Shawnigan Lake School | University Guidance

Shawnigan Lake School’s experienced guidance team is on-hand to help our students prepare for their post-secondary journey. By creating strong relationships between our students, parents and post-secondary colleagues, the Guidance Office encourages students to seek innovative, personally challenging and engaging post-secondary opportunities, both nationally and internationally. Our experienced team of counselling specialists offers an unparalleled service that provides students with the tools to navigate the world of Canadian, U.S. and international university applications and select a course of study that will prepare them for an exciting and fulfilling future.

In the Guidance Office, university and career counselling forms an intentional part of our unique and intentional Grade 8 to 12 Shawnigan Journey. Shawnigan advisors work one-on-one with students starting in Grade 8 and 9, helping them discover, explore and pursue their passions. Our Guidance staff support Grade 10 students as they manage the choices available in course selection and begin to carve their own path forward. Students in Grade 11 are then assigned to an individual guidance counsellor who works closely with them over the next two critical years throughout the process of post-secondary program research and selection and growing leadership opportunities on and off campus.

In addition to meeting with our students on a regular basis, the Guidance Office at Shawnigan is a full-service department that helps students with essay writing, interview preparation and university selection. Shawnigan is a popular destination for visits, which are facilitated by our office, from post-secondary institutions from around the world. In addition, our guidance team arranges a number of information sessions each year on relevant topics such as scholarship applications, university applications, and many more. Furthermore, the university preparatory experience at Shawnigan encompasses a number of aspects specifically designed to promote curiosity, initiative and ambition, including the rigorous AP Capstone diploma program and our inquiry-based, student-led projects on SOULo Fridays. This comprehensive intellectual and psychological preparation is supported and complemented by a holistic and progressive focus on social and emotional wellness.

Our mandate to combine specialized support with student personal initiative ensures that our graduates are thoroughly prepared for the wealth of exciting local, national and international post-secondary opportunities that await them beyond Shawnigan’s gates.

"Columbia offered me opportunities and internships that wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for the AP course offerings at Shawnigan and events like the Japan Super Science Fair. Without Ms. Dewis in the Guidance Office and her help with the essays required to apply, I don’t think it would have happened." - Janie
"Shawnigan is a small tight-knit community and I wanted that for my university experience as well. The opportunity to develop strong relationships with teachers at Shawnigan is something I really value, and I wanted the same kind of environment after I graduated." - Ruby
"I am excited to go to Texas Christian University next year. Thanks to Shawnigan, which shaped me into the person I am today (I’m Deputy Head of my House!) and changed the way I see the world, I feel prepared for this next stage in my life." - Eugenio
"My teachers and mentors at Shawnigan, especially Mr. Brown, Mr. Venables, and Ms. Bell, along with the AP course offerings and high academic standards are ultimately what got me into Columbia." - Geoffrey
"When I first came to Shawnigan in Grade 9 I didn’t speak any English. My Advisor Ms. Ketch, who also runs the English Language Centre, helped me a lot through my Shawnigan Journey. Now I’m off to study Finance in LA, joining a close friend who graduated from Shawnigan last year." - Konkana
"Being offered a spot in the Business School at the University of Washington wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the help from the Guidance Office, my House Director and my Advisor who were instrumental in helping me choose my classes and prepare me for the future." - Jacob
“Ms. Allison Dewis in the Guidance Office has helped me all year in order to figure out what I wanted in a university and has guided me through the process as we determined what it would take to get me to my goal of attending the school I wanted.” - Dylan
“Obviously, hockey is something I am really excited to pursue at university, but education is also really important to me... Coach Carly Haggard has helped me so much in this process through her connections at the schools along with her experience and knowledge on how to deal with coaches and the recruitment process.” - Jada
“I have committed to York University..., Ms. Doland has been really supportive and has had my back on every step of this journey — I would not have gotten to where I am without her. Where I grew up, I wouldn’t have been able to make it as far as I have while at Shawnigan. Being at this school has boosted my future to where I want it to be.” - Mikayla

1 / 9

SAT Testing Centre

Shawnigan is an accredited SAT Testing Centre that offers testing opportunities for our students and the local community four times a year. To help prepare our students, we typically offer annual preparatory courses each fall and spring. For information about the SAT or to register for the exam, please visit here.

University Guidance Updates

List of 1 news stories.

SAT at Shawnigan

University Guidance Office

List of 4 members.

Alison Dewis

University Guidance Counsellor

250-743-6480
Hannah Gottfried

University Guidance Counsellor

250-743-6497
James Pollock

House Director - Lonsdale's, Athletic Advisor, Head Hockey Coach Varsity
Vicki Heywood

250-743-6497

Annie Cable ’22 (Kaye’s)

As I’ve started my first year at university working as a page, my gratitude for my Shawnigan experience has only grown. It’s hard to recognize what you are being given when you are there, but now that I am away from it, I can see how fundamental Shawnigan was to who I am today.
I was given the opportunity to take so many different classes and try so many different things, and the support that I received from my teachers, coaches, and the guidance counselors truly set me up for success. But in the end, it was the community that surrounded me, especially in Kaye’s House, which built my confidence and allowed me to grow into the person I am today. - Annie C. ’22 (Kaye’s), Canadian House of Commons Page Program
Helena L.

My experience with the Guidance Office at Shawnigan has been extremely helpful in benefiting my future. When I changed my plan midway through October of my Grade 12 year, a plan was set in motion that helped to fully support my goals. I am so grateful to have had this amazing support for the past few years. - Helena L.

Scholarships

Our University Guidance, Academics and Athletics Departments are well-poised to support and connect senior students to diverse scholarships; every year many Shawnigan graduates receive academic and/or sports scholarships to universities around the world.

Here are a few student profiles of recent scholarship winners:

The Governor General’s Academic Medal Recipient 2022

Isabella P. '21

For nearly 150 years, the Governor General’s Academic Medals have recognized the outstanding scholastic achievements of students in Canada. They are awarded to the student graduating with the highest average from a high school, as well as from approved college or university programs.

Our Students are Attending

1 / 28

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.