From College Counseling

FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF COLLEGE COUNSELING CLASS OF '22

DREW GUARINO 94% of all admission decisions thus far have been an offer of acceptance for the class of 2022.

On behalf of the college counseling department at Carrollwood Day School, it has been our pleasure to work with the talented, dynamic, and dedicated students from the class of 2022. Personally, this is the class that I started with at CDS, joining the school just prior to the start of their freshman year. In this time, I have witnessed incredible growth both personally and academically from members of this class. Their commitment and enthusiasm in respect to the college search and selection process has been most impressive. I constantly see students looking up at our TVs in the hallway cheering on their peers when another acceptance pennant is posted, offering encouragement to their friends as they navigate the complex admission process, and radiating spirit as they celebrate their collective achievements. From this vantage point, I can say with confidence that the class of 2022 is truly unique and is a group that I will never forget. INTERIM DIRECTOR OF As we inch past the midway point of the academic year and maneuver closer to COLLEGE COUNSELING the app end of the roximately college 45% of admission process, thus far all the admission decisions we (at t have received he time of writing) for the over 850 total applications that have been submitted by the class of 2022, which encompasses 92 seniors. With multiple decisions pending and forthcoming, we wanted to provide an update on how our CDS students are faring thus far in the admission process. 94% of all admission decisions thus far have been an offer of acceptance for the class of 2022. In addition, we are climbing in our merit scholarship totals, with over $8 million received by students at this point in the process, with several lucrative amounts to follow later this school year. While both our students and college counselors are eagerly anticipating more impressive results, here is a further breakdown of our application variance.

RESTRICTIVE EARLY ACTION

Two students were admitted utilizing the restrictive early action option. Similar to early decision, restrictive early action provides students to hear back from their selected school earlier in the process while emphasizing a strong interest in attending an institution. Unlike early decision, restrictive early action is non-binding, therefore students are welcome to apply to other schools through regular decision and are not forced to commit to their admitted school. We offer our sincerest congratulations to the following students who have been accepted using this admission option:

Suhani Shah - Princeton University Gabriel Slater - University of Notre Dame

IVY LEAGUE SUCCESS

Since 2019, Carrollwood Day School students have succeeded in the admission process at the Ivy League level, representing the most competitive application pool in the country. Beginning with the class of 2019, CDS has seen eight students receive an acceptance to the following schools:

Brown University (three students) Cornell University (three students) Dartmouth College Princeton University

EARLY DECISION

Approximately 15% of the senior class selected early decision as their application category, representing a binding agreement made by the student, family, and their college counselor that states the student would enroll at their selected institution if afforded the opportunity to attend. This application category is an effective tool for students to demonstrate their strong interest in their number one choice school. 93% of the students that utilized the early decision option applied to schools that were outside of the state of Florida.

We are incredibly proud of our seniors who have been admitted to their early decision schools to the following institutions:

Julian Aguinaga - University of Miami Abigail Alexander - Emory University Jonathan Conrad - Brown University Camila Garanton - University of Chicago Jessica Golden - Brown University Andrew Grisack - Washington University in St. Louis Clayton Kohler - Lehigh University Ashna Patel - Northwestern University Nicholas Rizzo - Drexel University Lauren Tripp - College of William and Mary

Additionally, the class of 2022 has received multiple stellar decisions throughout the early portion of the admission process. Many of the institutions our students have been accepted to thus far fall in the US News and World Report top 100 national universities category. A sampling of these schools includes:

University of Michigan- Ann Arbor University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill (two students) University of Virginia (three students) University of Florida (seventeen students) Tulane University University of Georgia (five students) Northeastern University (two students) Florida State University (twenty-three students) The Ohio State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (two students) Purdue University (four students) Villanova University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of Miami (four students) University of Maryland- College Park (five students) University of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania State University (three students) Fordham University (three students) Indiana University (two students) Southern Methodist University (three students) Baylor University (four students) Clemson University (eight students) Loyola Marymount University North Carolina State University (five students) Elon University (six students) Texas Christian University University of Denver (three students) Auburn University (six students) University of Colorado- Boulder (five students) Clark University Drexel University (six students) Loyola University- Chicago (six students) University of Arizona (two students) University of Richmond (two students) United States Military Academy (West Point) United States Air Force Academy Union College Furman University Hampton University (four students) Trinity University University of Toronto (Canada)

With Sincere Anticipation and Gratitude

Our seniors and college counseling department eagerly await further results from the regular decision application pool this spring and look forward to the opportunity to share additional successes and the stories behind their acceptances in the near future.

