About Us
The University Counselling Office at Upper Canada College is committed to supporting our students as they identify and develop their individual passions and strengths and explore how these will shape their post-secondary studies and future careers. We strive to work in close partnership with boys and their parents, recognizing, as psychologist Michael Thompson has pointed out, that this process is about much more than the mechanics of selecting a place of higher education: it is “the most important and difficult transition” in a young person’s life. As such, the primary goal is to encourage our young men to develop a useful template for making wise adult decisions, one which recognizes the value of thorough research, honest reflection, and a willingness to follow one’s own path.
Located beside the Student Centre, the University Counselling Office works most closely with students enrolled in the Senior Division, delivering both the Career Studies credit for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma and offering individual support for students in their post-secondary planning. However, boys at all grade levels and their parents are welcome to obtain information about university and career preparation and to receive advice about the application/admission process. The office also provides course selection counselling for those entering Foundation Year and IB1, since subject choices at these grade levels often influence opportunities for study at the post-secondary level.
Boys are assigned to their university counsellor by house. Katherine Ridout (Director of University Counselling) advises boys in Martland’s and McHugh’s. David Matthews (Associate Director) works with students in Mowbray’s, Orr’s, and Scadding’s. Michelle Carvalho (Associate Director) counsels boys in Bremner’s, Howard’s, and Jackson’s. Boarding students in Seaton’s and Wedd’s are advised by Andrew Turner (Director of Residential Life).
Contact Information
To arrange an appointment with your son’s university counsellor, please contact Leigh Berndsen, the Coordinator of the University Counselling Office at 416-488-1125 ext. 2262 or lberndsen@ucc.on.ca.