Student - Esther

Dear Diary...

The following are two entries taken from a found diary that were written by a university student named Angie. These entries depict her experiences as a student in Tkaronto.

Entry 1:

June 23, 2036

My dear diary,
I recently had my high school graduation ceremony and it is now time for the next step, post-secondary education. I submitted my application to the AcadeMix Matcher system. My high school submitted most of the information, like my grades and so on, and I only had to enter which universities or colleges I wanted to apply to. My parents told me the process was much different than when they were in high school. They were first generation students and found the process challenging as applying to post-secondary was all a new experience to them. My father did not get accepted into the university program he wanted so he had to go to college first and transfer to university afterwards. This was all unusual to me, it seems like there were so many hurdles to get to where he wanted to be. I found my application process was much easier than it was for my parents. Their experience seemed confusing with everything they had to submit, working with school guidance counsellors, and meeting deadlines. Not to mention they had to complete their applications all while studying and maintaining good grades, and having part-time jobs. I found my process to be much smoother as I only had to worry about it after finishing high school, which meant I could focus on my studies and ensure I had high grades. Although it was stressful enough to always keep my score high, since that determined my admission to post-secondary institutions.

Before submitting my application and before graduation, I did think about what I would want to study in post-secondary. I considered the different types of programs that institutions had available and was a bit worried I would not qualify for them. I really like art and was hoping to get into an arts program at a university. The system did not ask for any sample art work or portfolio, and if it did, I would be concerned as to what would be determined as good enough or what would be considered art if it was determined by AI.

Since public schools are funded, my parents and I did not have to worry about paying for my elementary or high school education - this was the same for my classmates. I’m not sure if this was a reason my peers did not put as much effort into their education. Personally, I knew that how I did in high school would affect my post-secondary admission so I studied very hard for exams and did my best to succeed. If anything, I feel like it was more pressure on me as a student in high school. This determined my future.

My fate was decided by AI. I submitted the list of institutions I was interested in and soon after received what I would be suitable for. Some of the institutions I listed (hoping I would be suitable for the Bachelor of Fine Arts) were OCAD, Concordia University, York University, TMU, and University of Toronto. Since I received very high grades, I guess the system qualified me for a different discipline than what I was really interested in.
The system showed that I was eligible for science related undergraduate degrees at different universities in Ontario (such as Engineering Science at University of Toronto, Integrated Biomedical Engineering at McMaster, and more!). I was quite surprised with the results. It is going to take some time for me to do some research and decide which university and program I will choose. I did fairly well in subjects related to science in high school and I did enjoy them, so whichever program I choose I think I will be okay. I guess I did not see myself in this field as a career, but maybe it is what I am meant to do if I am good at it.

That's all for now!
Angie

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Entry 2:

October 12, 2036

Dear diary,
I am halfway through my first semester in university! I am enjoying my Engineering Science program at UofT. It has been challenging, but rewarding. I have had a few group projects already and the dynamics are quite different than when I was in high school. In high school, there would always be some students who would contribute the least or not at all in group projects, but I find in my program we seem to be all on the same page. Most of my peers in this program received high grades like me in high school and we ended up in the same degree. I learned this means that most of us scored very high on performance levels on our applications. We can all follow along with lectures and work well in a fast paced learning environment. We work well in collaborative work but also individually.

Although I am happy where I am now, I still sometimes think about how life would be if I was given admission into a fine arts program. I am fortunate to have been admitted into university, that was my goal from the beginning, but for my bestfriend Alice it did not go as planned. We would always talk about going to the same university, even though she was more interested in Astronomy and Physics. When she put in her desired universities, apparently she was not found suitable. Her last two years have been very difficult for her dealing with family circumstances that caused her to be absent often and not do as well in her classes, but I’ve known her from elementary school and she had always been a straight A student. I know that if she did not have the family circumstance she would have received higher grades and been admitted to her desired institutions.

Until next time,
Angie

Reference

Gold Pen on Journal Book, Photo by Jess Bailey Designs: https://www.pexels.com/photo/gold-pen-on-journal-book-745760/