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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/6/2012
Posts: 3
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Hullo from the other side of the world!
So, upon recommendation of a few people I know, I have begun to research on universities in Canada. I just got my GCE A levels in March and didn't do fantastically well, just alright. Not studying now, serving compulsory military service until February 2014.
Knowledge and Inquiry (something of philosophy) - A
Chemistry - A
Biology - B (which made me really angry and upset :P)
Visual Art - B
All at A level (or H2 level, if you're familiar with the Singaporean education system. For those who are, I took 2 H3 subjects and got merits for both: science research (biology) and art.)
I'm looking to pursue an undergraduate course in biology (or program/major/whatever) and knowing next to nothing I searched for lists of top ten Canadian universities. I've narrowed my list down to a few based on nothing but online testimonials, reputation, recommendation from abovementioned people and gut feeling (which is probably extremely unreliable).
UBC
UoT
McGill
UoAlberta
So, here are the questions:
1) What the @#$% is the difference between campuses (for UBC - Vancouver and Okanagan, for UoT - St. George, UoTM and UTSC) and is it significant enough that I should apply to all the campuses instead of just picking and choosing one? This campus thing has made me quite frustrated due to a lack of substantial information (we don't have this issue in Singapore due to our fantastically small land space).
2) Will I be at a disadvantage or will they even reject me because of my lack of a Math A level subject? I do have GCE O levels Elementary and Additional Math (both scoring A1, the best score) but other than that, nada. I don't see any specific admission requirements stated like they show on the websites of UK universities.
3) Are there any other universities I should be considering? I perused the forum a bit before posting and I see something about Waterloo, Western Ontario and Guelph for Biology. What about Queens, Ottawa, Calgary, Simon Fraser, York, Saskatchewan, etc?
4) Are the application timings more or less similar across Canada as they are in the US?
5) Do the universities allow for deferment of places? i.e. if I apply this year (2012) for academic year 2013, would they hold the place until 2014 for me so that I can begin studies after my military service?
I might find new questions along the way, so: sorry in advance! For those who are curious: I'm not applying to the US because of perceived security issues and my immense laziness toward studying for the SATs. I'm applying for the UK in 2013 (Cambridge, although I don't have straight As, just for the hell of applying, and Imperial) and have applied for a local university, no confirmation of places yet.
Thanks in advance!
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/3/2011
Posts: 721
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fallingupsideup wrote:Hullo from the other side of the world!
So, upon recommendation of a few people I know, I have begun to research on universities in Canada. I just got my GCE A levels in March and didn't do fantastically well, just alright. Not studying now, serving compulsory military service until February 2014.
Knowledge and Inquiry (something of philosophy) - A
Chemistry - A
Biology - B (which made me really angry and upset :P)
Visual Art - B
All at A level (or H2 level, if you're familiar with the Singaporean education system. For those who are, I took 2 H3 subjects and got merits for both: science research (biology) and art.)
I'm looking to pursue an undergraduate course in biology (or program/major/whatever) and knowing next to nothing I searched for lists of top ten Canadian universities. I've narrowed my list down to a few based on nothing but online testimonials, reputation, recommendation from abovementioned people and gut feeling (which is probably extremely unreliable).
UBC
UoT
McGill
UoAlberta
So, here are the questions:
1) What the @#$% is the difference between campuses (for UBC - Vancouver and Okanagan, for UoT - St. George, UoTM and UTSC) and is it significant enough that I should apply to all the campuses instead of just picking and choosing one? This campus thing has made me quite frustrated due to a lack of substantial information (we don't have this issue in Singapore due to our fantastically small land space).
2) Will I be at a disadvantage or will they even reject me because of my lack of a Math A level subject? I do have GCE O levels Elementary and Additional Math (both scoring A1, the best score) but other than that, nada. I don't see any specific admission requirements stated like they show on the websites of UK universities.
3) Are there any other universities I should be considering? I perused the forum a bit before posting and I see something about Waterloo, Western Ontario and Guelph for Biology. What about Queens, Ottawa, Calgary, Simon Fraser, York, Saskatchewan, etc?
