A B C D E F G H I J K L M
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Browse terms by topic

A

ACT: See American College Test

Advanced Placement (AP): Special classes offered by some high schools that allow students to get college-level credit for basic classes in math, English, science, history, etc. Not all colleges accept AP credit; it is important to ask which classes will count with your college.

Advisor: A staff member or professor who is assigned to help you discuss your educational plans including your course scheduling. Ideally this will be someone in your major.

Alma Mater: Latin for "Our Mother," term that graduates traditionally use for their college or university. Because Latin was the original language of study in most Western European universities, many traditional college terms are in Latin.
Alumna/Alumnae and Alumnus/Alumni: Latin terms used for the graduates of an institution. "Alumnus" is a single graduate, while "alumni" are plural. "Alumna" and "alumnae" are feminine and are used to describe graduates of women-only colleges or organizations.

American College Test (ACT): A standardized test that measures English, Math, and Reading. Accepted by many colleges and universities.

AP: See Advanced Placement

Assistant Professor/Associate Professor: See Instructor, Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor

B

Bulletin or Catalogue: A book that describes the college's policies and courses. It details the requirements for every major. It is extremely important to understand the terms outlined in the bulletin, because they govern how your college experience will run.

Bursar: A college office that handles both the distribution of financial aid and payment of fees and tuition. May also be called financial office, or something similar.

C

Candidate Reply Date: May 1st is usually the latest date that you may choose a school and submit the deposit that holds your place in the class. There are, however, important exceptions to the May 1st deadline. If you applied under a rolling admissions deadline, then you may deposit to the school as soon as you would prefer (you have until May 1st through a rolling admissions process). If you applied under an Early Decision process and have been admitted, you usually have a two-week period to send in your deposit (Early Decision notification usually happens around December or January).

Career Development and Career Services: Offices, services, and programs that colleges offer to help students get into the career of their choice after graduation. Many schools offer very extensive services that may begin as early as freshmen year; Career Development Offices often coordinate internship possibilities. At many schools, these offices are available to assist alumni even after graduation.

Catalog or Catalogue: See Bulletin

CLEP: See College Level Examination Placement

College Level Examination Placement (CLEP): A test that a student may take to receive credit for basic college classes (such as introductory English, math, history, science, etc.) without actually having to take the class. Different colleges accept different subjects; for example a school may accept a basic American history test but not the Biology test. Be sure to check with your college before paying for and taking a CLEP test.

Commuters/ "Day Students": Students who live off-campus. Some colleges restrict who may live off-campus and under what circumstances (with parents, over 21, etc.). Some colleges also offer special programs to help commuters feel connected. It is important to investigate these policies before deciding to live off-campus.

CSS Profile: A secondary financial aid form that the colleges use to help them determine if the student is eligible for their own money. These should be filed early, along with the FAFSA, to receive early information regarding your status for financial aid.

D

Deferred: A student who is not accepted right away, but is put on a list for re-evaluation. The student may be accepted at a later date. Being deferred is not the same as being denied; it means that the school is willing to reconsider your admission.

Denied: A student is rejected outright for admission to a college. While it commonly means that the school cannot accept your application at that time. Some schools have an appeals process. Check with the admissions office to see if they offer this option and what the criteria is to place an appeal.

E

Early Action: A non-binding program that allows you to submit your application in November without committing to attend that school should you be accepted. Decisions usually arrive around December 15.

Early Decision: A first choice school in which the student agrees to enroll if accepted. Information on financial aid will not be available this early, so you must be willing to commit without knowing how much (if any) financial aid you will receive.

Educational Testing Service: A company that produces and administers standardized tests such as CLEP.

EFC (EFFECTIVE FAMILY CONTRIBUTION): This term refers to the results from the FAFSA that shows what your family can contribute financially for educational expenses. In many instances, the EFC is calculated without taking into consideration any unexpected changes in income (not shown by the results from taxes) or other emergencies.

Experiential Learning: Any hands-on learning experience. For example, a theatre design class that requires students to build sets while studying design theory, a teaching internship for an education major, or studying abroad while learning a language, are all experiential learning opportunities.

F

FAFSA: A standard form from the Department of Education that determines eligibility for all state and federal grants. Generally, you must fill this out before a college can begin processing your request for financial aid. They are usually available in November, but most require current tax information to fill out fully.

Federal Stafford Loan Program: Government-subsidized loans that are adjusted by need. No repayment is required while the student is in school.

