REVIEW OF Columbia Academy BY Alum, Parmida Cheraghi Zanjani

(5) Overall Experience

If I were to go back in time and choose a high school once again, I'd still definitely pick Columbia Academy because of their amazing community and the wide range of opportunities that they provide. I loved that they organized fun events throughout the year, such as ski trips and sports days, so that we could jump out of the academic bubble once in a while to build core memories with our friends. The teachers were also a big part of my preparation for the next steps in my life. My best memories from this school are from the discussions that I had with my classmates and teachers during class time, because those were the times when I learned the most and changed my perspective on things the most. Prospective students should expect to be welcomed by a diverse and friendly community that will help them learn and grow both academically and in life.

(5) School Leadership

The front desk staff were always happy to help whenever I had any questions, problems, or documents that I needed to print. The counselor answered my questions clearly, especially during the university admission cycle when I was going through the application process. Throughout the year, they handled problems very professionally by hearing both sides of the argument and using effective and healthy problem-solving techniques to de-escalate the situation. The Friday emails that were sent out made clear communications with both the students and the parents, making sure they were updated on school matters. As a student and as part of the student council, I always felt heard when sharing my ideas with them, which made me feel respected.

(5) Teaching

One thing that really stands out about the teachers of Columbia Academy is that they're really passionate about their subject, which also encourages the students to participate and engage more in class. The teachers were very respectful and always answered questions very patiently. They also gave reasonable and constructive feedback when it came to graded assignments, which helped the students to have a clear roadmap of what they could improve on in order to get a better mark next time. The atmosphere of the class was very calm yet professional, so that while studying, we could have a little bit of fun here and there. The reason why I found my passion in philosophy was because of my English class, where my teacher allowed us the freedom to debate and discuss different perspectives in a respectful way.

(5) Academics

In general, the school is very much oriented toward making sure students become accepted at top-ranking universities. Therefore, if students are ambitious about attending top universities, they should rest assured that Columbia Academy has extensive planning tailored for that purpose. The school has a very strong STEM and English program, which sets a very good foundation for students academically. The classes maintain a very good balance between quality and quantity when it comes to content, which ensures students understand and grasp the topics. The students were competitive but not in a toxic way. They were competing with themselves instead of bringing others down for the sake of winning. The great attitude of the students helped build healthy competition where each person helped the other reach their full potential.

(5) Extracurriculars

The main and most abundant extracurricular activity was definitely volunteering at events such as the Vancouver International Children's Festival or the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Students were always very eager to take part in volunteering throughout the year since, while having fun, they could also give back to the community. There were many clubs available, such as the math club, where students participated in math competitions such as those held by Waterloo University, or the charity club, where students held charity sales and raised money for local charities. Students could also create their own clubs to practice their leadership. Overall, students weren't just improving themselves academically but also learning about teamwork and participating in impactful and meaningful activities.

(5) Students

The students are very diverse, each coming from different backgrounds and ethnicities, which makes the school interesting since each person shares their own perspective and point of view. The students, for the most part, engage a lot in class, such as answering questions or contributing their own arguments to discussions. One thing that really stands out is how supportive they are of one another. There are peer tutors who spend their time helping others improve themselves in a specific subject. Everyone, in general, enjoys learning and puts a lot of effort and energy into their classes. Personally, my friends and I spent most of our time in the Central Library next to the school after our classes to finish homework and projects. I can for sure say students at Columbia Academy are very good study buddies.

(5) School Life

I personally looked forward to going to school every day because of the healthy environment they provided us with. The school community was really wholesome since it was filled with a lot of positive energy. The classrooms, although quite small, gave a sense of closeness which helped us bond more with our classmates and teachers. The teachers gave an adequate amount of homework so that we could understand the new material taught in classes much better. Generally, the students were passionate about learning and always fully engaged themselves in class discussions. You could see that students put a lot of effort into their assignments, which were shared later with the class the next day. During my time at Columbia Academy, I also learned to maintain more life-school balance, which helped immensely with not feeling burnt out in the long run.

(5) Community

The community at Columbia Academy, for me, was the most important aspect of the school. Everyone, from teachers and staff to students, was very welcoming and supportive of each other. The teachers were very open-minded and allowed the room for students to express themselves. Besides the academics, a lot of the life lessons I learned were mid-conversation in class with teachers. I made amazing friendships along the way with ambitious students who also inspired me to grow as a person. I'm still in contact with a lot of the friends I made at Columbia Academy because they were a crucial part of my high school journey. The parents become involved in the school through the charity sale events. They're invited to see the talent shows that take place once or twice per year, which gives them the opportunity to see performances by the students of the school.

(5) School Location

I attended Columbia Academy when they were on their downtown campus near BC Stadium. Even though the campus didn't have a gym, they made the best use of their location. For sports day, we were able to access the BC stadium grounds. Most of the time, we ventured outside towards the sea wall, where there were plenty of parks and spaces for recreation and sports. We also spent a lot of time in front of the Terry Fox statue to play badminton. Overall, they used the resources around their campus pretty well. There was plenty of access to SkyTrain stations and buses, too, which made commuting very easy.

(5) Admissions

The admission officers were very friendly, which made me less stressed. I had an interview before being accepted, which was mostly about my plans for my future in terms of what university I wanted to go to and what major I had in mind. By understanding my aspirations, they were much better able to assess whether this school was the right choice for me or not. They showed me the range of opportunities that they could provide me with in order to help me achieve my dreams.

(5) University placement and counselling

The counseling services at Columbia Academy are tailored to your own specific situation and interests. There are 5 major qualities that they encourage you throughout the year to develop (volunteering, charity, clubs, competitions, and academics), which will help you immensely when applying to top 50 universities such as UBC and UToronto. It was much easier for me to fill out my application because I already had experience to talk about in each question. I was thoroughly explained the options that I had when it came to course selection so that I would be able to satisfy program requirements while also showing course rigor. There were seminars discussing the whole application process, which made it a bit less stressful. If there was any problem along the way or we needed some help with the application questions, the counselor was there to guide us. Also, the counselor provided me with reference letters, which were crucial to my application.