Course selection

Competitive programs like Waterloo Engineering have required courses, and the timetable that makes them possible is set in grade 10 and 11 — before most families are thinking about applications at all. Miss one prerequisite in the plan and some doors close before the application year even begins.

Most families discover this in grade 12, when the schedule is already locked. The fix at that point is summer school, night school, or quietly shortening the list of programs your child can apply to.

The right time to draw the course map is before grade 11 courses are chosen. It takes one conversation.