Advice Needed!

[ThoseDarnBees]

Hey!! I'm currently in grade 12 and I'm graduating this year, which is pretty exciting ?

My original plan was to apply to SFU for a BA in health sciences, so that I could accumulate credits and do my pre-requisites for BCIT (which is my goal) and perhaps some other schools. But lately, I've been considering a different plan. So, I also applied to Douglas' academic foundations in nursing certificate a while ago and I recently noticed that most of the courses that are in the certificate are required for the BCIT program as well as for some others (Langara). Going with the Douglas' route would provide me with somewhat of a safety net if I dont get into BCIT because I get a possibility of going to Douglas in the future. However, it would mean that I have a lower chance of acceptance because I wouldn't be a degree holder(?).

I'm really conflicted on what I should do at this point, any help would be welcome and appreciated! :))

[Lucydog14]

Is a degree a requirement for the BCIT program?

[seaofgreatness]

Hi, congratulations on almost being done high school!

You can try to complete courses that are required for several schools. Are you aware that Douglas has a wait time of around 2 years after finishing the Academic Foundations certificate before you get accepted? For example, if you finish the pre-reqs in Winter 2021, you might not get started until Winter 2023. If you would like to get accepted earlier, this may not be the best route.

For BCIT, 60+ post-secondary credits (about 20 courses) or a degree is needed to be competitive. You have a lower chance of being accepted if you don't have either.

Langara is the easiest to get in right now. You just need 5 courses with an average GPA of 3.6 or higher. No volunteer or work experience required and no weeding out tests or questionnaires in the admissions process. If you are a strong student in high school for biology and English and have a good work ethic, then that will be very achievable. You may have to take Biology A&P at Douglas due to long waitlists at Langara. Definitely try to get into A&P on your first semester.

If you want to get into a BSN program sooner, my advice would be to prioritize taking courses for Langara. BCIT and Douglas can be your backup options.