Throughout the academic year, Melinda Giampietro, Options Founder/President, will share some of her favourite things. Melinda loves reading, data, research, and following academic and adolescent news around the world.
The Tuesday after Labour Day is New Year’s Day for me. This will be my 29th back to school, and it never loses its excitement. This year is my son’s senior year of university, so it is our last kick at true back to school vibes in our household.
Melinda’s 2022 Goal:
I have always been goal and project-oriented. I like working towards something tangible. So, I am asking for your help! My latest goal is to have 1000 followers on our Options Solutions Instagram account by January 1, 2023. PLEASE follow @optionssolutions and help us spread the word.
Melinda’s Cookbook Pick:
The best part of Sunday is watching Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy on CNN. I recently hunted down his two old cookbooks: The Tucci Table and The Tucci Cookbook. I love Italian food in early fall, putting all the fresh tomatoes and squash to use. My plan is to cook my way through these in September and October. I plan to start with Rosemary Focacia, Fettuccine with Shrimp and Tomato, and his Blueberry Pie (maybe not so Italian 😊) over Labor Day weekend.
Melinda’s Back to School Recommendations:
A hydrated brain is a learning brain! Here is my top pick for a water bottle (for the classroom OR the office). My son and I both got one of these this year. It has a great spout (Chug Cap) for drinking and doesn’t leak! Follow our lead and cover it with your favourite stickers. We get many of ours from redbubble.com!
There is a lot of research about the benefits of noise-reducing headphones as a study/concentration tool. I really like this article that explains the technology and why it is beneficial. It also makes some recommendations.
Healthy study snacks matter. Here is our favourite one from Daphne Oz’s The Happy Cook. They are really easy to make, healthy, and travel anywhere (easy breakfast in the car on the way to school!).
Finally, we try to practice what we preach at Options keeping our executive function skills sharp. As someone who has kept a paper planner for 20 years, I look forward to creating my new back to school planner every year. This is my favourite. It’s the best ten dollars you can spend. I also customize it with stickers and washi tape. Here is my favourite (always stripes!). Also, here is a great review of many different planners.
Melinda’s US University of California Admission Updates:
Each year, the UC schools become more and more popular with our students. We are following closely as the UC system has announced it will expand the number of in-state seats by 33,000 by 2030. They will do this by decreasing out-of-state and international student seats. This means it will likely be more difficult for our Canadian students to gain acceptance.
The Haas School of Business at Berkeley will also become a four-year program! Students have traditionally applied at the end of their sophomore year for a two-year business education.
Melinda’s Back to School Inspiration:
Every year, I write my staff a back-to-school email. I usually include a quote, photo, and/or article for inspiration. As you already know, I love fall. So I will re-inventing this NYTimes article to be for fall. It really made me laugh and my favourite quote is this one “I want to see your vacation pics. I want to see your degree. I want to see your completed pile of beautiful, fragrant folded laundry. I want to see you win.” One thing we are really good at at Options is celebrating the small victories. Thanks for being a part of our journey; we love being a part of yours!