Financial Aid Package: An offer of money for a student from a college. It usually consists of several kinds of aid, including loans, grants, campus jobs, and may or may not include scholarships. This package fills the gap between parent's contribution and the total cost of college.

Field Work: A hands-on learning experience, usually involving research, which takes place outside the classroom and/or library. These might include anthropology students interviewing members of another culture, or biology students testing water quality levels.

Flex Plan/Meal Points: Many colleges require students to eat on-campus; however, most provide flexible systems that offer students some choice in how they "spend" the meals which they purchase in advance. It is important to explore all meal options.

Flex Term: A short term, usually of 3-4 weeks, in which students take one class intensively, for 3 or 4 hours a day. Some schools hold this in January, others in May. Many schools allow students to study abroad during this time or pursue short internships. It is often used as a way for colleges to offer "unusual" classes and for students to try something different.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid: See FAFSA

FYE/ First Year Experience/ Freshman Year Experience: Some colleges offer special classes or programs for freshmen that run throughout the first year. Generally, these are designed to help students adapt to college-level coursework. They may include special seminars, personalized advice from professors, or special classes for freshmen.

G

GA/TA and Graduate Assistant/ Teaching Assistant: A graduate student (sometimes TAs are undergraduates) who assists professors in grading, running discussions, or other class matters. At some large schools, students will only interact with the Teaching Assistant, not with the professor. At smaller schools, the GA or TA plays a much smaller role.

Greek Life: Social fraternities and sororities that are named with Greek letters are often referred to as "Greeks." On some campuses these are primarily social organizations; at others, very involved in service. They may offer housing options. Multicultural fraternities and sororities are traditionally tied to ethnic/racial identity (e.g., African-American, Hispanic). Some groups are local, while others are national or international in scope, offering chapters at campuses across the country.

GMAT: Graduate Management Aptitude Test, required for many business programs. It tests sentence correction ability, problem solving ability and data sufficiency ability.

Graduate School: Advanced study beyond a bachelor's degree, usually leading to a Master's or Doctoral degree.

GRE: Most graduate schools require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for admissions. The GRE General Test measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills acquired over time and that are not related to any specific field of study. There are also some subject-specific tests which may or may not be required by different graduate schools.

H

Hall Assistant: See Residence Assistant

I

Instructor, Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor: Different rank levels for college teachers. At American colleges and universities, it is usually acceptable to call all of these people by the title "professor." Those who have finished a doctorate (usually a Ph.D.) may also be addressed as "Dr." Some schools prefer Mr./Ms., while others may go by first names or use no titles at all. It is best to ask each individual what he/she prefers.

Internship: Work that a student does in a professional job related to his/her career interests. It allows the student to "try out" the career in a hands-on setting, and to receive credit for it, while still in school. Generally, internships are unpaid. They may last a semester, a summer, or a month (in the case of flex terms).

Intramurals: Athletic competitions within the campus community, not against other colleges. Teams may be sponsored by various organizations or residence halls, and sports often range from the ordinary (baseball, basketball, touch football) to the unusual (broomball, frisbee golf).

J

K

L

LSAT: The LSAT is the Law School Admissions Test. All applicants to ABA-accredited law schools must take the LSAT. The LSAT tests reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning skills.

Lecturer: See Instructor, Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor

M

Merit Scholarships: Money given to students on the basis of demonstrated ability-academic, performance, service, athletics, etc. It is not based on need, and does not need to be repaid. Most scholarships come from colleges themselves and vary widely from institution to institution. There are also some scholarships available from businesses, alumni organizations, and programs like the National Merit Scholarship.

MCAT: The Medical College Admission test is required by most American medical schools. Designed by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the exam is administered twice a year, in April and in August. It is a full day exam composed of four sections, Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences.

Meal Plan/Meal Points: See Flex Plan

MFAT and ACAT: The Major Field Test and the Area Concentration Achievement Test are designed to assess what you have learned in your major field of study at college. These tests cover the knowledge and skills typically taught in your major field at colleges and universities across the nation. These tests are similar to the Graduate Record Examination in subject areas except that they measure what you have learned in college. Some schools and departments require graduating students to take one of these tests.

N

NSSE /National Survey of Student Engagement: An increasingly important measure of how engaged students at a college are. The survey, designed by researchers at Indiana University, measures how much students are actually doing in their classes (writing, reading, speaking), how many new experiences they are being exposed to (studying abroad, talking to people with different ideas), and so forth. It provides a useful way to measure the quality of education at a college.

