algonquin college

How to Apply for College

September seems so far away when we just celebrated the New Year, but it’s already time to start thinking about applying for college!

A key deadline for applications is February 1. This is the equal consideration date to apply for programs that start in the fall.

Why is February 1st Important?

If you want to be considered on an equal basis with other applicants, your application and application processing fee must be received at the Ontario Colleges office by February 1st.

After this date, applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, providing there are still vacancies in the program(s) of your choice.

This is particularly important if you are applying to college programs that are considered highly competitive; a program for which the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of seats for the fall term.

Don’t miss out! Be sure to apply before February 1!

Application Process

Step 1: Explore your college options

You can explore your options in a many ways!

  • Attend a College Information Program event
  • Take a college campus tour

Book a campus tour of Algonquin College
Take a virtual tour of Algonquin College

  • Review college websites and programs

Check out the Algonquin College School of Business programs
See what other programs Algonquin offers

  • Research program admission requirements

Step 2: Apply at ontariocolleges.ca

  • Click the “Sign Up Today” button and complete all required fields
  • Check your email account for an account activation link and complete the steps
  • Login, review and accept the Privacy Statement
  • Record your username, account and application numbers. (Keep your password confidential)
  • Complete your application including program choices

Step 3: Make your payment

For your application to be processed, you must pay the $95 non-refundable application processing fee must be paid in Canadian funds.

Unfortunately, there are no exemptions from the application fee. Depending upon the type of applicant you are, other fees may apply.

You can pay online using Visa, MasterCard, or American Express or directly from your bank account with online banking. You can also pay by phone or mail (money order or certified cheque only). All fees are non-refundable.

Step 4: Verify your information

  • Check your email inbox for a message from ontariocolleges.ca with your account information.
  • Return to your account and verify that the grades forwarded by your high school are correct.

Step 5: Make your final decision

The colleges will let you know directly of their admission decision. When you receive an offer of admission and have decided what school and program you will accept:

  • Log back into your online application/account
  • Click on “View Offers”
  • Confirm your offer of admission (If after accepting an offer of admission you do not receive a confirmation email, contact ontariocolleges.ca immediately.)

Need help with the college application process?

ontariocolleges.ca has some helpful resources for you, including a “Live Help” (real-time website feature) where you can chat with one of the Customer Contact Centre staff.

You can also email the Customer Contact Centre at Ask-Us@ontariocolleges.ca or call the Customer Contact Centre at 1 888 892 2228 (toll-free within Canada) Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST

IMPORTANT!

ontariocolleges.ca and the colleges use your email address to send you information about your application. Be sure to check your email regularly!

What Algonquin College program(s) are you thinking about applying to?

Find a Career that Fits You

Organized people are a special breed. Take a look at someone’s office or desk and you’ll usually be able tell whether they have the “gift” of organization or not. The neat piles and color-coded files are a dead give-away!

Of course, people who are organized have other abilities as well, such as:

  • Possess critical-thinking skills.
  • Are curious, well-organized and have an analytical nature.
  • Like analyzing and solving problems.
  • Are organized in their work and pay attention to detail.
  • Seek variety and opportunity in their career.
  • Can work independently.

To help you see what possible career avenues you have, we’ve identified five “personality types” – leader, outgoing, helping people, organized, and analytical. Each type has options for an appropriate career path.

business careers

Note: In previous posts, I’ve talked about possible careers for people who are leaders, those who are outgoing, and individuals who like to help people.

As the image above shows, possible careers for organized individuals include jobs in business administration, office administration, accounting, finance, and materials and operations management.

Administration

Algonquin College’s program in Office Administration prepares students for a career in helping to make an office run smoothly or providing support for an executive. The program emphasizes the development of strong technical, communications and human relations skills. Students gain practical experience in the classroom through simulated office situations.

Accounting

Individuals who have strong analytical, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills could be well suited for a career in accounting.

Our two-year Business-Accounting program prepares students to work in various areas of accounting including financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation, and auditing. Students get a general business background and expand their theoretical knowledge of economics, law, finance and statistics. Students also learn the basics of a number of accounting and business computer software packages.

Get on-the-job experience!

Qualified students can participate in an optional work placement that provides practical experience in the accounting departments of Ottawa area based businesses and in the public and private sectors.

Graduates may be granted some credits toward the requirements of the Certified General Accountants (CGA) Association program of professional studies.

Finance

Do you love playing with numbers and providing expert advice? You might love a career in the financial industry (financial planning, personal banking, investment, and insurance advising).

Our three-year Advanced Diploma Business Administration program with a Major in Finance gives you a strong foundation for success in this industry. You’ll also have a chance to network with business professionals and employers.

The program prepares graduates to meet the high proficiency standards needed to complete the professional designations and licensing courses in the financial services industry.

If you’re currently working in the finance or a related industry and are interested in career advancement, our one-year Graduate Certificate in Financial Services gives you a leg up. You’ll develop a professional portfolio and participate in field placements.

Graduates of the Algonquin College Financial Services program can be licensed to sell mutual funds by their employer; are qualified to challenge the first exam of the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) professional certification and are prepared for the Provincial Life Licence Qualification (LLQP) examination. Successful completion of Personal Financial Services Advice, Financial Planning I and Canadian Securities Course I qualifies students for a Certificate in Financial Services Advice from the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI).

Put your skills to use!

Grads may find employment as financial advisors in a broad range of the financial institutions including retail banks, credit unions, financial planning offices, insurance companies, brokerage firms, and other businesses dedicated to providing personal financial advice and services.