4) Are the application timings more or less similar across Canada as they are in the US?
5) Do the universities allow for deferment of places? i.e. if I apply this year (2012) for academic year 2013, would they hold the place until 2014 for me so that I can begin studies after my military service?
I might find new questions along the way, so: sorry in advance! For those who are curious: I'm not applying to the US because of perceived security issues and my immense laziness toward studying for the SATs. I'm applying for the UK in 2013 (Cambridge, although I don't have straight As, just for the hell of applying, and Imperial) and have applied for a local university, no confirmation of places yet.
Thanks in advance! Your A levels mark in my opinion is very competitive one and should be able to get entry to most top universities here in Canada. Getting an A1 in Add Math is not easy and that is commendable. I believe I have only seen on Queens side their requirement for A Level students. A Levels is definately higher than our Grade 12(Ontario) here in Canada. If your plan is to go back to Singapore , then I would definately suggest to look into UBC Vancouver ,UFT Toronto or McGill. Those are the 3 that I would say Singapore would definately recognize and has more of the International reputation. You could certainly e mail the admission department of the schools with your marks and ask them any questions.
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 6/29/2011
Posts: 188
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fallingupsideup wrote:Hullo from the other side of the world!
So, upon recommendation of a few people I know, I have begun to research on universities in Canada. I just got my GCE A levels in March and didn't do fantastically well, just alright. Not studying now, serving compulsory military service until February 2014.
Knowledge and Inquiry (something of philosophy) - A
Chemistry - A
Biology - B (which made me really angry and upset :P)
Visual Art - B
All at A level (or H2 level, if you're familiar with the Singaporean education system. For those who are, I took 2 H3 subjects and got merits for both: science research (biology) and art.)
I'm looking to pursue an undergraduate course in biology (or program/major/whatever) and knowing next to nothing I searched for lists of top ten Canadian universities. I've narrowed my list down to a few based on nothing but online testimonials, reputation, recommendation from abovementioned people and gut feeling (which is probably extremely unreliable).
UBC
UoT
McGill
UoAlberta
So, here are the questions:
1) What the @#$% is the difference between campuses (for UBC - Vancouver and Okanagan, for UoT - St. George, UoTM and UTSC) and is it significant enough that I should apply to all the campuses instead of just picking and choosing one? This campus thing has made me quite frustrated due to a lack of substantial information (we don't have this issue in Singapore due to our fantastically small land space).
I'm not sure about UBC but at UofT the difference is between some of the courses you can take. UofT St. George is in the downtown of Toronto while UTM and UTSC are in the suburbs.
2) Will I be at a disadvantage or will they even reject me because of my lack of a Math A level subject? I do have GCE O levels Elementary and Additional Math (both scoring A1, the best score) but other than that, nada. I don't see any specific admission requirements stated like they show on the websites of UK universities.
3) Are there any other universities I should be considering? I perused the forum a bit before posting and I see something about Waterloo, Western Ontario and Guelph for Biology. What about Queens, Ottawa, Calgary, Simon Fraser, York, Saskatchewan, etc?
I know that in most countries, people judge based on international rankings and in that case UofT, McGill and UBC are your best bets for international recognition. These 3 schools also have a high (esp UofT) international student population so it'll be easier to adapt. FYI These 3 schools are by no means your HYP, Ivy League or Oxbridge of Canada. For Canadians, they are very easy to be accepted to and their undergraduate rankings are very poor. The most prestigious schools in Canada (for Canadians) are generally specific programs. Programs like McMaster Health Sciences are very hard to get accepted to and require very high scores. For UofT student satisfaction is one of the lowest in Canada.
4) Are the application timings more or less similar across Canada as they are in the US?
Most American universities have a deadline of January whereas Canadian universities generally have a deadline of February to March.
5) Do the universities allow for deferment of places? i.e. if I apply this year (2012) for academic year 2013, would they hold the place until 2014 for me so that I can begin studies after my military service?
