Dyslexia affects roughly one in five people, yet the college admissions process offers no single pathway for families navigating it. The right planning approach depends on where a student’s dyslexia actually stands, how early it was identified, how well it responded to intervention, and what level of academic infrastructure a college will need to provide. Dyslexia and college […]
When the most ambitious families and students begin building a college list, non-Ivy League schools are sometimes treated as fallback options, institutions to consider only after Ivy ambitions have been exhausted. That framing is a planning error, and it is one McMillan Education’s consultants encounter often. The Ivy League is comprised of eight universities. The strongest undergraduate institutions in […]
When we sit down with students at the beginning of the planning process, we do not start with rankings. We start with the student. One of the first questions we explore is what type of college is right for them. The answer depends less on prestige and more on how they learn, what motivates them, […]
Families and students are often surprised to discover that college supplemental essays are not small add-ons to the application, but a core part of how selective universities assess fit and readiness. While many expect to write a single personal statement, they quickly realize that individual colleges require additional, school-specific prompts, each with its own word […]
Choosing a college major often feels bigger than it needs to. Students are asked to make a decision that sounds permanent, while parents worry about whether one choice could close doors later on. Even students who do well in school can feel uncertain about how to make this decision or whether they are already falling […]
Most families arrive at this question with a quiet fear. My weighted GPA is lower than I hoped. My unweighted GPA looks better. Which one will colleges actually care about, and did we already make a mistake? The truth is that colleges are not choosing between weighted and unweighted GPA the way families often assume. […]
For many families, the question of whether a student should pursue STEM or the humanities begins to surface well before high school course planning is complete. Students hear that they need to pick a direction early, and parents worry that the wrong choice could limit college options or future opportunities. This pressure is understandable, but […]
Parents constantly tell us, “The college process has become so much harder than when I applied! I just submitted a couple applications – and I don’t think I’d even be accepted at my alma mater nowadays…” And that was BEFORE last year: 2025’s disruptive storms led even the most seasoned college counsellors to grapple with an array of complex questions. Understanding current college […]
