Cushing Academy

<p>My D is in her 3rd year and will graduate this spring. I discovered College Confidential when she applied EDI at Vanderbilt and started looking at Vandy acceptance threads. I just discovered the boaring school threads and feel compelled to give Cushing the positive PR it deserves. My D is an excellent student who thrived at Cushing. Every teacher was incredible and most have advanced degrees. The atmosphere at Cushing is very supportive and nurturing. As a top student she had her choice of boading schools and we are happy to state that we made the right choice in sending our daughter to Cushing. The school has one of the top art programs in the country and has a large and vibrant international population of excellent students. A former grad is now the King of his country. Thanks to Cushing my D will be a member of the Vandy class of 2012 and her friends also were accpeted ED at other top colleges.</p>

<p>Why did your D choose Cushing over other more compet schools? Was she, perhaps, a day student?</p>

<p>D visited and applied as a transfer. I thought it would be a good match for her b/c it was more supportive than other shcs and most of the students were - - well, of average ability. </p>

<p>FYI, most day/prep schs send a handful of students to top schools (of couse, that number increases depending on how one defines "top"). I did not see Cushing as a sch that sent LOTS of kids to top LACs/Unis. But this was and is not a problem for us, since D is more on track for Agnes Scott, Hendrix, Pitzer or Guilford than Wellesley, Kenyon, CMC or Oberlin. </p>

<p>Also, that an alumnus is now King of his country doesn't say anything about the quality of the Cushing educat/social experience except. Presumably, he was heir and would have ascended regardless of what school he atteded - - so his "success" had nothing to do with Cushing.</p>

<p>If D is admitted, when we return for the yield event, I will be looking to see how Cushing adds value - - helps the weaker student. After all, I would hope that Cushing or any sch would not beat the intellect curiosity out of a good student; it's much more difficult to engage a weak student or one whose skill sets are not evenly developed.</p>

<p>Glad Cushing was the right choice for your D - - but I'd like to know why you and D were so pleased.</p>

<p>We looked at the so called top tier. She was an all A student at a local private school. She was admitted to all the boarding schools she applied to (a couple the same day she sent in her materials) and fell in love with Cushing when she spent the day there. The school has more than its share of top students. The Asian students my daughter has met are amazing strudents. The teachers were incredible. Every one impressed me and I attended classes each parent weekend. My daughter was nurtured by each teacher in a way that amazed me. I am very demanding. I am in the service industry myself and my clients expect a lot. So do I. Cushing is becoming more popular and each class will get better and better with more students like my daughter and her friends. The new headmaster has big plans for the school. He ran a highly successful Boston prep school. Many boarding schools do well in Ivy Admissions in part because of sports or legacy hooks. This class has a number of athletes who are good students and top athlethes who had their pick of the college litter. I will give you more detail later about my daughter. We are headed out.</p>

<p>My son is applying to Cushing and I hope will be accepted. He has excellent grades, (but we have decided to have him repeat the year as boarding may be an adjustment. ) excellent recomendations, is a three-sport athlete and a has a sibling there. However, His score on SSATs are just ok . 66% reading, 50% verbal and bombed the math.. He scored 49% overall. I am hoping he will be accepted. (we do need FA) does anyone hav any thoughts</p>

<p>I know that Cushing has a rep for being supportive (it has several study skills prgms for LD and other students needing such assistance) and, like some of the second- and third-tier schools, it offers modified math. Fine by me, but not the curric that generally attracts top students (strong grades and test scoers) w/o merit $. More likely students it attracts, as I said in my earlier post, students w/ some lingering weaknesses or unevenly developed skill sets. </p>

<p>I just don't understand why the same partents/students who tout their indiv or shc's placement records are so easy/happy to dismiss other shc's placement records. That Cushing, or any sch does well by its target population is reason enough to cheer - - even if those outcomes are less "impressive" than those of other prep/day shcs. (I have a similar problem w/ Lauren Pope's CTCL books where he insists that the lesser-know schs he profiles and recommends for B/C students are even better thant the Ivies and top LAC.)</p>

<p>Also, it seem to early to say that students had their pick of great schs (suggesting numerous offers), since mot of those who have rec'd notification applied either binding ED or EA (only a handful of top schs)</p>

<p>Anyway, I hope that the yield event in the spring features some "typical" students, rather than 3-5 super-stars.</p>

<hr>

<p>4xprep - - w/ strong grades and a legacy, S certainly has a shot. D's grades are weak, but her scores are strong 50-66%, but on the PSAT as a 10th grader, so not a bad showing at all. Good luck.</p>

<p>I strongly dispute your statement that the students are Cushing are average. The senior class this year is very strong. The college acceptances so far ED have been impressive. My bottom line comment is that we look for fit. We were guided by that concept in our search for a boarding school for our daughter and again in her college search. Our daughter fell in love with Cushing the day she spent attending classes there. She found the classes more stimulating than those she attended at a couple of other boarding schools (so called tier 1). She is a boarder by the way. I observed her AP English class her soph year at parents weekend. I was blown away by the quality of the discussion. If I closed my eyes I could easily recall my own college class experiences. The discussion was that profound (and I attended a US News top national university). The same applied to her AP Government course this year. The class discussion on the judiciary reminded me of my law school days. I was impressed that high school kids could have that level of command of a topic. As an example of what Cushing did for my daughter, she went from having no confidence at all that she could do well on the AP English test at the end of her soph year to getting a 5 out of 5. Cushing gave her the confidence in her ability and empowered her to realize her potential. She has had the same success in her other AP Exams. Cushing was the perfect fit for our daughter without regard to what tier it may fall in. We talked her out of looking at Ivies that even she knew were not a good fit and suggested that she use the same approach in her college search she used in picking Cushing. Even though she would have been a strong candidate at any college including the Ivies, she found that Vanderbilt was the perfect fit for her. As the Vandy admission person said during our visit over the summer, "college is a match to be made and not a prize to be won." That concept can help people feel comfortable looking at a school like Cushing.</p>

<p>Well, then we just disagree about the caliber of student; I certainly meant no offense to your D.</p>

<p>Also as for ED accpetances, the tend to be impressive at any shc b/c they students take advantage of the ED "bump" and apply to shcs that are a bit of a reach.</p>

<p>Glad you could apply to shcs w/o regard for what tier they were in. My D2 is not a strong enough student for top tier prep shcs and I am not considering any of the shc to which D1 (now at to 15 LAC) applied. Nor would I have considered any of D2's schs for D1. But that's me.</p>