AdVice

Poet Pyo intoned some time ago that he'd offer advice to high school students during their university application process, but this mofo hasn't written anything since. So to compensate, I thought I'd impart some of my sage wisdom to all you aspiring undegrands.

And the most sage advice I can offer is this: Don't pay heed to your guidance counsellors.

Anecdote - I can't exactly recall how the circumstances came to be, but I recall one instance my junior year when I was sitting in the chair of a guidance counsellor's office. I listed the schools I was interested in attending, and mentioned UW was my first preference, to which she sneered "Why Waterloo?", intonating slight distaste, almost as if she was dissuading me from going there. I cited its reputation and the co-op program.

I actually think most high school guidance counsellors graduated from third-rate liberal arts schools and suffer from a massive inferiority complex as a result. Many secretly resent that some of the bright, ambitious kids they counsel are bound to go to better schools and lead more prosperous, fulfilling, accomplished lives. So to compensate, these counsellors will feed you the fallacy that the school you go to doesn't really matter. BS.

In the corporate world, one is very much assessed on their credentials, particularly in banking, management, and finance. A degree from a third-rate school won't cut it. And while elitism may not be as rampant here as in the US, I'm thinking that the guy doing the resume screening and deciding between two applicants isn't going to regard a math 3.0 from York in equal footing with a math 3.0 from UW.

Think about it. You're at a cocktail party in your late 20s/early 30s. You're schmoozing about and the topic of careers and schooling is bound to arise amongst your yuppie cohorts. If someone tells me they have a liberal arts degree from Brock, I'm thinking "Why did this guy not go to UT or Queen's?". I infer that he probably wasn't smart enough to get in. I won't prod out of politeness, but rightly or wrongly that is what I infer. You may have graduated at the bottom of your class, but one can't deny the social cachet of a degree from Waterloo or UT or Queen's.

My advice is to foremost study your ass of in Grade 12 (the most imporant year of your life), do the program you like best, and do it in the most reputable school that offers you admission. If you care about moving up, if you care about peer respect and approval, if you have an inflated ego, don't go to the school where all your friends are going. Don't go to the school offering you the highest scholarship bribe. Do your favourite program at the best school for it.

And if you want career counselling, talk to actual people in the industry.