Scudrunners

Hey,

I have applied to numerous colleges. However, I am hoping to go to Sault College. 

Sault College claims that there are no minimum grades for acceptance into the program, and acceptance is based off of the Grade 12 math course, and Grade 12 english course, as well as a "first come - first serve" basis.

I got a 70% in my math course...not too proud of it. My english course is in the next semester of high school so I am obviously unaware of what my grade will be.

Based on any of your past experiences, do you think a 70% is fine for being accepted into the program? Also, I've heard that some people received their acceptances to the program the very first day (Feb. 1st), and others got it much later.
Any of you willing to share your experiences of when you got accepted into the program?

Thanks.

Bear in mind this was like fifteen years ago (side note: Jesus, where did the time go?) but I took all of the hardest math courses in high school  because I wasn't sure exactly what post-secondary I was going to pursue.  As a result, my math marks sucked because of some combination of lack of interest due to the apparent irrelevance of all the theoretical stuff were were doing, and also I suspect I kind of burned myself out.  Regardless, I got my acceptance reasonably early to the Sault.  Back then they were swimming in applications and actually had a travelling road show doing mandatory entrance exams before you even applied.  I wrote mine in London and remember thinking of the two professors who proctored the exam one was an enormous asshole and the other was boring beyond measure.  I actually later ended up becoming friends with both.  I digress.

In spite of that, looking around my first year class and also knowing many people who were not accepted, I can only assume they put the class together by drawing names from a hat.  If you're not successful, it isn't the end of the world.  Many colleges may tell you that they have a vacancy for you in a different but similar program and could go on to say that graduates of their school are guaranteed future entry into any program there they choose.  That was a great plan fifteen years ago, don't do that now.  If Sault turns you down just go to Confed, or wherever.  It's all the same in the end, just go into it with the attitude that the knowledge and skill you build is for every day flying; not something reserved for a test then dumped.  Do it that way and A) your tests will be a breeze, while B) you'll likely be better able to Sully your way out of a tough spot later in life.

Good luck!

I am in awe of anyone that learned to fly at the Soo.

There are probably stupider places to put a flight
school, but I can’t think of any right now.

EDIT

Antarctica would be a worse place for flight training.

Colonel Sanders wrote: I am in awe of anyone that learned to fly at the Soo.

Bow at my greatness.

Colonel Sanders wrote: There are probably stupider places to put a flight school, but I can’t think of any right now.

It's a fine place for a school but a dumb place for an airport.  It should be North of the city, about where the new hospital is, the wx is generally great there.  Building an airport on a peninsula like they did was a little silly, but as far as commercial IFR flight training goes we always took advantage of the poor weather days to get sim sessions knocked out.

California, Florida and Texas are the best locations
for primary flight training, IMHO.  In that order.

I probably don’t know as much about those places
as most Canadians, but I have spent years in each
of those three states, because I have no virtue to
signal.

Colonel Sanders wrote: California, Florida and Texas are the best locations
for primary flight training, IMHO.  In that order.

Why that order?  I’ve never flown in any of the three but my gut would have put Texas first due to the daily rain/seasonal hurricanes of Florida and Cali looking like it’s perpetually on fire these days.  The fire would probably be fantastic for glider training what with the convective lift and such...

For those sticking in Canada and looking to do a college program to get their commercial it’s hard to beat the Sault on the cool airplane to dollars spent ratio.

Why that order?

Weather.  Florida is warm but painfully humid in the summer.  I
personally found the Cb's in FL to be predictable - you can pretty
much set your watch by them - and much less wild than the Cb's
in TX, which are monsters compared to the baby FL Cb's.  And,
the entire southeast is subject to the occasional hurricane.  I
remember one night, flying south through the edges of a hurricane
through Florida down to KEYW in a 421.  Sporty.

CA never gets cold, and when it gets hot in the summer, it's not
humid.  More flyable VFR days.  It rains a little in the winter, and
it's smoky a few days in the fall, but the number of days that you
can't fly VFR is pretty small.  Vis is always fantastic.  People panic
when it's less than 10 miles because it's so rare.  A low marine layer
on the coast in the morning before it burns off.  No hurricanes, Cb's
are rare, and no rain or even cloud for the entire summer - just day
after day for months on end, of blue sky and sunshine.  Maybe there's
a better place for flight training than CA, but I've never been there. 

I run W100 year-round.  Took this photo on Saturday from my hangar:



Eric even got two jumps in, with his 170 - walked the landings.

Here's my back yard on Christmas Day.



Blue sky, unlimited vis.  Perfect flying wx.  Sat outside with the dogs
and got some Vitamin D.  Nice to have a palm tree.  And more fruit
trees than you would believe.  Crazy.