Canadian Admissions Boot Camp
2023-08-29 10:00 - 13:00, 2023-08-30 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Vancouver)
This two-day intensive preparation will help students understand and tackle the Canadian admissions process. The goal of this boot camp is to relieve the stress students feel about the application process and to get a head start.
Topics will include:

Comprehensive overview of the Canadian admissions process
Introduction to university or college – choosing a major, minor, or concentration
Finding a field of study & matching a field of study to the best post-secondary options
Exploration of the curriculum covered in expected major
Factors to consider when choosing a university (location, size, class size, access to services, etc.)
Introduction to essay writing and supplement applications
Extra-curricular summary
Generating individualized timelines
Grade 12 academic goal setting

Mastering the Essay
2023-08-30 10:00 - 13:00, 2023-08-31 10:00 - 13:00 | South Granville Office, 3195 Granville Street, Suite 203, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3K2, Canada
Want to brush up on your reading and writing skills over summer break? Options Solutions is here to help!
This interactive, fast-paced workshop is aimed at providing students with the theory and practice to succeed in their English studies at the grade 11 to 12 level. It will give students the skills and confidence they need to succeed, making their future English courses easier and more enjoyable.
Furthermore, active reading, planning, and essay writing skills are a great way to prepare for the Graduate Literacy Assessment (GLA), a new provincial exam for students in grades 10 and 12.

University Executive Functioning Workshop
2023-09-09 09:00 - 11:00
The transition from high school to university can be challenging. This interactive course is designed to arm students with the knowledge and reference material required for post-secondary success. The three-hour workshop is instructional as well as practical; students will set achievable goals and create a variety of supplementary schedules. They will also review work and recreation balance, time-management strategies, and test-taking skills. This workshop is scheduled to get students organized before their first round of mid-term exams and assignments.

Topics will include:

Goal setting Important deadlines
Review of post-secondary course expectations and online portals
Daily schedules
Exam-study schedules
General term weekly schedules
Strategies for managing procrastination
How to study efficiently, save time, and do well academically

This is meant to be a Step Two to How to Rock First Semester, but all students are welcome.

Please bring your course syllabi, list of deadlines and due dates, and school academic schedule to the workshop.

Back to School Study Skills
2023-09-09 10:00 - 12:00
This intensive study skills session is designed to help students be academically prepared for their educational futures.
The session is an instructional as well as practical, hands-on work session. It is offered at the start of the school term to help students thrive. Students will leave the workshop armed with the knowledge, skills, strategies, and reference material required to prepare them for academic success. They will also leave the workshop with a concrete understanding of their own executive functioning strengths and weaknesses and with an individualized plan to help them succeed in academic environments.

Canadian Admissions Boot Camp
2023-09-10 10:00 - 17:00
This one-day intensive preparation will help students understand and tackle the Canadian admissions process. The goal of this boot camp is to relieve the stress students feel about the application process and to get a head start.
Topics will include:

Comprehensive overview of the Canadian admissions process
Introduction to university or college – choosing a major, minor, or concentration
Finding a field of study & matching a field of study to the best post-secondary options
Exploration of the curriculum covered in expected major
Factors to consider when choosing a university (location, size, class size, access to services, etc.)
Introduction to essay writing and supplement applications
Extra-curricular summary
Generating individualized timelines
Grade 12 academic goal setting

The session is on Sunday, September 10th from 10am to 1pm, 2pm to 5pm.

Intro to Supplement Writing
2023-09-16 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-23 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-25 17:00 - 20:00
This three-hour session introduces students who are entering grade 12 to the writing components for Canadian applications.
The session will include a presentation that outlines the typical essay and supplemental writing prompts required by major Canadian universities and programs. During this presentation, session leaders will also provide writing and time management strategies and sample essays from previous years’ successful applications. Students will then be given time to brainstorm and engage in practice writing exercises. Options Solutions writing coaches will give students one-on-one feedback on their drafts.
Beginning the application process early will give students the opportunity to make the most productive use of their summer and enter grade 12 with more clarity and direction.

Video Interview Workshop
2023-09-16 10:00 - 13:00, 2023-10-19 16:00 - 19:00, 2023-11-04 10:00 - 13:00, 2023-11-06 16:00 - 19:00
This three-hour session prepares students for the video interview components of university applications.
The session will include a presentation that outlines the main components of video interview requirements, as well as a practical guide for successfully completing those videos. During the session, students will learn how to answer typical interview questions and have the opportunity to tackle some sample questions as a group. They will then practice in pairs and give each other feedback, as well as record their responses for analysis. Programs that require the video interview include Commerce at UBC, the University of Toronto, and York University, as well as Engineering at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo.
The workshop covers topics such as:

body language and appearance
technical set-up
coping strategies for nerves
tips on answering prompts

Writing for Applications
2023-10-07 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-14 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-04 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-13 09:00 - 12:00
These sessions aim to help students complete the supplemental writing portions of their post-secondary and scholarship applications.
Writing Workshop allows students to work on the written portions of their US, UK, and Canadian applications (and scholarship applications,
too!) in an oversighted and productive environment. Students are able to receive assistance in all parts of the writing process: brainstorming, drafting, editing and finalizing their work. We accommodate students working on a variety of projects all in the same session, and our writing coaches work personally with students on their unique pieces.

Students should have handy their list of universities and programs they are applying to for this session.
If you are in person, please bring a laptop. All students need a Google account to access Google Drive and Google Classroom.
We strongly encourage all students to attend an Intro to Canadian Supplement Writing Workshop before attending a Supplement Writing Workshop.

Canadian Application Workshop
2023-10-07 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-14 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-10-16 17:30 - 20:30, 2023-10-21 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-24 17:30 - 20:30, 2023-11-01 17:30 - 20:30, 2023-11-04 14:00 - 17:00, 2023-11-13 09:00 - 12:00 | South Granville Office, 3195 Granville Street, Suite 203, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3K2, Canada
The application process can be complicated and confusing.
These sessions are designed for students who want assistance completing their Canadian post-secondary applications in a constructive and supportive environment. Our educational consultants will lead students through completing the application process step-by-step and answer any questions that arise along the way.
Please bring to each session:

A laptop computer
Your finalized list of post-secondary schools and programs
Your PEN (personal education number)
Your SIN (social insurance number)
Credit card information: number, expiration date & security code (for submission fees)
A list of your courses and grades (grades 11 & 12)

Writing for Applications
2023-10-20 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-10-28 09:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-08 17:00 - 20:00 | South Granville Office, 3195 Granville Street, Suite 203, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3K2, Canada

Video Interview Follow Up - Engineering
2023-11-13 10:00 - 11:30
These sessions are designed for students who have already attended the Video Interview Workshop.
The engineering specific sessions will build on the general Video Interview Workshop, and provide more in-depth strategies and practice for questions asked by engineering programs.
The engineering-specific workshop covers topics such as:

the most important qualities to foreground when answering experiential questions
answering problem-solving questions
answering questions asking you to choose between options
feeling confident discussing math and science courses
discussing the evolution of your interest in engineering and your interest in a particular program
