uh Schulich at York Tyson Hamilton has his future in his hands this was Western social science a stack of offers from Ontario universities business at Laurier business and computer science at Laurier uh Commerce like well Hamilton was student council president of his high school his grade 12 average a spectacular 96 yet he was rejected by the Commerce programs at the University of Toronto McMaster and queens if a 96 isn't good enough what is is everyone just going to be getting 100 averages to get into these programs the proportion of Ontario grade 12 students with a plus marks is in fact growing High School averages overall Rose steadily but gradually through the 2010s then shot up dramatically when the pandemic hit it's really a sharp increase during the coveted years this researcher tracks achievement in Ontario's largest school districts perhaps Marx in the early covid period may have been part of what teachers used to really encourage and support students and that strategy may have worked it worked because the number of Ontario students going on to University increased during the pandemic unlike in the U.S it's the end of the year at Northview Heights Secondary Jeffrey osero's final day of high school by the end of the midterms of this semester the second semester I had a 92 percent average not good enough to get into several top programs including Western University's Ivy School of Business Western Ivy was that one was just stabbing the heart because that one it's like I have so many people around me just giving me such you know high expectations if a student's High School grades are inflated universities warn that first year can be a rude awakening I think it can be difficult for students who didn't realize that maybe their grades were not an accurate reflection of their preparedness Acero does have a spot at Western this fall just not in the program he'd hoped for Mike Crawley CBC News Toronto