CEGEP R-Scores
By Simon Kidd
Did your R-Score just take an L? The Increase and its Implications
While opening my locker, the R-scores came back. It began as a murmur, which rose to frantic whispering, and then to screams of jubilation, jealousy, and pain–all within a single moment. The R-scores returned, but not with its usual vengeance. A warm blanket of optimism immediately swept through the school, which was great on a surface level…but the implications of the change had not fully set in.
The problem with everyone winning is that people have to lose.
There are a limited amount of places within programs. With the ‘nastier’ R-score of yesteryear, the R-score required for a competitive program like, say, McGill’s law program–was 33.84 for the average interviewee. That was before the change to the R-score. Now that R-score is… Still hard to achieve, but not god-tier. This throws off the estimate for every second year egghead relying upon the 2017 admission requirements to get them into places such as McGill and Concordia.
The other problem? The lists you are looking at for university applications show R-scores based on the lowest R-score that got into that year’s program. So if you think that you’ve edged your way into the program of your choice due to the changes, I would hold off on popping the champagne just yet.
The R-score may be going the way of the Zimbabwean dollar, with hyperinflation driving it up, providing false hope…only to shatter our collective dreams.
What about the strength of my cohort?
Your cohort may increase your R score, but remember–the strong cohort that led you towards a stronger score are also the people applying to the university programs you want. The R-scores of the strongest students will increase as well.
What about the strength of this college under the new system?
At the moment, we do not know whether our institution is really giving us an enormous edge R-score wise relative to others, but Marianopolis students have historically received higher average R-scores. The new system gives greater weight to group strength and composition, so our R-scores should increase.
Our R-score distribution is already whack because Marianopolis has a crazy strong group strength. The changes to the formula increase the group strength constant that was already being applied, so students with lower marks should expect to see the greatest change. A 61% with a class average of ~80% is no longer a death sentence if the class is strong.
The entire kablooie is much more complicated, to learn more check out this link:
If you’re francais bobo, shoutout to Alexandre Yang for his clear description of the changes on the Marianopolis Student Union page. Thanks to Noam Cohen for creating the Strawpoll featured in this article.
Is there a moral to this article?
R-Scores are going up for everybody. If the new formula doesn’t increase your score for a course, you’ll get to keep your old one. But… there are competitive programs at almost every CEGEP, and those students are probably applying for the same programs that you are. Cut-off requirements of yesteryear no longer apply, and you probably shouldn’t apply to Pre-Med either.
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