College Counseling

Carrollwood Day School is the most recent secondary school in the United States to be inducted into the Cum Laude Society. This is the highest and most prestigious academic honor a secondary school can earn in the United States. Carrollwood Day School is 1 of 3 secondary schools in Florida and 1 of 15 in the United States (out of 27,000 public, private, and charter schools) to earn Cum Laude Society membership and be an IB (International Baccalaureate) qualified institution.

Carrollwood Day School's college counseling philosophy centers on a five-year developmental program that is designed to deconstruct and demystify what has become a complex process involving many moving pieces. We holistically invest in “slow dripping” information to parents and students as they begin their tenure in the upper school. It is our goal to discover the most competitive match/fit for each CDS student. As college students spend 90% of their time outside the classroom, it is imperative to not only seek a challenging and scholarly environment, but one that feels comfortable and manageable both inside and outside the classroom. 

“My eyes light up when I see ‘International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme’ on a transcript. Students who apply to Michigan State University with IB credentials are assumed to be mature, curious, and creative. They have proven to be successful in a rigorous program that is both broad and deep in its content and intellectual challenge. On campus, IB graduates move with ease in a diverse and global university that demands intercultural skill and adaptability. The challenge of completing an IB diploma means that a student has engaged in the kind of rigorous work that is likely to help them become not just an outstanding college student and citizen of the world, but an exceptional one.”

Michigan State University
Pamela Horne
Assistant to the Provost for Enrollment and Director of Admissions

MEET THE COLLEGE COUNSELING TEAM