being said, can you give me the gist of what I need to include in my personal statement? </p>

<p>I had absolutely no idea I could apply to 4 other schools. Thanks. I read that the application fee for an LSE application was $50 (I don’t have the pound symbol). </p>

<p>Random question, in the UK do you have a pound sign above the 4? Like when your hit shift? </p>

<p>Thanks for all this.</p>

<p>Personal Statement:
The UK, unlike North America, is VERY subject (major) specific. Your entire personal statement (max 4000 characters if i remember right) should be a piece aimed at convincing the admissions tutor reading it that you are passionate and driven in a specific academic discipline.
It takes the general format of:
A broad intro of yourself and your academic interests (about 10%)
WHY you want to study your chosen subject
WHAT evidence you have backing up your interest
What sets you apart from other candidates
What interests you have outside of your chosen discipline (keep it short)
Conclusion </p>

<p>This obviously can be tweaked and altered as much as you like, but these key points must be addressed. Tips; DONT be cliche, DONT lie (if you’re ever asked for interview they will discuss what you have written in your personal statement), keep it very focused and concise, it’s not long so don’t waffle. </p>

<p>Our £ sign is above the 3, $ is the 4.</p>

<p>Thank you for all that, OscarUK. I remember your name from Studentawards, are you going to McGill? I’m interested in their Investment Management program. Good luck this coming fall, man! </p>

<p>Where is your # sign then?!</p>

<p>Never mind, I looked up your keyboard.</p>