Author Topic: Questions from Canadian Students (Read 2445 times)

gyroscope · « **on:** February 03, 2008, 02:22 PM »

This forum has been tremendously helpful but I still have a couple of questions.

1. I am a U.S citizen but I'm living and studying in Canada. Will I be considered and international student?

2. We don't have any AP or IB classes here, but, I am taking a pretty tough course load.(i.e. no spares, history/social sciences all years, all maths, all sciences, foreign languages, etc.). I am hoping I wouldn't have a disadvantage for not being able to take any AP courses.

3. If I apply to johns hopkins med school after doing my undergrad in a Canadian university, would I still have to do my SATs?

4. Is it true that you have to study american history/government in your first year?

that was a bit more than a couple of questions. i'm sorry if any of these questons have been answered before.(i really tried searching the forums before posting)

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #1 on:** February 03, 2008, 09:17 PM »

Quote from: "gyroscope"

1. I am a U.S citizen but I'm living and studying in Canada. Will I be considered an international student?

Since you are a U.S. citizen you are not considered an international applicant. Your application will be reviewed by the Admissions staff who work with students who attend international schools. We actually have a Canadian citizen on staff who reviews all Canadian school applicants.

Quote from: "gyroscope"

2. We don't have any AP or IB classes here, but, I am taking a pretty tough course load.(i.e. no spares, history/social sciences all years, all maths, all sciences, foreign languages, etc.). I am hoping I wouldn't have a disadvantage for not being able to take any AP courses.

We judge the rigor of a student's curriculum based on the high school he or she attends. You will not be at a disadvantage if your school does not offer AP or IB classes. There are schools in the States that don't offer this level curriculum too.

Quote from: "gyroscope"

3. If I apply to johns hopkins med school after doing my undergrad in a Canadian university, would I still have to do my SATs?

SATs are not required for Medical School. You will have to take you MCATs though.

Quote from: "gyroscope"

4. Is it true that you have to study american history/government in your first year?

Depends on the major. Hopkins has no core curriculum so there are no pre-set course requirements. However, depending on your intended major there will be required classes.

DiscovererofGUT · « **Reply #2 on:** February 03, 2008, 11:09 PM »

Hello,

I am currently enrolled in the gifted program at a high school in Toronto. I was wondering whether Hopkins would recognize that. Would a gifted program received the same recognition as let's say, AP or IB?

Also, as for four years of foreign language, does taking one french course in grade 9, one french and one spanish in grade 10 and one spanish in grade 11 count as four years.

Also, do you look at all high school marks or just grade 11 and 12?

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2008, 08:58 AM »

Quote from: "DiscovererofGUT"

I am currently enrolled in the gifted program at a high school in Toronto. I was wondering whether Hopkins would recognize that. Would a gifted program received the same recognition as let's say, AP or IB?

See my answer in the previous post:
"We judge the rigor of a student's curriculum based on the high school he or she attends. You will not be at a disadvantage if your school does not offer AP or IB classes. There are schools in the States that don't offer this level curriculum too."
Also:
"We actually have a Canadian citizen on staff who reviews all Canadian school applicants."

Quote from: "DiscovererofGUT"

Also, as for four years of foreign language, does taking one french course in grade 9, one french and one spanish in grade 10 and one spanish in grade 11 count as four years.

The four years of foreign language is only a recommendation, not a requirement. In that recommendation we typically mean four years consecutive in one language. If a student wants to switch to a new language, we recommend completing at least three years of one language before the switch.

Quote from: "DiscovererofGUT"

Also, do you look at all high school marks or just grade 11 and 12?

We review all high school marks. In order of importance:
Mid-year senior grades
Junior year grades
Sophomore year grades
Freshman year grades

shad faraz · « **Reply #4 on:** July 30, 2008, 11:48 PM »

Hello,

I am new to the boards and reading everything, i have found this forum absolutely filled with useful tips. So first of all, thanks for all the good information. Second of all, i am a rising junior but am certain that i will be applying JHU ED. Johns Hopkins has been my first and foremost choice for a few months now. But enough about that. My questions are:

1. I am a rising junior in Canada and i have read that Canadian percentages are not converted to standard GPA scale. However, i do have all As (80+ in Canada) but my nervousness is getting the better of me. I say this because, as an IB student, my raw percentages, while 80 +, are still not the greatest. I am sure JHU is quite familiar with the IB course load. Will the IB provide considerable assurance to the admissions officers that the course load I am taking is one that is highly challenging. In other words, will a 85 in Canada in IB be looked at in a more favorable manner /as favorably than a 90 in a Non IB Canadian Course. I understand each situation is different but a simple reassurance that i am not compromising my JHU chances by being in IB is all that is needed.:)

2. I hear tips for essays all the time from other students. However, i would appreciate any helpful hints i can get from here. Should i portray my strong desire for attending JHU in my essay or will my applying ED convey that appropriately?

