News
University and AP Highlights
As the 2024-25 school year begins, we are excited to see nearly all members of the Class of 2024 begin the next stage of their education and personal journeys at universities across Canada and around the world. We are also celebrating the success in AP exams of students who were members of that graduating class and who are still at the School.
Of the 140 students who graduated from Shawnigan last spring, 90 percent have gone on to university, while the other 10 percent will pursue a gap year. The primary reason for taking a gap year is to pursue a sport, with hockey being the most popular. Of those students who are in university this fall, over 40 percent will pursue arts programs (including humanities and social sciences). Science is the next most popular program, followed by business.
Students in the Class of 2024 submitted on average 7.55 applications each, and 58 percent of these applications resulted in offers of admission, which is in line with 59 percent in 2023 and 57 percent in 2022. Most students accepted offers to study in Canada (73 percent), followed by the US (14 percent), and then the UK (one percent). The most popular institutions for graduates from 2024 are Queen’s University (16 students attending), the University of BC (13), the University of Toronto (12), the University of Victoria (10) and Western University (eight). The Class of 2024 received a total of $3,235,144 CAD in scholarship offers.
Significant progress in the Guidance Office has continued since Ms. Michelle Flood began her tenure as Director of University Counselling, including the implementation of the Department Review of 2023, which reflects industry best practices.
The department of four counsellors and an athletic advisor meets the needs of Shawnigan Lake students in the changing recruitment landscape. Mr. Guy Nobes, a renowned expert on UK universities and former Head of Guidance at Marlborough College in England, will return to Shawnigan in September 2024 as a consultant on UK applications.
The department of four counsellors and an athletic advisor meets the needs of Shawnigan Lake students in the changing recruitment landscape. Mr. Guy Nobes, a renowned expert on UK universities and former Head of Guidance at Marlborough College in England, will return to Shawnigan in September 2024 as a consultant on UK applications.
All 140 members of the 2023-24 graduating class received their Dogwood Diploma, with 13 attaining the Dual Dogwood, demonstrating proof of English-French bilingualism. Eighty-three students (59 percent) earned Honours Standing (86 percent average or higher) on all their courses taken in Grade 12 year, and the remaining 57 students (41 percent) earned a B average (minimum 73 percent).
In 2023-24, 176 Shawnigan students combined to write 342 AP exams, including AP Pre-Calculus, AP Music and AP World History, all of which were offered for the first time last year. Shawnigan scored equal-to or above the provincial average in 13 of 25 courses, and above the global average in 22 of 25 courses.
Other highlights from the AP exams:
• 29 students were AP Scholars (3 or higher on 3 or more AP Exams), up from 25 in 2023
• 14 students were AP Scholars with Honour (average of at least 3.25 on all AP exams
taken, and 3 or higher on four or more exams), up from 11 in 2023
• 20 students were AP Scholars with Distinction (average of at least 4.09 on all AP exams
taken, and 3 or higher on five or more exams, matching the total from 2023
• Five students earned their AP International Diploma (recognizing students who display
exceptional achievement across a variety of disciplines, including two different world
languages, one AP offering a global perspective, one AP from a science, math or
computer science, and one additional exam), up from two in 2023
• One student, Sharm Pedersen ’24 (Strathcona), achieved the AP Capstone Diploma (AP Seminar, AP Research, three other AP courses with scores of 4 or higher)
• Two students, Olivia C. ’25 and Chika Kameda ’24 (Strathcona), were awarded the AP Seminar and Research Certificate by earning scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
