You’re browsing university and college programs, and you’re noticing that many of them list prerequisites for applicants. After seeing so many of them pop up, you may be wondering: What is a prerequisite, and why are they so important?
Table of Contents
What Is a Prerequisite?
In terms of college and university applications, prerequisites are courses that you must complete before being able to enroll in a program. These courses are often early introductions to the subject matter of the program. For instance, university Biology programs will list various high school science courses like SCH4U and SBI4Uas prerequisites. Without those course credits, a student’s application may not be accepted.
Why Are Prerequisites Important?
A program needs to set prerequisites to guarantee that applicants have a foundational understanding of the course content. If those applicants are accepted and enroll in the program, they will have a better chance of performing well throughout the course and receiving a credit once it’s complete.
Not having the right prerequisite will make students feel completely unprepared to tackle the course content. They could get overwhelmed and struggle more than their peers to keep up with the workload. They’re more likely to get poor marks on their assigned projects, essays, presentations and exams and may even receive a failing grade by the end of the term. Then, they will need to retake the course to gain their credit or accept the loss and move to another class.
They might find the program too difficult and drop out of courses before they’re done. They could get discouraged and drop out of the program, or worse, the university altogether.
What If You’re Missing a Prerequisite?
You’re interested in applying for a specific program, but you’ve noticed that you’re missing one of the prerequisite courses listed. What can you do?
If it’s early in your high school term, you should try to transfer into the prerequisite right away. You may need to talk to your guidance counsellor about this.
If you can’t transfer to the prerequisite, don’t worry — it’s still not too late to get your prerequisite. You can turn to an accredited virtual school. An accredited virtual school will offer online versions of curriculum courses that are often listed as prerequisites. For instance, you can sign up for MHF4U to get a prerequisite for a university’s accounting and financial management program. As long as you have completed MCR3U or MCT4C, you can enroll in the online course.
You can speed through the online course if the deadline to apply is coming up close. You can finish it in 4 weeks.
What About Grades?
Some university programs require that applicants meet a minimum grade average. Look at the minimum entering grades for universities around the country. Some faculties expect a minimum entering grade of 90% or more!
If your grades are not meeting these faculty standards, you should work hard in your final terms to bring up your GPA. And if that’s not enough, you can sign up for upgrade courses through an accredited virtual school. These will allow you to retake courses in hopes of bringing up your final grades.
What’s a Recommendation?
You might see recommendations listed beneath prerequisites on admission pages. A recommendation is a course you should consider taking before applying to the program, but it’s not necessary. It will simply make your university coursework easier if you do.
Don’t miss out on any requirements for your favourite university program. Get all of your prerequisites done so that you’re free to apply.