Welcome To Our Blog

The purpose of the blog is to explore ideas within education and to promote discourse about them.  We plan to hit timely issues and hot topics, to dispel educational urban legends, and to have a bit of fun.   We understand that navigating post-secondary choices can be cumbersome and overwhelming- we have instituted the blog to help.  We will have guest bloggers (experts in various arenas of education), adolescent bloggers (those in the trenches), and others who have a valid opinion to add.  We welcome your ideas for blog topics.  Please feel free to submit them in the Suggest a Blog Section of the Home Page.

Options Solutions assists a wide variety of students each year and through them, we have learned a few universal lessons that we hope will help your family.

Lesson Number One:  Start early

Every year, we see students who wait until the last to complete major tasks.  This causes undue stress and panic.

Solution:  We recommend our students begin by making an Excel chart of where they plan to apply and what timelines exist.  This helps them stay in control of the process and chart a path to success.

Lesson Number Two:  Read your emails

Most crises we deal with are a result of students failing to read communications sent from post-secondary institutions.  Many universities have gone to a paper-free process, and all communication is sent via email.  Whether it is missing a residence payment or the fine print of a conditional admittance, it is easy to miss the details.

Solution:  We encourage our students to create a neutral email that is solely for the application process.  This allows parents to have oversight of the process, yet it allows students to keep a sense of privacy in their personal email.  We recommend that families check this email, together, once a week.

Lesson Number Three:  Teach them the language

Most high school students do not know what the words: undergraduate, credits, major, minor, and admission requirements mean.  How are students supposed to navigate a system in which they do not understand the language? 

Solution:  Sit with your student and tour a post-secondary website together.  Have a discussion about what you like and don’t like about the institution.  Use this site as a guide:  http://www.educationplanner.bc.ca/about.cfm?page=22