I believe so, but i'm not sure. You should ask them.
I might find new questions along the way, so: sorry in advance! For those who are curious: I'm not applying to the US because of perceived security issues and my immense laziness toward studying for the SATs. I'm applying for the UK in 2013 (Cambridge, although I don't have straight As, just for the hell of applying, and Imperial) and have applied for a local university, no confirmation of places yet.
Thanks in advance! Work hard to get up your grades. I'm actually probably going to the UK for medical school so if you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me.
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/6/2012
Posts: 3
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aquarius wrote:
Your A levels mark in my opinion is very competitive one and should be able to get entry to most top universities here in Canada. Getting an A1 in Add Math is not easy and that is commendable. I believe I have only seen on Queens side their requirement for A Level students. A Levels is definately higher than our Grade 12(Ontario) here in Canada. If your plan is to go back to Singapore , then I would definately suggest to look into UBC Vancouver ,UFT Toronto or McGill. Those are the 3 that I would say Singapore would definately recognize and has more of the International reputation. You could certainly e mail the admission department of the schools with your marks and ask them any questions.
Thanks! I did just that: I asked about the mathematics requirement for all 4 unis that I listed above. And you're right: the 3 most reputable canadian unis that we hear about here in Singapore are UBC, UoT and McGill. I'm just wondering if there are other universities whose biology programs are comparable though. commander108 wrote:
Work hard to get up your grades. I'm actually probably going to the UK for medical school so if you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me.
Sorry, what exactly is "work hard to get up your grades"? :P I can't exactly improve my grades since I've finished my examinations and gotten the results about a month ago. Not planning to go to UK med school, just looking to do biology overseas. Thanks for the offer for advice though!
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/3/2011
Posts: 721
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fallingupsideup wrote:aquarius wrote:
Your A levels mark in my opinion is very competitive one and should be able to get entry to most top universities here in Canada. Getting an A1 in Add Math is not easy and that is commendable. I believe I have only seen on Queens side their requirement for A Level students. A Levels is definately higher than our Grade 12(Ontario) here in Canada. If your plan is to go back to Singapore , then I would definately suggest to look into UBC Vancouver ,UFT Toronto or McGill. Those are the 3 that I would say Singapore would definately recognize and has more of the International reputation. You could certainly e mail the admission department of the schools with your marks and ask them any questions.
Thanks! I did just that: I asked about the mathematics requirement for all 4 unis that I listed above. And you're right: the 3 most reputable canadian unis that we hear about here in Singapore are UBC, UoT and McGill. I'm just wondering if there are other universities whose biology programs are comparable though. commander108 wrote:
Work hard to get up your grades. I'm actually probably going to the UK for medical school so if you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me.
Sorry, what exactly is "work hard to get up your grades"? :P I can't exactly improve my grades since I've finished my examinations and gotten the results about a month ago. Not planning to go to UK med school, just looking to do biology overseas. Thanks for the offer for advice though! All Canadian Biology university program should be recognized in Singapore as I know Malaysia does unless Singapore has different requirement. Besides the top 3 prestigious ones, other well known ones here in Ontario are Western University ,Guelph,MacMaster,Ottawa and Waterloo. BTW your O level math mark is accepted here in Ontario plus atleast 2 of your A level grades ( H2) except for your Inquiry. You basically have your admission requirement for any Canadian Universities, in my opinion. Good Luck !
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 4/6/2012
Posts: 3
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aquarius wrote:
All Canadian Biology university program should be recognized in Singapore as I know Malaysia does unless Singapore has different requirement. Besides the top 3 prestigious ones, other well known ones here in Ontario are Western University ,Guelph,MacMaster,Ottawa and Waterloo.
BTW your O level math mark is accepted here in Ontario plus atleast 2 of your A level grades ( H2) except for your Inquiry. You basically have your admission requirement for any Canadian Universities, in my opinion.
Good Luck !
Yeah I don't think recognition is a problem in Singapore, only reputation :P Phew! That takes a load off my back on the A levels and not having taken Math. Would you recommend that I apply to the other universities as well? Application fees are pretty expensive but I'm not sure if I should spend the extra money applying to the other Ontario universities as well.
