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St. Michaels University School

School rating 4 / 5 by

3400 Richmond Road Victoria BC V8P 4P5 Canada
Boarding
8th to 12th
Day
K to 12th
Gender
Coed

Academic

St. Michaels University School review by .

SMUS is very strong academically. It offers excellent classes with well qualified and extremely dedicated teachers across all subjects. As a student who is interested in pursuing a career in medicine, I took mostly science classes, such as AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, and AP Chemistry which prepared me extremely well for a program in the sciences at university. I also took AP English Literature, which was rare for a science based student, but nonetheless I really enjoyed the class and appreciated having an opportunity to develop my writing and comprehension skills. I think every single class I took at SMUS from Global Politics and French in the tenth grade to Calculus and Literature in the twelfth grade prepared me for the challenges of a higher education. Teacher were very open an encouraged class discussion and debate. This style of teaching definitely improved my confidence in public speaking as well as being prepared to participate in large university classrooms. In classes like English Literature we frequently had debates and discussions between members of the class and with the teacher. We were encouraged to challenge ideas and to think critically for ourselves, which is something that I had not experienced in a school setting prior to attending SMUS. The classes were often small, ranging from 8 to about 23 students at the maximum. The small class sizes ensured that each student was given the individual learning attention that the needed. Teachers were always available during the day and often before or after school for extra help. They encourage students to their seek help when they need or just to talk if they need an ear to listen. Some of the teachers are also house parents, which mean that they were available for extra help at all times of the day. Some teachers would come in on weekends to assist a student that was either behind due to an unforeseen circumstance or if they were really struggling with a certain topic. After three years, my teachers had become to feel like family to me. They were people I could not only approach for reference letters or help with a difficult math problem, but I could ask them for advice, the same way I would ask a parent or sibling. SMUS definitely challenged you academically, but never to the point where you couldn't handle it. The work load was more than what you would get at a public school. but it was worth every hour that I put in.

College Counseling

I found the university counselling service at SMUS to be simply outstanding. I had....

Sample insights on college counseling

  • They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
  • For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...

Admissions - Getting Accepted

The admissions process is very relaxed at SMUS. I felt very comfortable in all of....

Sample insights on admissions

  • For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
  • Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...

School Life

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