This first step is essential in making informed course selection decisions to pave the way for your post-secondary plans. Through coaching sessions, we walk you through the discovery and uncovering of  your preferences, your strengths, and which high school courses you need to take to be eligible for your desired programs. The curriculum in the province of British Columbia determines many of your courses, but what you select in your other blocks is essential. This is inextricably linked to what you want to study, and we guide your research on which program or programs are offered. We explore the academic averages needed for each of these programs and make a list of suitable programs, including several target schools, some reach schools, and of course a safety school. More and more applications include co-curricular activities lists, and writing reflections on what you learned or gained from these experiences. In the research and planning phase, we will examine your experiences together and determine if you need to seek out additional opportunities to enhance your applications. Research participation, volunteer work, paid work, summer programs, music, sports, school clubs, leadership, and drama are just a few domains in which invaluable experiences can be drawn from. No matter your experiences outside the classroom, everything ‘counts’. 

In this phase, we also delve into what is important to you in terms of location, class size, distance from family, weather, institutional characteristics, city or suburb, and cost. While students are taking the lead in these important decisions, parents will undoubtedly be a big part of this part of the decision making process.

In this important phase, students will work on examining their activity lists and bringing forward the learning and takeaways they have gained and are currently gaining. We will guide them through an examination of their values, what’s important to them, and who they admire. Many applications ask the question of ‘why do you want to study at our institution’, and also ‘what do you bring to our campus community?’  Both questions are important and must be answered with specificity; specifics about the university, their programs, classes, clubs, professors, and values and mission. In order to answer this question well, students will be directed to do extensive research into each university to which they are applying. In answering the second question of what do you bring to our campus, all aspects revealed in the reflection stage will be linked back to the university at hand. These tailored responses will be institution specific and show admissions officers that not only has the student done the research, but is truly a great fit for their campus. 

Needless to say, workshopping requires a lot of writing and reflecting. Students will at times be working independently and then come back to discuss in detail what they have discovered or uncovered about themselves. Careful review of revelations and further probing to ensure no talent, interest, skill, desire etc is left unturned will ensue. 

Much of the workshopping can help students narrow the institutions for which they are a good fit.

No matter the geographical region to which a student is applying, we can walk them through applications step by step. 

Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario have centralized application centres. Students applying to any post-secondary institution in these provinces will do so through the provincial  application centre. In other provinces, applications are made directly to the institution. We will lead each student to make an account for the respective institution, and to submit the required application, documents, payment, and supplemental applications if applicable. There are certain deadlines for scholarship consideration that should be adhered to, and we will ensure that all students are aware of these dates and deadlines. 

The US: More than 1000 4-year universities are part of the Common Application system. Students wishing to apply to any of these institutions must create a Common App account and apply through this system. There are several parts to this application, and we coach our students how to best complete each section, putting their best selves forward. Students must complete a list of 10 co-curricular activities, write a 650 word essay, and fill out information about their high school courses. This information will be sent to all US universities and be read by admissions officers at all of the US institutions to which they apply. In addition, each university asks for 1 or 2 supplemental essays, specific to their institution. We work tirelessly with each student, to write the best essays for each of their selected universities. 

The University of California System: The UCs have their own separate application. Students must select 4 of the possible 8 Personal Insight Questions and answer them in a short answer format. We counsel students on which 4 questions are best suited to them, and help them craft authentic and genuine responses. 

The UK: Post-Secondary Institutions in the UK use the University and Colleges Admissions Services, UCAS. Students create a UCAS account under our guidance and in addition to reporting their courses and marks, they must write a Personal Statement. We work closely with students to optimize their statements of why they want to study a particular subject and how they have demonstrated this throughout their high school lives. 

Other countries include the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.