Hello,

I am looking for a large amount of consideration and explanation regarding my application to attend Carleton University's Honours Bachelor of Arts Program. A great deal of misinformation and miscommunication has left my application at risk for something that could have been prevented.

When originally applying to the university in December, I was told acceptance would be based on my top six marks from grade 11 and 12 university and college-level courses. I was also informed that the additional requirement for an Arts program would be to achieve at least 70% in Grade 12 English. With reference to my OUAC Academic Information, you will see I hold 10 grade 11 and 12 courses all at or above 80%; some have even reached into high 90's with 96 and 93%. I soon after received an offer from Carleton university, conditional on completing my Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and maintaining 70% in grade 12 English. It was with tremendous excitement that I received an offer from Carleton. Both of these requirements are achievable.

However, only today with a chance encounter was I told my acceptance and entire application was at risk due to not having six grade 12 courses. I maintain five, which continue my standard of high 80's and 90's. My sixth grade 12 course was dropped early in the semester as I could not handle the work load combined with 25 hours per week at work and 30 hours per week training with the Canadian Forces. I was told by representatives with my high school, the OUAC, and Carleton that the only requirements I need to meet were 70% in Grade 12 English and achieving my OSSD. Receiving an offer of admission from Carleton reaffirmed that these were the requirements, as my offer was conditional. Carleton's further offer of residence, a $2,500 scholarship renewable for four years, and a $1,000 bursary extends my belief that Carleton is on a quest to gain a student such as me.

I am currently training with the Canadian Forces through a Co-Operative education course. This requires approximately 30 hours per week, and I further work for about 25 hours per week. Maintaining such a work load along with my school schedule was not feasible, which is when the course was taken off my timetable. The Canadian Forces requires my time during the month of July to complete further training. However, with these new revelations I would now be required to miss this essential training to complete a sixth course. Completing such a course would require me to put off the military training, and further force me to move cross-province only a few days before beginning my program with Carleton.

It is my sincere desire that you will maintain my offer of admission without the sixth course. My transcript lists several excellent marks which are above the requirements for several of Carleton's courses. My letter of extenuating circumstances also demonstrates a great background of high school achievement and excellence, along with hard work and determination outside of my school life. Having to complete such a course along with military training and moving to Ottawa would be difficult and pressed very short for time.

I ask for your understanding in these circumstances and that an offer can be made based off my excellence achieved in all of my other courses. Please contact me via email or the phone numbers listed below.

Yours Truly,

I have five. Currently I'm doing grade 12 English and a three-credit military Co-Op. which leaves me doing 80-hour+ weeks when combined with work.



News to me. I was told top six in all of grade 11 and 12. Now I hear that's only for early admissions.

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that you MUST have at least 6 grade 12 courses to even meet the requirements for the OSSD?

WOW!!! EPIC fail on your guidance department for making it absolutely clear that 6 U/M level courses in Grade 12 were requisite for university admissions.

You do not need 6 grade 12 courses to complete the OSSD but it is the basic requirement for university entrance in Ontario for Ontario students. Some out of province schools may take you with only 5, but usually they look at 6 as well (even if the "standard" in their province is 4 or 5).

The reference to grade 11 courses is that they consider those marks along with early grade 12 marks for early admission.

I think it is possible that they could make an exception, but don't count on it.

I'm really surprised that you didn't know you needed 6 U/M grade 12 credits.

But again, it's really not your fault entirely, maybe only for not taking the initiative to find out the exact requirements (It's your future here). You can pin this one on guidance counsellors. It's weird your counsellor did not notice until now? I know it's a custom in my school to do credit counts at the beginning of grade 12 to make sure we all have enough credits for programs we want to go into. I sort of assumed other counsellors did similar to check that nobody gets screwed.

You were accepted because you were on pace to graduate with the appropriate requirements. You dropped a course after being accepted, making you ineligible to attend university in the Fall.

Senior = Grade 12 from what I have heard. Grade 11 is Junior. Anyways, it's all semantics now. The reality is you need to either find a way to get that credit or make an alternative plan.

I find it really difficult to believe that you have never before seen these requirements until now. Even if my guidance counsellor didn't tell me about them, I still would have found out. I attended many presentations given by various universities at my high school, all of the presentors stressed the 6 U/M grade 12 courses, and/or people asked about them. I also received so many university undergraduate applicant guides, and all this information was given.