For our 20th anniversary, I thought I’d share 20 tidbits about what makes Options Solutions a special place for our families:
- We initiated and helped to create and build the educational consulting industry in British Columbia and Canada.
- We have admission expertise in Canada, the US, and the UK.
- We welcome all students, and we meet them where they are.
- We create safe spaces to ask important questions and have informed dialogue. Every conversation is uniquely customized for each student and each moment.
- We help reduce anxiety and save time for our families, parents and children alike. We bring the temperature down in the post-secondary conversation between students and parents.
- We understand that every family has unique needs, concerns, and questions and that every student’s path is different.
- We set action plans at each meeting, so our steps are clear and definable.
- We focus on values and fit when finding a post-secondary institution, not just ranking.
- We work as a team of professionals with depth, dimension, and expertise. When you come to Options, you get the power of a full team who has been in educational consulting for decades.
- We do regular professional development. We train on ADHD, Autism, learning differences, IEPs, and psycho-ed assessments. We are in touch with individual program and diversity services departments at universities.
- We are dynamic; we hunt for the latest information. We visit universities and colleges across the country to get to know each campus. Universities and colleges trust us.
- We understand every school is different and has different requirements; what works for UBC application essays won’t work for Queen’s.
- We help students build authentic extra-curricular profiles with depth and dimension. We build profiles over time.
- We coach students in finding their own, unique stories for university applications; they maintain ownership of their written work.
- We model professionalism, boundary setting, respect, and agency. Students grow as people in our process.
- We don’t do packages; instead, we earn our reputation appointment by appointment.
- We do pro bono work in our community. We distribute valuable information to all families through our free PAC talks, webinars, blog, and Instagram account.
- We don’t just focus on getting students in, but instead, on getting them prepared for success in post-secondary.
- We see our families through to the end result, helping them decide between multiple offers and university course selection. Plus, we offer services on how to thrive in post-secondary, as well as university level writing workshops.
- We care about customer service; we follow up and build partnerships with our client families. We have fun, and we help families with grace and good humour (our favourite tagline).