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Selkirk College Welcomes Students Through Entrance Scholarships

Bob Hall
By Bob Hall
March 14th, 2018

High school students from around the West Kootenay and Boundary region with sights on starting their post-secondary journey at Selkirk College have the opportunity to benefit financially with an Entrance Scholarship.

Each year, 40 Board of Governors awards are presented to high school students and anybody who is attending post-secondary for the first time. Each scholarship is worth $1,500 and is available to those who have graduated with a minimum overall grade of 75 per cent who plan to study at college full-time.

“These scholarships provide a great start for students,” says Jim O’Meara, Selkirk College’s Associate Registrar. “Beginning your studies with a $1,500 scholarship reduces first year tuition significantly, allowing students to apply more energy into their education rather than worrying about finances.”

Additional Entrance Scholarships are open to all Canadian residents who have graduated or are about to graduate from high school. Once a student applies to Selkirk College, they can also apply for an Entrance Scholarship. Deadline for applications is March 31, 2018.

Paula Reitan graduated from Castlegar’s Stanley Humphries Secondary in 2017. Though she had the academic standing to attend a large university, Reitan decided to stay close to home and enroled in Selkirk College’s Rural Pre-Medicine Program. She was one of the recipients of a 2017 Board of Governors Entrance Scholarship.

“There’s a lot of pressure in high school because there is an expectation that you need to go off to the University of British Columbia or another big university,” says Reitan. “Once you get the independence that you get with graduating, it settles down and it’s a lot easier to see what you really enjoy and what really matters. The environment at Selkirk College takes away that massive pressure of being in a new city in a program that you are not too sure about.”

As she was deciding on her post-secondary pathway, Reitan pondered art school. With a passion for drawing and creative writing, a pursuit of the arts was a strong possibility. Her interest in science eventually won the day and she took a step towards career options in health care.

Now into her second semester, Reitan’s decision to stay close to home is paying more dividends than simply the financial advantages.

“It’s a different kind of education you get here,” she says. “I have friends who are in science programs at UBC with classes of 300 people. I can’t imagine being in that situation, most of my classes have 30 students in them. It’s more personal at Selkirk College and that appeals to me.”

With family support through RESPs, other scholarships and bursaries, and money from summer jobs, Reitan has managed to avoid student loans. She plans to continue her studies at Selkirk College and then transfer to a larger university to complete her Bachelor of Science.

With an ability to now focus more on achieving good grades, once she leaves the West Kootenay it will then be possible for Reitan to benefit from scholarships such as the Ike Barber Transfer Scholarship which is available to those leaving the college for further post-secondary study.

“It feels good to have that kind of stability and support from the college,” Reitan says. “Entrance Scholarships are a great opportunity to support you in doing what you love in a place that you love. It’s definitely a nice welcome to college.”

Find out more information about Selkirk College Entrance Scholarships at selkirk.ca/entrance-scholarships.

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