3) My third question is... relatively, i know Junior Grades are most important. However, by how much? For example: Junior grade's importance is 60%? compared with 25 % for sophomore and 15% for Junior? Even if numbers are not available, any guesses or close estimations would help me better understand my chances.

4)This is related to the third question. My Final Question... Does JHU look at an upward trend very favorably. For Example, speaking in GPA terms(like i said, my marks are not in GPA), will a 3.7 in Freshman be overwhelmingly overshadowed by a 3.9 Junior.

I know there is no magic formula but if I get the answers to these questions, i will make sure my application package is as competitive as it can be. The rest is not in my hands. The reason my family, in general, regards JHU so highly is because of its holistic approach. That is one of the factors on why i am choosing to apply ED. This is because, although i am a high achieving student, there is more to me than numbers and i love the fact that JHU recognizes that with equal importance. Anyway, that is a bit about me and a few of my questions. Hopefully i can get some replies. Thanks in advance for your answers. This Forum Rocks! :lol:

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #5 on:** July 31, 2008, 09:44 AM »

Quote

Will the IB provide considerable assurance to the admissions officers that the course load I am taking is one that is highly challenging. In other words, will a 85 in Canada in IB be looked at in a more favorable manner /as favorably than a 90 in a Non IB Canadian Course.

As we have stated numerous times on the Hopkins Forums, this is absolutely no standard way we review applicant transcripts. Every school, whether in the U.S. or Canada or anywhere else, has different grading scales, different course rigor designations, and different grading structures. The role of the admissions counselor is to decipher all of this and make a judgment of each individual applicants academic achievement. Grades, rigor, course selection, trends, etc. all matter in the review of transcripts, and there is no standardized nor scientific approach we take. There are staff members of the Admissions Counseling team that are quite familiar with the Canadian educational system and they will review Canadian applicant transcripts using their knowledge of the expectations of what makes a successful Hopkins student. There is no way to answer your question any more specifically, as we do not discuss the intricate details of how we review applications and what matters most in making decisions.

Quote

I hear tips for essays all the time from other students. However, i would appreciate any helpful hints i can get from here. Should i portray my strong desire for attending JHU in my essay or will my applying ED convey that appropriately?

The Hopkins Forums are not a place where we provide hints or tips to completing one's application. The only advice that we provide is to be creative and make sure to answer the essay prompts. What a student chooses to write about is sometimes as important in our review as to what a student writes -- therefore we refrain from providing tips.

Quote

My third question is... relatively, i know Junior Grades are most important. However, by how much? For example: Junior grade's importance is 60%? compared with 25 % for sophomore and 15% for Junior?

All grades matter. There is no way for us to quantify which grades are more important as that will vary greatly from case to case. The only answer I can provide is Junior and Senior year grades matter the most, both Sophomore and Freshman grades will be reviewed and still matter. Once again there is no stated scientific approach to reviewing applications, and every application is going to be reviewed differently.

Quote

Does JHU look at an upward trend very favorably.

Upward trends are much more important than downward trends.

shad faraz · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2008, 10:03 AM »

Thank you Admissions Daniel for your helpful answers.

Two more points that i am confused about... Since i will be applying ED, I believe the deadline is Nov. 1st. My Senior grades may not be available by then. In such cases, does the school call in at a later date to extract this info or is it not taken into consideration during the process.

I know that JHU recommends 3 subject tests. However, if i want to apply to 'premed' or major in one of the sciences, is it preferable for me to take the Bio, Chem Subject tests or is this of little importance. Correct me if i am wrong, but i think i read Admissions Mark saying somewhere on this forum that submitting two Subject tests instead of three is 'generally fine.' What do you feel about this?

Thanks again. I really, really appreciate this. I actually find this forum more helpful than any other 'college' ones.

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #7 on:** July 31, 2008, 01:22 PM »

Quote

Since i will be applying ED, I believe the deadline is Nov. 1st. My Senior grades may not be available by then. In such cases, does the school call in at a later date to extract this info or is it not taken into consideration during the process.

The Early Decision deadline is November 1st. As final decisions will be rendered in mid-December, the Admissions Committee will not have senior grades for most ED applicants. We review ED applicants based on the first three years of high school work and their senior curriculum. If we feel we need senior grades before rendering an ED decision we will contact the school to obtain those grades. If the Committee feels that an applicant's senior year performance is important to making a final decision, then we will most likely defer the ED applicant to the RD applicant pool.

Quote

I know that JHU recommends 3 subject tests. However, if i want to apply to 'premed' or major in one of the sciences, is it preferable for me to take the Bio, Chem Subject tests or is this of little importance. Correct me if i am wrong, but i think i read Admissions Mark saying somewhere on this forum that submitting two Subject tests instead of three is 'generally fine.' What do you feel about this?

