Dear Friends of McMillan Education,
Happy Summer! As our students shift to some well-deserved downtime, Sarah and I are taking the opportunity to let you know the incredibly wide choices of schools and colleges they have chosen for the fall, and to provide you with insights into this upcoming year’s admissions landscape. We’re also excited to let you know we’ve opened a new office in Farmington, Ct, headed up by Brendon Welker, and launched a fresh new website.
As career educators, the 12 of us pride ourselves on guiding students of all ages towards the right campus fit – from pre-kindergarten through graduate school.
College Outcomes
120 Students off to over 80 Colleges this Fall
Congratulations to our college-bound candidates who are heading off to campuses across the country, and several universities in Canada and the UK. The past few years we’ve guided our students to a spectrum of colleges large and small, including institutes of technology, art schools, every Ivy League institution, state universities, and colleges that focus on learning differences. Special kudos go to Conor, whom we placed years ago at the Carroll School in middle school to address his reading issues. We then sent him to Cardigan Mountain for junior boarding, where he continued to blossom as a student-athlete-leader, then to Lawrence Academy – and now he’s off to the warmer weather at High Point University in North Carolina!
What lies ahead in college admissions? We’re seeing a growing emphasis on out-of-the-box supplemental essays, the elusive demonstrated interest, and test optional colleges. And we see a healthy leveling of the playing field in the fallout of the Varsity Blues admissions scandal. If you have a rising senior ready for application bootcamp work this summer, or a rising junior or sophomore primed for longer-term planning, I’m happy to match him or her to the right counselor fit from among our seasoned team of 12 college counselors. Check out Amy’s take on what rising seniors can do over the summer in order to go back to school with apps and essays completed. Currently, our offices are filled with rising seniors cranking out essays amidst snacks and our optional, unofficial therapy dog Crash.
School Candidate Outcomes
120 Students off to over 90 Schools this Fall
We continue to find great schools for this upcoming fall for families who’ve decided to explore the benefits of independent schools, including those who are relocating, or those who discovered late in the school year they need extra learning support, a different peer group or some type of unique school programming. We love leveraging our own personal experience teaching at independent schools, and so far this year we’ve found right fit schools for over 120 students (and counting…) – from pre-kindergarteners to high schoolers – accepted at over 90 schools, including the full gamut of junior and secondary boarding schools, and the entire range of day schools in the Greater Boston area. We had the privilege of working with a boy from Seattle who reached out to us in December with a passion for neural engineering – he’s trading in online schooling for an 11th grade entry at Deerfield. And we congratulate a local boy facing the challenges of dyslexia and ADHD who’s delighted to be off to Eagle Hill School where his strengths will be recognized and celebrated and his interests will be nurtured.
What’s changing in the school world? Our friends in admission offices point out the season is now year-round, and that schools are adding additional learning specialists and school counselors to meet the needs of the current generation of high school students.
Therapeutic and Academic Crisis Planning – This increase in support services in schools mirrors the growing levels of anxiety and depression we’re witnessing among children, adolescents, and young adults. As a result, we’ve visited and hosted dozens of therapeutic, transitional, and wilderness programs. My wife Sarah, a psychologist herself, oversees this critical (and growing) arm of our practice, collaborating with Edith and Chris, both experienced educators and social workers, on behalf of our students. Meanwhile, Carolyn and Jamie continue to work with students with learning differences and emotional challenges looking for independent schools, colleges, and specialized programs where they can thrive for this coming fall.
Graduate School – Many of our students work with us right through graduate school. We’ve placed students in business and law programs, and seen a particular uptick and interest in pursuing medical and health care training programs. Yesterday a 24-year-old from Germany called to learn about the benefits of pursuing an American MBA. Here are some testimonials from our graduate students.
Commitment to Community – We also continue to have the privilege of offering pro bono educational counseling to military veterans –and we’ll once again be taking part in the Walk/Run to Home Base this year to help raise funds and awareness for the invisible wounds of war. We also are fortunate to continue to guide under-resourced Boston public school students taking part in the entrepreneurial BUILD program, including our sponsored McMillan Scholars program, which guides first generation college hopeful students through the application process. We also continue to work with and teach at Boston’s Beacon Academy, which serves to help Boston’s urban kids find a secondary school to help them fulfill their potential.
Finally, Sarah and I wish you and your children a restful and restorative summer!
Don