Private school profile

Detailed explanation of private school application, 5 major points and 4 major misunderstandings you must know!

Although public schools are not inferior to private schools in terms of overall teaching quality, the top private schools are still the favorites of many families. The number of applicants for private schools in Greater Vancouver is increasing every year, which means that the competition for admission to these prestigious schools is becoming more and more fierce.

So, how do you prepare when applying to a private school to increase your success rate?

Different from the "simple and convenient" application of Canadian public schools, the application of private schools is simply a "marathon". The process of preparing application materials, interviews, etc. will take a long time. Every link must be sloppy. If you are not careful, you may lose all your efforts.Therefore, when many families apply for private schools, they are in the face of a big enemy, fully armed, and even started planning a few years ago, looking for professional institutions for consultation and training.Today, let’s talk about what should be paid attention to when applying for private schools, and what are the “dark thunders” that are easy to step on? I hope it can help children to embark on the "road to the famous school".

development of language skills

As said at the beginning of the article, applying to a private school is a long process. This "long" not only refers to the preparation and application stage of about a year before the application, but also refers to the training of children from an early age. The previous article on the topic has said (for those who haven’t read it, you can click the link at the end of the article to read) that most private schools in BC do not set up language classes. Therefore, it is very important to cultivate children's English language ability from an early age.

Children who have just arrived in Canada are usually not yet fluent in English or French, and need a few years to really pass the language barrier and end their second language courses. Therefore, if you want to apply for a private school, you need to evaluate your child's English foundation, and choose a professional teacher for your child's language learning in a timely manner, so that the child can communicate fluently in English during the interview, and the language requirements for the SSAT will be higher.

school choice

When it comes to school choice, many parents may subconsciously review the annual Fraser Institute school rankings. It's true that top-ranked schools are very popular, but choosing a school based on ranking alone is obviously not enough! Before choosing a school, in fact, the most important thing is to first understand the child's personality, strengths, hobbies and so on. Introverted or extroverted, whether you like art or sports, what are your strengths and weaknesses, and what are your expectations for the future? These are all questions that may be asked during an interview! Also, it's important to note that almost every school, regardless of its admissions standards, adheres to one basic principle: balance and diversity in each class. In other words, students with different personalities and hobbies will be mixed in a class as much as possible. Therefore, it is difficult for problems such as introversion and extroversion to seriously affect a student's application.

However, the influence of specialties and hobbies will be greater, and the school will judge whether the child is the type of child it wants to admit. Choosing a school is mainly to choose a school that matches your child's strengths and characteristics!

Before choosing a school, children should be assessed as objectively and impartially as possible. After all, enrolling in school means the beginning of a child's long learning career, and the school will guide and influence the child's future direction to a large extent.

So, school rankings are important, but by no means everything! Many parents will encounter such an answer when taking their children for an interview: I believe your kid is not ready. A lot of times, this is a euphemism for the school to think that the child and the school are "not a good match".

In addition, a certain school ranks high and has a good reputation. Parents understand that the school itself knows better. But the school does not want parents to choose schools not based on the characteristics of the school, but only on the basis of ranking. Therefore, the lack of understanding of the school's information and whether it is suitable for your child will not only fail the strict screening of the school, but also may affect the child's future development!

Myth 1: As long as the child's ability is good enough, there is no problem in choosing a school   

Different from the public school's "non-rejection", many schools impose various conditions on students who can enter their own schools due to various factors of their own. for example:

The JK and K grades of many schools mainly recruit siblings of students currently studying at the school. If you don't have any such "background", you need to spend a lot of preparation when you apply, otherwise it will just be a waste of application fees.

Many well-known private schools in BC are set up by churches with a clear church background. Such schools also have necessary religious requirements for the applicant's family, such as at least one of the parents being a Christian.

The above two requirements are relatively common, and some schools may also have some special requirements. Be sure to confirm carefully before applying.

Preparation of documents

Excellent application essays can quickly catch the eye of the school admissions officer and leave a deep impression.Since the recent period, with the increase in the number of applicants, major private schools have changed the subject and content of their essays in order to more accurately screen out the students they want. From the original "Why should you apply to our school?", "Why is your child suitable for our school?" The more general questions have turned to more "tricky" questions.For example, St. George once asked parents to talk about whether their children are the students the school wants most in combination with the school's core philosophy. The WGPA also asked: "What can your child gain from our school?"These questions, which are like "small papers", must not be perfunctory. Be sure to frame, adjust, and refine your responses in advance. The process of preparing documents is actually a process of re-examining the characteristics of children and reviewing school teaching methods.When answering questions, it must also be personalized and in-depth. When the school sets up questions, it is hoped that parents can answer them in the context of knowing themselves and others. Some general and stereotyped answers may indeed reflect the characteristics of the child, but they cannot catch the eye of the admissions officer ! Just imagine, famous schools can receive hundreds of application letters every year, how can superficial answers "stand out"?

Myth 2: Is it better for people who write "recommendation letters" to be more "cow"?

This is actually a very common misunderstanding among Chinese families. And this misunderstanding may stem from the "mistranslation" of the word "reference letter" and some domestic concepts.