Non-Traditional Students: Students who do not fit the traditional demographics of college students, usually because of their age (they may be older) or marital status. Some schools offer special programs for non-traditional students, including classes on weekends or evenings, or special support programs.

O

Orientation: A process by which new students get to know the campus. Most schools offer orientation for freshmen over the week or weekend before classes, but some offer special camps or other get-acquainted programs in the summer before classes commence.

P

PLUS Loans: Government-subsidized loans that are limited to the cost of education. Parents do not need to demonstrate need. Interest rates can vary.

Pell Grants: These government grants are awarded to students who need a great deal of financial aid. They do not need to be repaid.

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT): A test that students take generally as juniors, that helps them practice for the SAT. The results may also determine your eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Please note that PSAT scores are not used by colleges and university for admission consideration.

Professor: See Instructor, Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor

Professional Development: Programs that may or may not be separate from career development. These focus on helping students gain professional skills and polish, and may include such topics as professional networking and business etiquette. They do not focus on helping students get jobs, but rather on how to be successful once they have entered the workforce.

Professional School: A specialized type of graduate school that usually focuses on teaching a specific trade or profession. Examples include medical school, business school, or law school.

Q

R

Registrar: The person responsible for registering students in courses and for keeping grade records. The Registrar's office will probably be one of your first stops on campus.

Registration: Signing up for courses at specific times. You will probably do this over the summer before you arrive at school. Before registering, you should read over the bulletin or catalogue and talk carefully to your advisor.

Residence Halls/ "Dorms": Most colleges offer housing and many require traditional students (unmarried students aged 18-21) to live on-campus for some part of their college career. Arrangements and facilities vary widely, from multi-person suites to one-person singles. It is important to find out from your college how rooms and roommates are assigned and what you must do to apply to live in the facility of your choice.

RA/ Resident Assistant / Hall Assistant: Student workers who are in charge of enforcing regulations and/or assisting other students who live in their hall or floor. Their duties and titles differ from school to school. Generally, the RA is a responsible older student who will be a valuable resource and help to new students.

ROTC/Reserve Officer Training Corps: A program sponsored by the United States military whereby students receive money to go to college in return for training as military officers. Upon graduation, the student is commissioned as an officer either in the regular military or in the reserve, and must serve for a specified amount of time. Interested students should make sure there is an ROTC unit near the college of their choice, and make sure it is the branch in which they are interested (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines).

Rolling Admissions: Colleges process and admit students as the applications come in. Usually there is a four to six week turn around with the student notified immediately. The earlier you apply, the better.

S

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT I and SAT II): The SAT I is a three-hour test required by most colleges that measures math and verbal abilities. SAT II is a subject test that some colleges recommend. The SAT is currently being re-adjusted to include an essay component.

Service Learning: Community or service work that is done as part of a class or program. Specific settings vary by topic and school; opportunities might be as diverse as tutoring, building houses or assisting a local theatre. Service learning requirements connect academic study to citizenship and are required by many colleges for graduation.

Study Abroad: Most schools offer a program which allows students to take classes in another country (either through the university itself or an affiliated institution). Students can investigate study abroad programs either through the department of their major or through the student services office. Some schools allow students to design their own experiences; other programs may connect a class at home with travel abroad.

Syllabus: An outline of course work distributed by an instructor that describes how the class will run, what times it meets, what books are required, how students will be graded, and the like. These are not usually available until the first class. They will usually include specifics about the books and materials needed for the course, so you may wish to get this before you purchase these items.

T

TA/Teaching Assistant: See GA/Graduate Assistant

Theme Housing/Theme Halls: Houses or residence floors that are designed to encourage a particular academic subject or lifestyle. For example, a "Japan House" may require that students be taking classes in Japanese, serve Japanese food, and sponsor events to educate others about Japan. Service-themed houses and floors are popular. Generally these residences are available to upperclassmen.

Transcript: An official record of student's courses and grades received. Your high school transcript may be necessary for applications.

U

Unsubsidized Stafford Loans: Loans that do not require demonstration of need, and for which interest must be paid while the student is in college. Repayment of the principal begins after graduation.

V

W

Wait List: It is not the same as being deferred; it means that if some accepted students choose to go elsewhere, you will be admitted. However, waiting for the decision may mean waiting longer than some students would like; many choose to deposit money with another school first.

Work Study: A campus job that may be offered as part of a financial aid package. These usually require 15-20 hours a week on campus and usually allow the student to do some studying while working. Examples might include proctoring a building, or working at a library desk.

X

Y

Z