It should be a time of great excitement and anticipation, but we know the process of applying to college can sometimes be daunting to students and their families. Getting our Upper School students prepared is part of our personalized journey. When you join Cushman High School, our full-time college counselor begins working with each student to design an individual and strategic approach to ensuring he/she gets into their college of choice. Our college counselor helps each student identify the “best fit” programs, meet the necessary requirements, and find applicable scholarship opportunities. Each student is prepared with the proper curriculum, community outreach and extra-curricular activities to be a competitive candidate. Students are assisted with completing compelling essays as well as testing preparation that takes place throughout their high school years. Each students is given much time and one-on-one attention in finalizing their applications and ultimately making the best choice that supports their future goals. 25 to 1 student/counselor ratio to complete research, write compelling essays and finalize excellent applications We use Scoir to research colleges Sophomore College Workshop Junior College Workshop Senior College Workshop College Readiness class to handle applications senior year
Take courses to explore interest Use SAM wisely to find what drives you and how you can improve the world Challenge yourself academically: take courses with rigor Remember that 9th grade grades matter! Explore career options using Naviance Research colleges using Naviance or other search tools Keep in mind admissions requirements, costs and academic programs when researching Get involved: participate in clubs, sports, and other extracurricular activities Start a brag sheet: jot down all the activities you participate in and do this throughout the rest of high school Spend your summers wisely to find and develop your passions: Volunteer Do internships Participate in a summer enrichment program including extra classes and college summer programs
Continue to do well in school and take courses with academic rigor Develop your SAM project with the goal to be a SAMx finalist Continue using Naviance to research colleges and adding colleges to your list Use your family vacation to visit college campuses Attend college fairs Take the PSAT/NMSQT when Cushman offers it This test is a direct indicator in how the student will perform in the SAT Prepare for the SAT/ACT Take your Test Analysis course seriously and try your best Meet with Ms. Coz to understand what test is best for your learning style Begin SAT/ACT tutoring towards the end of your sophomore year Begin discussing college affordability, scholarship opportunities and family contributions Continue to spend your summers wisely to find and develop your passions: Volunteer Do internships Participate in a summer enrichment program including extra classes and college summer programs Go on the college tour in the Fall This is the most important year for grades: they are the most recent grades colleges receive This is your last year to make it to SAMx to add it to college applications Take the PSAT/NMSQT in the Fall of 11th grade to qualify for National Merit Scholarships Finalize the list of colleges to apply Take the SAT/ACT offered by Cushman in the Spring This is the real test, if you score well this time, you are done testing Begin working on the Common Application Begin working on the Common Application Essay Continue to spend your summers wisely: Visit colleges Volunteer Intern Participate in a summer enrichment course, preferably one offered by colleges and universities Begin applying to any national scholarships you are interested in
Request letters of recommendations early, preferable in the summer Submit applications to national scholarships (most have early Fall due dates) Take your last SAT/ACT (offered at Cushman) in October College applications: Try to submit all by the end of October Keep in mind November 1st is the due date for many Florida public universities and Early Decision applications to other universities File FAFSA starting in October Check your emails and mail: universities may contact you requesting additional information Apply for university-specific scholarships Create a portal to the universities you have been admitted to and plan to attend Adelphi University Curry College Hawaii Pacific University Mercyhurst University Queens University (Canada) University of Arizona “Maria Caamano and Heide Marando are exceptional at helming Cushman High School’s College Counseling Department. I was very impressed by their proactive, organized and individually tailored student processes and extremely pleased with my son, Linden’s outcomes. Under their thoughtful guidance and support, Linden applied early to five colleges and received five acceptances. Ms. Caamano and Ms. Marando apply their expertise to each individual child’s needs to affect the best outcome for each student. They keep parents in the loop but take the pressure off us and make the whole process easier for everyone. I could not be happier or more thankful for the work they did to get Linden into college. They are priceless.” -Cindy Lieber
College Bound
College and Careers
Ms. Maria Caamano
Director of College Counseling
Heide Marando
College Counselor
College Preparation Checklist
College Acceptances
American University
American University of Paris
Appalachian State University
Arizona State University
Assumption University
Auburn University
Augusta University
Ave Maria University
Babson College
Barry University
Beacon College
Bellarmine University
Belmont Abbey College
Belmont University
Bentley University
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University
Bryant University
Campbell University
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Central Michigan University
Clark University
Clarkson University
Clemson University
College of Central Florida
College of Charleston
College of the Florida Keys
Colorado State University
CUNY Hunter
Dean College
DePaul University
Drexel University
East Carolina University
Eckerd College
Elon University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Emerson College
Endicott College
Erskine College
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Flagler College
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University
Florida Polytechnic University
Florida Southern College
Florida Southern University
Florida State University
Fordham University
Framingham State University
Franciscan University
George Mason University
George Washington University
Georgetown University in Qatar
Georgia Institute of Technology
Goucher College
Guilford College
High Point University
Hiram College
Hofstra University
IE University
Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Iowa State University
Ithaca College
James Madison University
John Cabot University Rome
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University Providence
Keiser University
Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (LIM)
Lasell University
Laswell College
Lees McRae College
Liberty University
Lipscomb University
Long Island University
Louisiana State University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University New Orleans
Lynn University
Manhattan College
Marist College
Marist College (Florence)
Marymount Manhattan College
Miami Dade College
Miami International University of Art & Design
Miami-Dade College
Miami-Dade Honors College
Michigan State University
Mitchell College
Montreat College
Mt. Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
New College of Florida
New England College
New York Institute of Technology
New York University
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University
Norwich University
Nova Southeastern University
Nova University
Oberlin College & Conservatory
Oberlin Conservatory Of Music
Oglethorpe University
Pace University
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Penn State University
Point Park University
Portland State University
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute (Munson)
Providence College
Purdue University
Queens University of Charlotte
Quinnipiac University
Radford University
Regents University of London
Regis University
Rider University
Roanoke College
Rockford University
Rollins College
Rollins College
Saint Anslem College
Saint Louis University
Saint Olaf University
Salem State University
San Diego State University
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD
School of Visual Arts
Seton Hall University
Sewanee (The University of the South)
Simmons University
Southern Methodist University
St John’s University
St. Louis University
St. Louis University Madrid
St. Thomas University
Stetson University
Suffolk University
SUNY Purchase
Susquehanna University
Syracuse University
Tallahassee Community College
Temple University
Texas A&M University
Texas Christian University
The Ohio State University
The University of Alabama
The University of Arizona
The University of Tampa
The University of West Florida
Tufts University
University of California
University of Central Florida
University of Colorado
University of Colorado Boulder
University of Dayton
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana
University of Iowa
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Maine
University of Massachusetts
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Nations
University of New Haven
University of North Carolina
University of North Florida
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras
University of Rhode Island
University of San Francisco
University of Scranton
University of South Florida
University of Southern California
University of Tampa
University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
University of West Florida
University of Wisconsin
Virginia Commonwealth University
Western Michigan University
Western University (Canada)
Wheaton College
Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada)
Wingate University
Xavier University
Mother of Graduate, 2024