First of all, the word "reference" means "reference", and the exact meaning of "reference letter" should also be "reference letter". After the translation into "recommendation letter", many Chinese people unconsciously substituted into "Chinese thinking", believing that the more well-known the person who writes the recommendation letter, the better, the

First of all, the word "reference" means "reference", and the exact meaning of "reference letter" should also be "reference letter". After the translation into "recommendation letter", many Chinese people unconsciously substituted into "Chinese thinking", believing that the more well-known the person who writes the recommendation letter, the better, the more powerful the better, and the more important the "recommendation" of the good people.

But in fact, the original intention of each school to require applicant families to submit a "reference letter" is to understand the student more objectively from multiple perspectives. After all, parents basically "hope their children will become dragons, and their daughters will become phoenixes". No matter how detailed the writing is, they will inevitably "magnify the advantages of their children, reduce them and even ignore some shortcomings." In this case, it is necessary to introduce a third-party perspective who knows the child very well. This allows the school to have a more comprehensive and objective understanding of the child.Parents may be able to find some very reputable people to write "reference letters" to their children, but not to mention whether they know the student well, whether he can really spend a lot of time reviewing the child's strengths and weaknesses, and expressing objectively and meticulously , or even carefully consider the usage of some words and then complete the "reference letter"? If this is not possible, inviting him to write will only be "counterproductive" in the end.

Myth 3: Essay writing "only mentions children, not family"

Every family has its own characteristics, from the parents' personal hobbies to the family's educational philosophy, which will greatly affect the growth of children. Education is a matter that requires the joint efforts of both the school and the family. Therefore, when private schools evaluate a child, they will also attach great importance to evaluating the entire family. After all, schools definitely want their students from families with similar cultures and backgrounds who can easily integrate into them. This is also a manifestation of responsibility for all children.

Therefore, in the application process, parents also need to show the characteristics and highlights of the family in a timely manner, such as the family's educational philosophy, values, sense of responsibility, etc., to arouse the teacher's favorable impression of the whole family, thereby building confidence in the child's future.

interview

If the preparation of documents and other preparations is mainly to reflect the child's IQ, academic level and various abilities, then the interview is mainly to demonstrate the child's way of thinking, teamwork spirit and emotional intelligence! For each private school, especially the top private schools, dual quotient is extremely important, and even for young children, emotional intelligence may be more important.

The above 6 parts are the aspects that the school will focus on during the interview process.

Adaptive Behavior is adaptive behavior , which is the adaptability of children to various different environments or external factors;

Social Emotional is social emotion , which mainly reflects the child's ability to get along with others;

Cognitive Skills is cognitive ability , which mainly reflects the child's concentration, attention, memory, logical ability, etc.;

Literacy is language ability, including listening, speaking, reading and literacy skills;

Numeracy is the ability to recognize numbers, including numbers, counting, simple mathematics, etc.;

Motor is the power of action, here is mainly the control of subtle movements, hand-eye coordination (such as holding a pen, holding tableware), etc.

Interview preparation is very important, but there is one thing that can be easily overlooked: first impressions .

It is often said that "a good start is half the battle." If the interview is the beginning of a child's academic career, the admissions officer's first impression of the entire family is the "beginning" of this "beginning." The first impression comes from the overall dress, greeting, behavior, etc. of the family.

For example, the upper class in Europe and the United States is very polite and respectful. Some clothes that are too casual (such as jeans) will give the other party the impression that "the family is not ready" and "doesn't pay enough attention to the application". The first impression is like this, and the follow-up may lose points.

Myth 4: Does my child's lack of admission   mean that the TA is underpowered?

There may be various reasons why a child is not admitted, because as mentioned above, the school will comprehensively examine all aspects of the child and the family before admitting a student. In many cases, the school feels that, based on the characteristics displayed by the child, it may not be the most suitable for the school. For example, students specializing in literature and art have chosen schools that are known for their sports.

A lot of Canadians, especially those in education, are very down-to-earth, and their minds are full of the best options for their children. If for some reason, the school accidentally admits a student who is not suitable for the school's teaching method, the admissions officer may even feel guilty and self-blame for a long time.

Therefore, even if you are rejected by the school, don't be too discouraged, especially not to blame the child and hurt the child's self-confidence.

application process

The application of private schools is often a long process. It may take a year from the beginning of planning to the final acceptance of the admission notice.

In previous years, private schools in BC would open the application channel in September or October. This year is slightly delayed by comparison. The most significant difference may be in the "Open House" link of each school. Due to the impact of the epidemic this year, the open days of each school are basically held in the "cloud open" mode. Each family can visit the school online and interview the school's admissions officer in the way of "online meeting".

April: Start preparing for various applications

September : Participate in the school's Open House and Info Session

October : Complete the outline of the application document and determine the recommenders

November: Start submitting applications, preparing for parent interviews

January: Student Admission Interview

February: Schools begin to announce results one after another

If you have a favorite school, you must always pay attention to the sample website, make an appointment to visit the "School Open Day", and let your child feel and fully understand the school, so that the school will also feel that the family really values the application.