Meet Apple Wen | Enticed by the prestige and culture of Montreal, this Rosedale graduate accepted an offer to McGill—a Global Top 50 University
Apple Wen is a 2023 graduate from Rosedale Global High School’s Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) program with partner Tianjin University OSSD International Education Center, located in Tianjin China. This fall, she will begin studying in a bachelor’s degree program in Finance and Accounting at McGill University—that’s a Global Top 50 University!
Apple also received offers from the University of British Columbia, the University of Bristol and the University of Toronto, but has dreamed of studying at McGill University in Canada for most of her academic career, enticed by the city of Montreal and its culture, history and beauty—even learning French in preparation for her upcoming transition. She decided to enroll in Rosedale’s Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) hoping to leverage the Canadian curriculum for an offer of acceptance to her top university, she didn’t realize then how transformative and holistic the program would prove to be.
“The structure of Rosedale’s OSSD program was more suitable to my learning style than any other program. I had control over my progress, I chose my own courses and designed my own academic path to university,” says Apple. “I think all students should have the responsibility to choose their own paths, instead of being told what and how to learn.”
Numbers have always fascinated Apple; she enjoys the challenge of tackling complex problems using creativity and innovation. Through Rosedale’s Transformative Approach to Learning, Apple’s teachers brought this collaborative and creative problem solving into every aspect of her learning which became instrumental in her academic development. Apple was able to build her high school portfolio around her favourite subject, Math, and leverage those qualifications to gain acceptance into her prestigious dream school.
“Numbers make sense to me and in my Rosedale courses, I learned real-world application for my specific interests,” says Apple. “One of the fields I learned about was Accounting, and I was drawn to the idea that I could build a career based on my interest in math and numbers.”
Apple values opportunities to connect her learning to aspects of her personal life in ways that help her grow as an individual as well as an academic. She is thankful for the introduction to critical thinking that Rosedale’s OSSD provided, encouraging her to analyze and evaluate information in order to develop a deeper understanding of and be more responsive to the world around her.
She tells a story of her grandmother peeling the skin off her apple after reading in the paper that they cause inflammation and then eating her apple with the skin the very next day after reading they are healthy and full of fiber. “I knew my grandmother’s actions didn’t make sense, but it wasn’t until I learned the concept of critical thinking that I realized why,” says Apple.
Equipped with the competencies expected of a university student, Apple also benefitted from the unique opportunities Rosedale Global High School afforded her. At last year’s Global Student Success Forum, Apple was among select students who earned 1-on-1 private meetings with global university recruitment staff. She spoke to representatives from Imperial College London and, “the most nerve wracking” for her—McGill University. The conversations cemented her resolve and increased her confidence to apply for Finance and Accounting programs at McGill University and other Canadian institutions.
“I’m ready to move to Montreal,” says Apple. “To live in a new country and city, adapt to a completely new environment, and make new friends. I think those will be really important experiences for me to tackle on my own.”
