Applying to college.

I finished Secondary 5 with straight A's, and I plan to study in the Natural Science program. I need to choose which college to attend. Do I go to Ahuntsic College, or do I choose an English college like Vanier?

Choice 1 : Ahuntsic.

Choice 2 : Vanier.

Ahuntsic.

After I apply to Ahuntsic College, I get accepted. I have several classes, and in chemistry, my teacher thinks I'm very talented and sees that I have a passion for the subject. He asks me if I want to be mentored by him. Do I accept his offer, or do I decline it?

Choice 1 : I accept his offer to be his pupil.

Choice 2 : I decline his offer to be his pupil.

Vanier.

After I apply to Vanier College, I get accepted. I am nervous because I am new to this college, and most people communicate in English, my second language. After my first day of classes, I already fall behind in my chemistry, math, and physics courses. I struggle to keep up because the teachers teach in English, and I have trouble understanding everything they say. Sometimes, I know the scientific terms in French, but the teacher uses the English names, and I can't always make the connection. Do I ask for a tutor, or do I try to understand it on my own?

Choice 1 : Ask for a tutor.

Choice 2 : Try to understand it on my own.

I accept his offer to be his pupil.

After he asks me to be his pupil, I accept. He asks me to follow him into the laboratory, and I do. When I enter the laboratory, the first thing I see is a gigantic periodic table with the atomic mass, atomic number, and atomic weight written on it. Captivated by it, I don't notice my teacher placing a burette filled with a strange white solution in front of me. Confused, I ask him "what is it?" He looks at me straight in the eyes and says, "It's an undiscovered deadly bacterium, and I want you to help me find out what it is, and what it can do. But we have to work in secret." Do I accept and ask him to tell me more, or do I decline his offer?

Choice 1 : Accept and ask him to tell me more.

Choice 2 : Decline his offer.

I decline his offer to be his pupil.

After he asks me to be his pupil, I decline. I explain that I don't want to be his pupil, I want to apply for the vacant position as his assistant. He explains that I have to pass several tests, because I'm not the only student who wants it. After completing all the tests, a few other students and I are accepted. We're all excited to learn the ropes of being a chemist. After a few months, I face a big decision, do I stop my studies to become his full-time assistant, or do I leave the position and go to university to become a chemist?

Choice 1 : Become his full-time assistant.

Choice 2 : Go to university to become a chemist.

Ask for a tutor.

I know I need help if I want to succeed, so I decide to ask for help. It's not easy because I feel embarrassed at first. The college connects me with a tutor who speaks both French and English, and slowly things start to make more sense. I ask questions, I review the scientific terms, and in no time my grades improve. One day, I realize I don't need a tutor anymore. Do I become a tutor to help other students like me, or do I focus completely on my grades to apply for a top university?

Choice 1 : Tutor other students.

Choice 2 : Try to understand it on my own.

Try to understand it on my own.

I decide to figure it out by myself. I spend hours reviewing my notes, translating vocabulary, and watching different videos. I still struggle in class. Each lesson goes deeper into the subject, and just when I think I'm finally keeping up, we move on to something new. Do I finally ask for support, or do I keep it to myself and risk falling behind?

Choice 1 : Keep it to myself.

Choice 2 : Ask for help.

Keep it to myself.

I continue to try to understand it on my own, but my grades keep getting worse. The school asks me to leave the CEGEP.

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Ask for help.

I ask for help. I'm already really behind, and I realize I should have done it from the beginning. It's hard. I need a tutor every day after class just to keep up. By the end of the semester, I feel overwhelmed, but I pass and finally understand everything.

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Accept and ask him to tell me more.

He asks me to sit down, and he goes to lock the door, so we won't be interrupted. He explains that it was an accident, he didn't mean to discover the bacteria. He says he can't report it to the government, because if they find out, they'll shut everything down before we get a chance to study it. He asks me again if I want to be part of it, and I accept. Over the next few weeks, we work in secret. Eventually, we discover that this deadly bacteria could infect the entire human population, and if it does, we have no vaccine to protect us. Do we keep it a secret and try to create a vaccine on our own, or do we ask other scientists for help, knowing we could get in serious trouble for hiding it?

Choice 1 : Create a vaccine.

Choice 2 : Ask for help of other scientists.

Decline his offer.

I refuse to be his pupil. I continue to attend my classes at Ahuntsic College. I study late at night, review my notes, and work hard. Some weeks are harder than others, and sometimes I want to give up, but I don't. When I don't understand a problem I ask questions, and I meet with my teachers for extra help. By the end of the semester, I need to make a choice. Do I apply to university to become a chemist, or do I take a break and travel before continuing my studies?

Choice 1 : University.

Choice 2 : Travel.

Become his full-time assistant.

I choose to stay and become his full-time assistant. At first, I'm happy. I work in the lab every day, and I help with experiments. I feel useful, and I feel trusted. But as time goes on, something changes. While my friends apply to university and talk about their future careers, I start to wonder if I've made the right choice. I'm not a chemist like I always wanted to be, I'm his assistant and no matter how hard I work, I stay in the background.

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Go to university to become a chemist.

I choose to go to university. It's a hard decision because I love my job but one day, I want to be a chemist and to do that, I need to continue my studies.

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Create a vaccine.

Every day after class, we return to the lab. We work in silence, surrounded by microscopes, test tubes and bacteria. The bacteria mutate faster than we expect. Panicking at how little time we have left, I accidentally spill a toxic solution across the workstation. We get sick, so we need to stay in the hospital for many months.

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Ask for help of other scientists.

We decide to ask for help. My professor contacts a trusted colleague from a university research center in Quebec. Within days, a task force of experts arrives at the college to help us. Instead of shutting us down, they choose to work with us. Together, we begin developing a vaccine. The process is long and full of setbacks, but we don't give up. Weeks later, we succeed. The vaccine works. Do I sell our work for money, or do I keep our work as our own?

Choice 1 : Sell our research.

Choice 2 : Keep the research as our own.

University.

I go to university to study chemistry. I work in the lab and learn how to handle chemicals safely. I study reactions, molecules, and how substance interact. It's not always easy, but I enjoy the challenge. After four years, I finally finish my degree.

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Travel.

I take a break and travel. I explore cities, mountains, and oceans. I meet people from everywhere and learn things no classroom even teaches me. I fall in love with the world, and with the feeling of freedom, now, I'm not sure I want to go back. I decide to stay here for a while, and if, in a couple years, I want to return I will.

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Sell our research.

After a long discussion, my teacher and I decide to sell our research to the government in exchange for money.

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Keep the research as our own.

We decide to keep the research as our own. The government holds a private press conference. We receive a formal award for preventing what could have been a global pandemic.

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Tutor other students.

I become a tutor and help other students in my field of study. I share all the tricks and strategies I've learned. Helping others takes a lot of my time, so my grades drop a little, but I don't regret it. In the end, I still get accepted into university, and I know I've made a difference.

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Focus on my grades.

I completely focus on my grades. I work late into the night, always pushing myself to do my best. It's hard, but I don't give up. In the end, I finish with amazing grades and get accepted into the university of my dreams.

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