Month: April 2024

Have you ever thought about attending a college or university in a different country? About what opportunities those schools might bring to the table? About what path you might go down? 

At the recent PrepSkills event April 20  at Roy Thomson Hall in downtown Toronto, high school student athletes were able to visit with staff from the different American schools that were attending the event. 

PrepSkills is an organization built to help Canadian students with their SSAT and SAT preparation as they seek admission to private and/or independent schools as well as U.S. colleges and universities. 

Former athletes such as Julian Jenkins and Gillian Mary Apps were speakers at the event. 

“Sports can be a great feature to drive your education,” said Jenkins, a former football player at Stanford, and currently the senior director of regional recruiting at NCSA. “Even if it’s not necessarily at your dream school, how bad do you want to be in sports?” 

Apps, the granddaughter of Toronto Maple Leafs legend Syl Apps and daughter of former NHLer Syl Apps Jr., is a three-time Olympic hockey gold medalist for Canada. She grew up in Unionville, Ont., while she had several family members that have played sports at a high level, Apps made her own decision on where she wanted to go to university. 

“When it was time for me to go to university, I wanted to create my own path,” Apps said. “I went to Darthmouth College. For me, I wanted to go to the Ivy League.” 

Apps was inspired by watching her siblings play sports in the United States. 

“I went to Princeton to watch my brother play hockey, and I thought ‘Wow this is amazing,’ ” Apps said. “When it was time for me to go to apply for schools, I thought I could I see myself living here.” 

Apps, also a three-time IIHF world champion gold medalist, retired from international play in September 2015 with fifty goals and fifty assists in 168 international appearances. 

“People ask me what was the best Olympic, but its so hard to say,” Apps said. “I played in Torino in Italy which was my first Olympics. It was my dream came true. The second one was in Vancouver and not a lot of athletes get to represent your country as the host. The last one was in Russia, and I knew it would be my last Olympics.” 

Apps has a message to the young Canadian students going across the border. 

“Regardless of where you go, and where your education takes you, you know that Canada is always home,” said Apps, who stressed the importance of getting a post-secondary education. “For me, after I retired, right away I was so thankful that I had a degree to lean back on.” 

Picking a post-secondary school can be exciting and challenging. There are schools across Canada that have a lot to offer. However, what if Canadian a student athlete wants to go to the United States to further their studies? What is the process? What are the requirements?

Prepskills can help fill in those blanks and it is holding a one-day U.S. College Expo event in Toronto on April 20th that allows parents and students to connect in person with U.S. college representatives.

“We have a number of American universities and colleges coming to Toronto to visit with families to help them understanding the U.S college admissions process,” said Joanna Severino, the Founder and President of Prepskills. “We want to let them know a little bit more about the programs, and the opportunities for Canadian students to study in the United States.”

Through their years of experience, Prepskills has built relationships with numerous educational and affiliate partners in both Canada and the United States. There are many American universities like University of Michigan, University of South Florida, and Western Kentucky that will attend the upcoming event at Roy Thompson Hall. 

Canadian students can explore the different colleges and universities that are offered at the event. 

“We actually try to keep it intimate” Severino said, “Having been a high school teacher myself, some students are going to be overwhelmed with trying to put them in a room with 200 universities.” 

Severino says Prepskills helps build relationships between students and parents, high school councillors, and athletic associations for athletes looking to go to the U.S. on a  scholarship. 

The main goal of the U.S. College Expo to help educate families that may not understand the college application process. 

“The American universities do take a wholistic approach,” Severino said. “What that means is they’ll look at the academic records from grades 9-12, which is unusual for a Canadian student who will apply locally and tend to focus on their grade 11 marks.”

Student athletes however have an extra layer of complexity. Prepskills is dedicated to providing student athletes with tools required to satisfy the requirements of the NCAA Eligibility Center which is an organization that helps determine the eligibility of students to participate in college level sports in the United States. 

“As a student athlete, you may be a talented division one hockey player, but that won’t get you in,’’ Severino said. “You have to go through admissions and check off all the boxes when it comes to academics.” 

Severino mentions when it comes to the admission process for student athletes they would have to take account in eligibility for recruitment. 

“For example, the NCAA requiring the 16 core courses for admission, Severino said.” “That’s what the student athletes have to keep in mind.” 

The NCAA regulates all required student athletes to meet a prescribed level of performance while maintain their amateur status before entering a college or university. 

There have also been examples of NHL players using this preparation program like former Toronto Maple Leaf’s and current Edmonton Oilers left winger Zack Hyman. Severino says Hyman prepared very well and she had the pleasure working with his family and he went to the University of Michigan. 

Severino also mentions things to look out for in the upcoming event. 

“I think it’s important to take the time to examine each of the university options,” Severino said. “Were all custom to knowing the name brands and the university that stand out in our minds, but you’re going to find some hidden gems and that’s what we like to do with families because there some great college options like an Ivy League School.” 

Severino also mentions taking the time to listen to the guest speakers. 

Prepskills is a SAT and SSAT provider in Canada for students seeking to go to private or independent schools, colleges or universities south of the border.

There are several types of courses offered by Prepskills that are tailored to meet individual needs of students, maximizing their strengths, and improving areas of learning where they may be less proficient.

To learn more about then upcoming US College Expo or about Prepskills, visit their website at www.prepskills.com