The University Transition Program

The University Transition Program is an early-entrance-to-university program located on the University of British Columbia campus, commonly referred to as The Transition Program or just Trans. The premise of the program is to compact five years of high school education into two years. Students may apply for the program while they are completing grades 7, 8, and 9; generally, the applicants are from 13-16 years of age. These students are accepted based on their achievements in standardized tests in reading, writing, mathematics, and reasoning/problem solving. The students are required to achieve scores above the 99th percentile; such students will then go on to a comprehensive interview session, where they will discuss, amongst other topics, their motivations for coming to the program. The program is divided into 2 years, and accepts a maximum of 20 students per year, meaning 40 students in both years combined.

The Transition Program is administered jointly through University Hill Secondary School, the Vancouver School Board, and the University of British Columbia. Similar to numerous other enrichment/early university entrance programs (such as the Transition School and Early Entrance Program, which the University Transition program was modelled after), there is a special agreement between the university and the administrators of the program. Students do not take the full course load required for consideration in application to the university; UBC is willing to accept these students based solely on the two prerequisites that the students must complete: 1. Graduate from the Transition Program with satisfactory performance 2. Meet the Grade 12 test score requirements set by each individual faculty.

Recent changes of graduation requirements in the 2006-2007 school year now make Transition students eligible for a Dogwood certificate, thus officially graduating from secondary school. The students come into the program knowing they will almost certainly enroll in the University of British Columbia.

In the past however, students were given no special consideration in applying to UBC and had to meet all the same requirements and standards as required by any other successful applicant to UBC in order to get into university.

Courses
In the first year of the program, students take Biology 12, English 10 & 11, Math 10 & 11, Physics 11, Chemistry 11, Humanities, Planning 10 and Civics 11.

In year two, the students take AP Calculus 12, Chemistry 12, English 12, History 12, Literature 12, Math 12, Physics 12, and Civics 11.

Transition students currently have four course taught by UBC professors, which are Physics, English, Civics, and Calculus/Math by Dr. C. Waltham, Dr. J. Brown, Dr. E. Nellis, and Dr. M. Ward, respectively.

Students in both years are required to complete 30 hours of community service, and complete an 'e-Portfolio' for his or her Individual Educational Planning. An extra course known as "Self and Society" accounts for the Planning 10 credit, and is taught by the coordinator.

In the Transition Program, frequent laboratories prepare students for the intense university life. Strict marking standards raise the essay and lab report skills of students far above the average high school student. In the history of Transition Program, many students have achieved very high social positions in life.

The Transition Program offers two compulsory physical activity courses: Physical Education and Dance. That aside, there are also numerous opportunities for outdoor sports, including several camps, including but not restricted to the annual start-of-the-year three-day camp. It is strongly encouraged that students maintain their health by frequent exercise.

Extra-Curricular Activities
The Transition Program is currently a strong competitor in Reach for the Top as well as Model United Nations. Transition students have participated in local science fairs. Involvement with other extra-curricular activities is highly encouraged by teachers and staff.

The Location
Transition Program is located in the heart of UBC, on 240D 1924 West Mall. The building that the Transition Program resides in is the Auditorium Annex, located on West Mall above the Math Graduates office, near the math building.

Staff

 * Dr. Daria Danylchuk: co-ordinater of the program


 * David Coopersmith: Chemistry, Biology, and History.


 * John Martin: Math and Physics


 * Jamie Zagoudakis: Social Studies, English, and Literature


 * Nancy Kartsonas: Transition Program Counsellor

Criticism
The University Transition Program has been shrouded in controversy ever since the idea was first conceived. The University Transition Program has been criticized for issues ranging from student isolation to the quality of teaching. In previous years the program has seen significant numbers of students drop out between the first and second year of the program, causing some to question the ability of the school to meet students needs. This coupled with a sometimes high staff turnover and serious questions regarding the quality of teaching in program have given the program a somewhat tarnished reputation in recent years.