Good morning. University admissions are more competitive than ever thanks to an avalanche of applications, a relatively small number of seats, and rising grade inflation. More on that below, plus Canada’s top court prepares for Quebec’s Bill 21 hearing, and Mexico’s trade struggles. But first:
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Illustration by Paul Reid
 
 
 
 
 
 

My name is Joe Friesen and I write about postsecondary education for The Globe and Mail.

 
 

I recently wrote about admissions to some of the most highly sought-after programs at Canadian universities.

 
 

What got me interested was hearing from parents about the anxiety some students experience in their last year of high school as they wait to hear whether they’ll be accepted into the university program of their choice. What was odd was that most of these students had average grades in the mid-90s.

 
 
 

To my Gen-X frame of reference, their grades were mind-boggling. Surely anyone with an average that high can take their pick of university programs? Well, not always, it turns out.

 
 

After speaking to some high-achieving students, it’s apparent the difficulty in being accepted to some of these programs is driving even more to apply, making it harder to get in. It’s like a prestige trap that’s bringing a taste of the competitive frenzy around elite admissions we see in the U.S. to Canada.

 
 

So how do the schools decide who gets a coveted spot?

 
 

Most Canadian universities rely on Grade 12 marks, but in some cases, particularly for the most competitive programs, they look at other things, such as personal statements, video responses to short questions and references. Schools say those additional points of information are important for determining whether a student is the right fit.

 
 

But Ontario recently introduced legislation that would require programs to make admission choices solely on “merit” – with the power to define merit resting with the provincial government.

 
 

For the article I spoke with Dwayne Benjamin at the University of Toronto, an economist by background whose title is vice-provost, strategic enrolment management. One of the things we discussed is the complication of grade inflation, as more students graduate with averages in the 90s. He called the effect “grade compression,” adding that it wouldn’t be an issue if averages could just continue to rise beyond 100. But of course that’s not possible.
 
 

One of the things he identified, and the students also pointed out, is that applicants are now more focused on a particular type of program. It used to be that the decision point revolved around picking a university and whether the applicant got engineering or science or commerce. Today, if a student can’t get into the commerce program at one school, they’ll turn their attention to similar programs at another campus.
 
 

I asked a number of schools to identify the programs with the highest ratios of applicants to available spots. Many of the programs they came back with were in engineering, commerce or health sciences, but there’s also a nursing program and a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture.
 
 

The averages they demand are consistently about 90 per cent or higher, and some have dozens of applicants for every available spot. But as Benjamin pointed out, there are a lot of programs out there.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Taryn Barker, the owner of The Little Butcher in Port Moody, B.C., was the co-captain of Butchery Team Canada. July 17. Isabella Falsetti/The Globe and Mail
 
 

This B.C. butcher is showing off her chops on the international stage. Taryn Barker, the owner of the Little Butcher, a popular butcher shop in Port Moody, B.C., has honed her skills for two decades and butchered competitively on the international stage. Her latest challenge? Finding ways to reduce waste.

 
 

This story is part of the Mastering It series, to introduce you to Canadians who strive to become the best at their chosen endeavour.