New podcast for students offers tips and advice on applying for higher education

Application season is officially open for universities.

Application season is officially open for universities. With deadlines rapidly approaching and questions on everything from navigating the litany of potential courses to deciding whether to stay close to home or travel further afield, it can mark a particularly stressful time for aspiring post-secondary students.

Melinda Giampietro, founder of Vancouver’s education consulting agency Options Solutions, is hoping to ease the stress and streamline the process for students with new podcast Admissions Office Canada.

Funnelling over 30 years of educational consulting and secondary school teaching experience into the ten-episode series, Giampietro details what students and their families should know but may not easily be able to find about the application process.

“One of our big pushes was to have information that you can’t read on the internet. It was about discovering how to get really nuanced, insider information to more families for free,” said Giampietro, adding that the guidance is offered in a “non-intimidating, conversational way.”

With ten episodes already recorded and interviews with industry insiders conducted, Giampietro has traversed the likes of admission and enrollment processes at specific schools, information needed for picking up business, engineering, arts and science programs, and the options of schools in Canada - with a particular highlight on the smaller, lesser-known facilities.

There are “96 major universities in Canada, give or take” said Giampietro, and “many other smaller, post-secondary institutions that are generally overlooked.”

Of the courses that are typically the most sought after, Giampietro said business is becoming an increasingly competitive area, alongside commerce and engineering.