Professional Development days aren’t just for teachers! This past May 15th, 2024, the Options consultants and coaches took a break from student sessions to learn about some exciting post-secondary programs and develop new ideas for our students regarding essay drafting and writing techniques.
“Small universities with big hearts” was the theme for our meetings with Serena Catania from St. Jerome’s University at University of Waterloo and Kendra Coulter from Huron University. Both schools value small classes with close faculty/student interactions that result in a personalized education and deep professor-student relationships on campus.
St. Jerome’s University dormitory and dining facilities are open to all students at Waterloo and have been voted the best on campus – not just for food and accommodations but for the chance to build strong community ties. We enjoyed hearing the stories of successful Options’ students at St. Jerome’s.
Dr. Coulter taught us about Huron’s new Animal Ethics and Sustainable Leadership program that has many Huron students excited about the opportunity to combine their interests in animal protection, business, and sustainability and build their own unique study pathways.
Building on student pathways, Options Law School Consultant, Kerry Sheppard, an experienced lawyer and educational consultant, helped us to better understand the student pathway that leads to becoming a practicing or non-practicing lawyer. Our consultants are now more prepared to help students give life and shape to their dreams in the legal profession.
Lisa Przekop from the University of California, Santa Barabara offered us an admissions insider’s glimpse at what UC schools are looking for in their Personal Interest Questions (PIQs). Spoiler alert: it is NOT fancy language and dramatic storytelling. The questions are meant to offer students many opportunities to share what they want about themselves. As more of our students are looking at UC schools, we have added a new University of California Application Workshop this summer to implement to get a jump on the November 30th deadline.
Since coaching students to write stronger, more detailed, and personalized essays is part of our mission, our coaches and consultants spent time working together to build new resources and tools. We had lengthy discussions about the uses and abuses of AI and ChatGPT in writing essays. This discussion is now a part of our writing workshops, and we are excited to roll up our sleeves and start writing for the 2024/25 application cycle.
Here at Options, we pride ourselves on staying current and learning directly from institutions, so we are providing our clients with up-to-date and nuanced information and guidance. We love coming together as a staff to crowdsource, brainstorm, modernize, and innovate for our students, helping them present the best applications possible.
