Originally Posted by manda77

I just reread it, definitely talk to the guidance counsellors from engineering, admissions people are rude at times lol

Yeah I felt the same way

Originally Posted by ly06

83% was the average. Frankly I don't get why Mac needs it to be so high. Waterloo/Toronto is like 80 at max. queens requires a 75%

Most students going into Mac eng have far higher marks than 83% which is a big part of it. By maintaining a high-ish conditional average then they are able to ensure that the students going into Eng 1 are capable of handling the course load. It's not exactly easy.

Originally Posted by ly06

83% was the average. Frankly I don't get why Mac needs it to be so high. Waterloo/Toronto is like 80 at max. queens requires a 75%

Supply and demand. It's a really popular program with tons of people wanting to get in, and those people all have high averages. So, the cutoff will increase proportionally. And then, the "condition" (ie the grade you need to maintain once you get your offer) is partially because they need to make sure you can actually handle the workload of engineering, and partially to make sure they don't have too many students in the program.

You can write a letter to Mac saying that your grandfather was sick during exams but I doubt it'll help you any. High school exams aren't worth much, and you had the rest of the term to try and do well. I also don't think the engineering academic advising office can help you. Admissions is the office that deals with things like this.

And your physics teacher refusing to boost your mark to something you didn't actually earn doesn't make him an "asshole". His attitude towards it is one thing, but you also need to remember that you're not entitled to a grade boost.

Originally Posted by herBs

What was the minimum average you had to maintain to keep your conditional offer for Engineering I? If the minimum average was 83% or greater than you probably lost your chance as of right now. If it is lower than or equal to 82% then you're fine (obviously).

This is the equivalent of saying you have a good chance of flipping a coin and having it land heads or tails...

Aw man what a stressful situation!
You should definitely talk to your teachers and ask for a boost. You'll probably have better luck with the teachers that like you or classes you've done well in.
And if that doesn't work out, you should try contacting Sally Williams. She's the academic adviser for first year engineers. I don't know if she'll be able to help you out but she's very nice and it doesn't hurt to try.
Also, my high school physics teacher was evil, so I know how you feel. Sometimes you just get unlucky and your teacher ends up hating you.

Hope it works out in the end!

This happened to me in high school where I didn't do so well on my exams. My conditional offer was 80% and mine slipped below it. They do not make exceptions. Your only chance is to ask your teachers for a raise in mark through pure bump or regrading of some test/project or redo some courses by staying a year back.

Originally Posted by Leeoku

This happened to me in high school where I didn't do so well on my exams. My conditional offer was 80% and mine slipped below it. They do not make exceptions. Your only chance is to ask your teachers for a raise in mark through pure bump or regrading of some test/project or redo some courses by staying a year back.

Or maybe I could ask the other universities that gave me offers.. I mean they're not that bad.

Originally Posted by ly06

Or maybe I could ask the other universities that gave me offers.. I mean they're not that bad.

He probably meant your only chance for McMaster. No one's saying the other programs are bad, just that they won't make an exception for you at McMaster. If you feel that no teacher will give you the required boost or that you'll be content with another program somewhere else, go for it.

You only need a 83 to become an engineer?

I'm going to shit my pants drivingg over any bridge in the future.

Originally Posted by Fight0

You only need a 83 to become an engineer?

I'm going to shit my pants drivingg over any bridge in the future.

Come on man what's the point you're trying to make here? My mid-term average was 91 then I've just been shutting down a bit since then.. Don't be so mean someone is actually pretty upset here. I know the blame is on me tho.

Ignore the rude commenter. An average in the 80s in high school is still really good, it's just that we've all known students who had straight 90s in high school who are struggling like crazy in engineering; It's a really tough program at Mac.
Try your best to convince your teachers to give you a 1-2% boost, but if you manage to get into the program, you really can't afford to slack.
However, if you can't get that average up to an 83%, your other schools and programs sound great. Don't feel bad, just make the best of this situation. Maybe McMaster just wasn't meant to be, maybe you wouldn't have even liked the engineering program.
Don't beat yourself up over this, everything always works out in the end.

lol how does having an 83 avg in highschool make you an engineer even? i thought you needed to complete 4 years of school after getting in because of the 83 min avg, but am i wrong. pls tell me fight0

Guys I need your help!!!!! My guidance counsellor is setting up a meeting with the principle on Tuesday discussing about raising that 1%. What should I say to him by then to convince him? Given that I do not have any special circumstances that are able to serve as a reason... I have never faced a situation like this so I really don't know what to say..

Originally Posted by ly06

Guys I need your help!!!!! My guidance counsellor is setting up a meeting with the principle on Tuesday discussing about raising that 1%. What should I say to him by then to convince him? Given that I do not have any special circumstances that are able to serve as a reason... I have never faced a situation like this so I really don't know what to say..

Just appeal to their sense of decency. No principal is supposed to leave a mark at a boundary point without some deliberate review. E.g. Nobody gets 49. It either gets adjusted to 50 or 51, or else dropped down to 48 or less, so that no doubt is left. (You're not supposed to know that, but that's the way it is.) In your case, the average is at the same point. A percent more would get you into the programme clear, and obviously they weren't aware. Let them know how the current average makes a difference, and how you would be able to get into what you want with just a few marks. Do they really want you back for another year to waste your time to get those marks? (Don't come out and say these things, but this is exactly what they will be thinking about.) Convince them that their adjustment right now is not going to come back to embarrass them with your failure a year down the road. If your principal has any kind of scientific background, he would understand about experimental error, and understand that what is a stake fits easily within that range. Be polite. Let them know how you worked hard all year, and were counting on getting the average you need. Let them make the generous gesture. Thank them profusely. Make them feel good about doing the decent thing. And then get out!