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Joined: 5/3/2011
Posts: 721
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fallingupsideup wrote:aquarius wrote:
All Canadian Biology university program should be recognized in Singapore as I know Malaysia does unless Singapore has different requirement. Besides the top 3 prestigious ones, other well known ones here in Ontario are Western University ,Guelph,MacMaster,Ottawa and Waterloo.
BTW your O level math mark is accepted here in Ontario plus atleast 2 of your A level grades ( H2) except for your Inquiry. You basically have your admission requirement for any Canadian Universities, in my opinion.
Good Luck !
Yeah I don't think recognition is a problem in Singapore, only reputation :P Phew! That takes a load off my back on the A levels and not having taken Math. Would you recommend that I apply to the other universities as well? Application fees are pretty expensive but I'm not sure if I should spend the extra money applying to the other Ontario universities as well. Just apply for UFT Toronto . Mississauga UFT and the Scarborough ones I believe has lower entrance average than the Toronto campus but your degree will still be from UFT. If you need an additional back up to almost a guarantee you a university spot than you want to consider applying for University of Waterloo .easy entry and also well known internationally but not for Science program.
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Rank: Senior Student
Joined: 1/21/2012
Posts: 80
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fallingupsideup wrote:Hullo from the other side of the world!
So, upon recommendation of a few people I know, I have begun to research on universities in Canada. I just got my GCE A levels in March and didn't do fantastically well, just alright. Not studying now, serving compulsory military service until February 2014.
Knowledge and Inquiry (something of philosophy) - A
Chemistry - A
Biology - B (which made me really angry and upset :P)
Visual Art - B
All at A level (or H2 level, if you're familiar with the Singaporean education system. For those who are, I took 2 H3 subjects and got merits for both: science research (biology) and art.)
I'm looking to pursue an undergraduate course in biology (or program/major/whatever) and knowing next to nothing I searched for lists of top ten Canadian universities. I've narrowed my list down to a few based on nothing but online testimonials, reputation, recommendation from abovementioned people and gut feeling (which is probably extremely unreliable).
UBC
UoT
McGill
UoAlberta
So, here are the questions:
1) What the @#$% is the difference between campuses (for UBC - Vancouver and Okanagan, for UoT - St. George, UoTM and UTSC) and is it significant enough that I should apply to all the campuses instead of just picking and choosing one? This campus thing has made me quite frustrated due to a lack of substantial information (we don't have this issue in Singapore due to our fantastically small land space).
2) Will I be at a disadvantage or will they even reject me because of my lack of a Math A level subject? I do have GCE O levels Elementary and Additional Math (both scoring A1, the best score) but other than that, nada. I don't see any specific admission requirements stated like they show on the websites of UK universities.
3) Are there any other universities I should be considering? I perused the forum a bit before posting and I see something about Waterloo, Western Ontario and Guelph for Biology. What about Queens, Ottawa, Calgary, Simon Fraser, York, Saskatchewan, etc?
4) Are the application timings more or less similar across Canada as they are in the US?
5) Do the universities allow for deferment of places? i.e. if I apply this year (2012) for academic year 2013, would they hold the place until 2014 for me so that I can begin studies after my military service?
I might find new questions along the way, so: sorry in advance! For those who are curious: I'm not applying to the US because of perceived security issues and my immense laziness toward studying for the SATs. I'm applying for the UK in 2013 (Cambridge, although I don't have straight As, just for the hell of applying, and Imperial) and have applied for a local university, no confirmation of places yet.
Thanks in advance! Hello fellow Singaporean :) I took the Singapore A levels too, so i definitely get where you're coming from. Though i don't really know anything about Bio, i do know that UBC Van and UofT St George are the better choices (and more difficult to get into) than their lesser-known counterparts UBC Okanagan and UofT Missisauga and Scarborough. But unlike UBC and UofT, McGill has only one campus on its own. Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions yeah.
