With so many students wanting to attend university, it has never been more competitive than it is today to get in to a university of choice.

In a recent survey conducted by Maclean’s in 2018, results showed that only 16% of students who applied to university were accepted. What is the barrier for many of these students? Grades. Grades. Grades. Robert Astroff, an educational consultant at Astroff Consultants Inc. says, “It’s really important for parents and students to know that their marks in high school count.”

Clearly, students in high school should do anything they can to gain an edge on the competition when applying to a university.

Let’s consider three ways that students can be helped to improve their grades: small class sizes, offering students personal choice, and learning with teachers who adopt an informal teaching style.

SMALL CLASS SIZES

We have found that students who learn in smaller class sizes derive many benefits on school performance.

The benefits of small class sizes include the following:

• teachers making their expectations clear regarding how students can achieve better grades
• teachers teaching to a student’s individual strengths and weaknesses
• teachers who understand the student on a more personal level

At Torah High, class sizes are routinely small enough for teachers to be able to pay close attention to what students need.

MORE SPARES

Giving students more options by letting them choose which courses to take and when to take them is also a boon to students’ initiative, motivation, and long term success.

Imagine being able to take Grade 12 credits in Grade 11?  That would allow students to free up their time with spares in Grade 12, considerably lightening up their workload and allowing for other activities. Students might choose to fill up their spare time with a job to earn some extra personal money or build up their resume.

PERSONAL CHOICE

Providing students with more personal choice has also contributed to our students’ success. We have found that when students choose the courses they want, they are more driven to success and incorporate the knowledge into their personal schemas in a meaningful way. “Choose your Jewish adventure” is more than a slogan plastered on our website. It is a motto that we take very seriously.

INFORMAL TEACHING STYLE

 Torah High teachers have embraced an informal teaching style that we have found resonates wonderfully with the teen demographic. Our teachers encourage participatory dialogue and discussions between the students. This helps students to clarify their opinions and thoughts, appreciate the opinions of others, and develop critical thinking skills.

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So what does all of this have to do with getting into university? When students learn in small class sizes, take the courses they want on their own timetable, with teachers who welcome discussion and dialogue, we have found that students improve their chances considerably of getting into the university of their choice.

Torah High offers all of these advantages. With 16 courses in both Jewish and general studies, and 4 convenient locations (link to page on website with locations) to choose from, there is something for every teen.