I would like to offer my most wholehearted thank you to the many individuals behind the incredible early round results as well as the anticipated positive news that we expect to receive as the year unfolds. We truly appreciate the support of our CDS students and families who have been a constant presence in our multitude of college counseling programming over the past four years including individual meetings, grade level presentations, our college counseling coffee series, and our college counseling advisory classes. It is your commitment and effort in the admission process that inspire us on a daily basis and it is our honor to partner with you.

To our talented CDS faculty, your instruction has paved the way for such impressive results for our students. The deep relationships you have formed with your students are most evident and your dedication to providing a worldclass education will serve as a precursor for our students’ continued successes in higher education. Our teachers were quick to provide meaningful contributions to our Phi Beta Kappa schools represent the top 290 colleges and universities in the country. This honor society is the highest degree of distinction a post-secondary school can receive as a rigorous accreditation process focuses primarily on student outcomes (job placement and internship/co-op opportunities). In addition, for a school to receive Phi Beta Kappa designation, the institution must possess faculty with terminal degrees (the highest degree they can receive in their field of study/instruction), robust student support, and strong campus facilities. 98% of seniors applied to at least one Phi Beta Kappa school

GEOGRAPHIC STATISTICS

Carrollwood Day School students have shown incredible willingness to submit their applications to a variety of geographic regions throughout the country as well as internationally. Here is a snapshot of where our seniors are submitting applications from a location standpoint:

94% of seniors applied to at least one out of state school 61% of seniors applied to at least one school in the Northeast 45% of seniors applied to at least one school in the Midwest 36% of seniors applied to at least one school in the West 79% of seniors applied to at least one school in the South (outside of the state of Florida) 88% of seniors applied to at least one school in Florida 4% of seniors applied to at least one international school (outside of the United States)

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS

National Merit Scholarship Finalists

We are pleased to announce that six CDS seniors were selected among 16,000 students from across the United States for National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist status. These academically talented high school seniors have all elected to continue in the competition for some 7,5000 National Merit Scholarships that will be awarded in the spring. Students qualified for this designation by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Congratulations to our six seniors: Samantha Asmar Aryan Banerjee Justin DeBoskey Ashna Patel Suhani Shah Gabriel Slater

National Merit Scholarship Commended Student

Additionally, one CDS senior was named a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Congratulations to our senior:

Alexandra Gross

Finally, three CDS seniors were named to College Board National Recognition Programs. These three students have achieved a 3.5 grade point average or higher, have excelled in the 2020 Preliminary SAT exam, and are African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigineous, and/or attend school in a rural area or small town. Congratulations to our three seniors:

Julian Aguinaga National Hispanic Scholar Samantha Asmar National Hispanic Scholar

James Colston National African American Scholar

students’ application process, evidenced by the fact that approximately 185 teacher letters of recommendation were submitted for the class of 2022. Thank you for your willingness to assist our students in their pursuit of college acceptance.

Finally, I would like to offer a debt of gratitude to my fellow members of the college counseling department, Mrs. Danielle Cohen, Associate Director of College Counseling, and Mrs. Corie DiPhilippo, Associate Director of College Counseling, whose behind the scenes work often flies under the radar but never goes unnoticed. Our students are fortunate to have such caring and compassionate advocates throughout their college search and selection process. Your effort and commitment to our school and our CDS families are apparent in each of our admission decisions, and I am fortunate to call you colleagues. Thank you for your steadfast effort!