Applicants to JHU are not required to submit SAT II subject exams, but we do recommend that our applicants take 3 subject exams. This means each applicant has the choice to send in 0, 1, 2, 3, or more subject exams. Since it is not a requirement but a recommendation, each individual applicant must make that decision on their own. Applicants have been admitted with less than 3 subject exams and even not submitting subject exams, but once again we RECOMMEND that students submit 3 exams. You may submit 2 exams, but we RECOMMEND 3 exams. As far as the choice of subjects to take, we do not provide any recommendations nor advice.

poof · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2008, 02:43 PM »

Hello,
I'm looking at the Johns Hopkins Online Applications and am stuck on "citizenship".
I'm a permanent resident in Canada, but by September 2009, I will have Canadian Citizenship.
What country should I put under "citizenship" in the application?

Thank you very much.

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #9 on:** November 18, 2008, 03:02 PM »

Quote from: "poof"

I'm looking at the Johns Hopkins Online Applications and am stuck on "citizenship".
I'm a permanent resident in Canada, but by September 2009, I will have Canadian Citizenship.
What country should I put under "citizenship" in the application?

When responding to the citizenship question on your application, you need to answer with your current country of citizenship ... not the country that you may have citizenship from in the future. If you are currently a permanent resident in Canada, then you hold citizenship in another country and you need to list that country as your current country of citizenship.

Kalos · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2009, 10:35 PM »

I'm Canadian. I've been living in the USA with my parents for three years. I have a TD Visa, which is a "Dependent" Visa based on my parents' TN Visa. The TN Visa is the Work Visa issued to Canadian citizens for professional jobs in the USA. I don't have a SS number, though I have a special IRS number. I'm allowed to go to school in the USA until my 21st birthday

Admissions_Mark · « **Reply #11 on:** February 20, 2009, 09:21 AM »

Kalos,

Thanks for your post.

1) You are considered an international student until you hold a Green Card (Permanent Residency) or US Citizenship

2) Both need- and merit-based financial assistance is available for international applicants, although both types of assistance are limited. The admissions process for international students is need-aware, meaning the offer of admission is directly linked to the student's ability to meet expenses.

We are unable to admit an international financial aid candidate for whom we are unable to provide aid. If you are dependent on receiving assistance to attend Johns Hopkins, you should not apply under the Early Decision Plan, as merit awards are not made until April 1.

3) For information about tuition benefits, your family member at Hopkins should inquire in the workplace. There is a liaison through every division prepared to handle requests.

I hope this helps! :)

--Mark

loveJHU · « **Reply #12 on:** July 06, 2010, 07:49 PM »

hey,

i have a question, I came from the Philippines, I graduated from high school back home and finished one year of college. And I recently got accepted into Grant MacEwan University. they made me upgrade (I was lacking some subjects that are needed to get into the program). do you guys need my marks?? do i need to submit that?

thanks :)

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #13 on:** July 07, 2010, 07:12 AM »

Quote from: "loveJHU"

i have a question, I came from the Philippines, I graduated from high school back home and finished one year of college. And I recently got accepted into Grant MacEwan University. they made me upgrade (I was lacking some subjects that are needed to get into the program). do you guys need my marks?? do i need to submit that?

When applying to Johns Hopkins as a transfer applicant, students must submit transcripts from all institutions attended. That includes transcripts from any high school, college, university, or educational program that the student has attended. One's application is incomplete unless all transcritps are received.

sbalvardi · « **Reply #14 on:** October 02, 2010, 01:04 AM »

Hello,
I am a Canadian permanent resident and I have been studying in English speaking high schools for 3 years. I am also taking Full IB. I was wondering if I have to take TOFEL even though I am doing IB, because I have heard a 5 in IB English would be acceptable as an English fluency proof!?!

Thanks,

Saba

Admissions_Daniel · « **Reply #15 on:** October 06, 2010, 03:22 PM »

Quote from: "sbalvardi"

I am a Canadian permanent resident and I have been studying in English speaking high schools for 3 years. I am also taking Full IB. I was wondering if I have to take TOFEL even though I am doing IB, because I have heard a 5 in IB English would be acceptable as an English fluency proof!?!

The TOEFL is required of all applicants who do not speak English at home AND have not attended an English-language school for five years or longer. All other international applicants are not required to submit TOEFL scores but may do so to supplement their applications. The TOEFL requirement is waived for applicants who score 670 or higher on the Critical Reasoning section of the SAT Reasoning exam. We do not waive the TOEFL requirement based on IB exam scores.

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Author Topic: Questions from Canadian Students (Read 2445 times)