Materials & Operations Management

If you like to analyze and solve problems, working in Materials & Operations Management may be just the career for you!

Your training as part of the Materials and Operations Management Major involves many facets of supply chain management including purchasing, production planning, inventory management, logistics, distribution, and project management.

Qualified students also get the chance to put their theoretical knowledge to work in a coop placement.

Graduates find employment in supply chain positions for public and private organizations including high technology industries, such as communications, fibre optics, bio­technology, and electronic manufacturing.

What’s more, graduates obtain a certificate from SAP, the world’s largest supplier of enterprise software, and have direct hands-on knowledge of SAP supply chain software.

How will you use your organizational skills? Share in the comments!

Like to Help Others? Consider a Career in Business

What color is your parachute? This guide for job seekers is one of the most popular books for people looking to start or change their career. One of the main points of the guide is that people should figure out what they do best and what they enjoy doing (usually these are the same thing).

To help you out, we’ve identified five “types” – leader, outgoing, helping people, organized, and analytical – and the personal traits associated with them. The traits each type has lead towards different career paths.

business careers

In previous posts, I’ve talked about possible careers for people who are leaders and those who are outgoing. This post focuses on individuals who like to help people.

Often nursing, social worker, personal support worker, and therapist are some careers proposed to people who like to help others. However, there are many jobs within the world of business that deal with helping people, such as human resources, marketing, law, business administration and office administration.

Human resources professionals work with employees to help them achieve high levels of job satisfaction. They also can become specialized in health and safety or rewards and recognition.

In Algonquin’s one-year Graduate Certificate program in Human Resources Management or our three-year Advanced Diploma in Business Administration with a major in Human Resources Management qualified students can complete an unpaid work placement at the end of the program. Participating in this placement gives students practice and experience in real world organizations along with building their professional network.

Those who like to help can do well in a career in marketing. Marketers are sought out for their expertise and ability in helping companies improve their image or increase their sales. Marketers can make a tangible difference in helping business owners succeed.

As part of our one-year Certificate program in Marketing Management, students complete a field placement as consultants to develop a marketing plan and strategy for a Canadian or international organization. They gain real world experience and build connections with industry leaders.

Law is another area where individuals who enjoy helping others can achieve success. This field requires excellent interpersonal and human relations skills, and ability to be organized and detail-oriented.

Our two-year Ontario College Diploma program prepares graduates for employment as law clerks. Law clerks, who work under the general direction of a lawyer or paralegal, perform routine legal and administrative duties and also help lawyers and paralegals by conducting a variety of legal functions.

Qualified students can participate in a coop placement in the winter term of second year that allows them to gain valuable and practical experience in the field.

Algonquin’s program in Office Administration prepares students for a career in helping to make an office run smoothly or providing support for an executive. The program emphasizes the development of strong technical, communications and human relations skills. Students gain practical experience in the classroom through simulated office situations.

These are just a few examples of the many ways a people with a strong “helper” personality can find a career fit in the business world.

What field of business appeals to you? Share in the comments!

AC Biz School: Back Where I Started

Many years ago (I won’t say exactly how many) I was a student at the School of Business in the Business-Marketing program. I spent most of my waking hours in B Building, stressing over group work and exams, celebrating kick-ass presentations and papers, and developing life-long friendships. I loved my time at AC (or the Gonq as we affectionately called it) and I left armed with the knowledge, skills and experience to go out and pursue my dream career in Marketing.

After I graduated I decided to take advantage of the College’s transfer agreements and further my education at University. I’ll be honest – I went to Uni mostly because I thought I “should.” Out of my group of friends from Algonquin, some decided to go this route but many did not. Years later, we are all enjoying successful careers in Marketing. Depending on where you want to go in your career, a degree might help or might even be necessary, but the 83% employment rate of the School of Business grads speaks for itself. Our programs are designed to prepare you for career success.

When I graduated with my degree I was lucky enough to get a job in marketing right away. I was the Marketing Manager for a local distance-education career-training school. Being thrust into that role right out of school was a challenge but one that I welcomed. As I started to get my feet wet, I was amazed to see how much of what I learned at Algonquin came into play. All of the knowledge and applied learning the College gave me helped me do my job, and do it well.

I stayed in that role for three years until I had my daughter. (Isn’t she adorable?!)

Then I decided to step back from my career for a few years to focus on family. Sounds awesome right? Not entirely. While I loved being with my daughter, I really MISSED working. (I might be a wee bit crazy!) So I decided to launch a small online business on Etsy.com. I made and sold personalized picture frames.

My marketing and business background served me well in this little enterprise. It was only supposed to be a little pet project to keep my mind from going mushy but soon I found myself shipping out multiple orders every day, to customers all over the world. In two years I made and sold over 1500 frames. It was a fantastic experience and it gave me the challenge and sense of accomplishment I had been missing.

Then finally the time came for my daughter to go to school and for me to go back to work. I was so excited to see what the next phase of my career would be. One day while scrolling through a job posting website, I saw these words:

Marketing Officer, School of Business, Algonquin College

I wanted to yell “Oooh! Oooh! Pick me! Pick me!” How perfect would I be for this job? How perfect would this job be FOR ME? To be able to go back to Algonquin after all these years and help promote the School of Business – the School that gave me such an amazing education and start to my career – seemed like a dream. And luckily for me, the dream became a reality.

I am so thrilled to be working at the School of Business. Algonquin College is an amazing community and I feel very proud, and very lucky, to be back where I started.