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Rank: Frosh
Joined: 12/12/2012
Posts: 1
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Hi, I'm a Singaporean living in Canada, and currently studying first year undergrad at Mcmaster, Life Science program. I went through the Canadian high school system so I didn't take O or A levels, but I have friends who tell me all about JC so I am familiar with the Singaporean education system. I can, however, tell you about Canadian University Applications and Canadian Universities in Ontario since I went through the process.
1. The main difference between the campuses is location. Different campuses are in different cities. For example, for U of T, U of T St George is the main campus in Downtown Toronto, and the oldest and biggest campus of the three. UTSC is the campus in the city of Scarborough, 31 kilometers east from the downtown campus. UoTM is in the city of Mississauga, 31 km west from downtown. You just have to decide where you want to live. Most people apply to the St George campus because it's in Toronto and it's exciting to live downtown. To put this in perspective, Toronto will be the equivalent of the Raffles Place/Orchard Road area, Mississauga like Bishan, and Scarborough like Novena. You could apply to all, but most people just pick one.
2. Your marks should be able to get you into the science programs in most universities in Ontario. The requirements are:
1. 5 GCE (O level) subjects at least two of which must be at the Advanced Level (A level)
2. Advanced Level subjects appropriate for your chosen program. For Science and Engineering programs, Mathematics and one of Physics or Chemistry must be offered at the Advanced Level
3. Grades of at least C must be presented in each of the Advanced Level subjects. Some programs may require higher grades.
These are the requirements for International Students for Mcmaster, but I assume the other universities like U of T and Waterloo will have similar standards. You may be able to get transfer credits from your A level too. I highly recommend emailing the schools, they will really help you with admission requirements.
3. The Biology programs in U of T, Mcmaster, Waterloo, Guelph, Western, are very similar. All these universities have approximately the same cut off averages. None of the biology programs is really better compared to another. All it comes down to is what program you want to major in. Different universities offer different programs, so choose the university with the program you want. If you want a university that is known to Singaporeans and has Singaporeans, you may want to consider U of T St George, Waterloo, UBC, U of Alberta, and Simon Fraser.
4. I don't know about application timings for International applicants, but for Ontario High School students, you submit your first round of applications online on OUAC 101 (http://www.ouac.on.ca/ouac-101/) before Christmas break (around now). This website is helpful because they give you a lot of information about the application process and universities. The first offer of admissions start coming in late Feburary to early march, and you have to accept your offer of admissions June. The universities do NOT hold places for anyone, so you have to be sure that you will be able to attend the university when the school term starts in September. If you can't make it in september, some universities allow people to start school during the Winter term in January. Since the school term is split into two semesters, starting in the Winter term will not really put you at a disadvantage.
I hope this answers your questions, feel free to send me an email if you have any other questions :)
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Rank: Student Council
Joined: 3/13/2011
Posts: 388
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Important question: Unit?
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Rank: Frosh  Joined: 8/17/2012 Posts: 3
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Hey! I'm not Singaporean but I studied in Singapore before coming to UBC, having gone through the same A level system, hope this will help! 1) UBC Vancouver is the main campus with a much larger student body than that in UBC Okanagan. I think the school does make the distinction when you obtain your degree, that UBCV or UBCO will be printed on your graduation certificate. Other than that, the living conditions differ as well. Vancouver is one of the major cities while Okanagan is less populated. Generally people think UBCV is better, but there's no proof whatsoever. I think the same applies to U of T, correct me if I was wrong. 2) Unfortunately UBC Science does require Math, as well as Physics and Chem for A levels. https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/vancouver/bpe.ezc However you might want to check that with admission officers before you apply. 3) Not quite sure, sorry :( 4) I think the decisions are rolling in UBC's case. So it might come out in June latest. The application deadline is end of January. 5) You can apply for deferment for UBC. Check this out: https://you.ubc.ca/ubc/shared/defer.ezc
Good luck applying to UK and Singaporean schools, though I do hope to see you in UBC :D University of British Columbia 16'
Faculty of Applied Science
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