As winter settles in, it’s a great moment for students to slow down, regroup, and focus on the skills that will make the months ahead feel more manageable. This year, we’re offering winter workshops that give students practical tools they can use right away, whether they’re finishing university applications, preparing for video interviews, or strengthening their writing foundations. Each session is designed to be supportive, hands-on, and confidence-building. Read on to see what’s coming up this season.
Video Interview Workshop
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.
What do our students have to say?
I really enjoyed that the course was informational without being overwhelming or too long. I also liked that we were given materials to go alongside the practice. It was great that the instructor had lots of questions prepared for us, so we could practice thinking on the spot.
Dates and times:
Dec 13
9 am-12 pm
Video Interview Follow-Up Workshop – Business Specific
These sessions are designed for students who have already attended the Video Interview Workshop.
The business and engineering-specific sessions will build on the general Video Interview Workshop and provide more in-depth strategies and practice for questions asked by business or engineering programs. In addition, many schools (Queen’s and Ivey business, U of T and McMaster engineering) require timed writing as part of the application, and the workshop also addresses this task.
The business-specific workshop covers topics such as the most important qualities to foreground when answering experiential questions, answering opinion-based questions, answering questions on difficult topics, discussing the evolution of your interest in business and your interest in a particular program
Dates and times:
Jan 3
10 am-1 pm
Essay Essentials Boot Camp
This three-day boot camp is designed to give current grade 8, 9, and 10 students a solid understanding of English grammar, writing conventions, and essay basics, so they can approach essay writing with the knowledge and skills necessary for success. Students will learn the essentials of writing expert argumentative essays, the most common essay genre they will write in high school. This session will be a great way to hone students’ writing skills. Furthermore, the 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.
What do our students have to say?
“I like that we did daily grammar lessons over the three days and that every day we did a little part of “how to write an argumentative essay”. That was awesome because we weren’t expected to learn essay writing in 3 hours. It was a good mix and match over the three days.”
Dates and times
Dec 29-Dec 31
10 am-1 pm
Winter can be a productive time for students to get organized, build skills, and feel more prepared for what’s next. Our workshops are small, supportive, and designed to give students useful takeaways they can use immediately. Spots tend to fill quickly, so we encourage families to register early if a workshop feels like the right fit. We’re looking forward to working with students again this season.
Contact us today to reserve your spot!
