SECTION X GLOSSARY OF TERMS
GLOSSARY OF TERMS: When you plan for college, you have to understand, certain terms that are commonly used by colleges to describe their programs, admissions procedures, and financial aid policies. The definitions given here are necessarily general, and it is suggested that students consult specific institutions in order to get more accurate, detailed, and up-to-date descriptions of the procedures, programs, and practices discussed. ACCELERATED PROGRAM - A college program completed in less than the time usually required, most often by attendance in summer or by carrying extra courses during the regular academic terms. Completion of a bachelor's degree program in three years is an example of acceleration. ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM (AP) - A service of the College Board that provides schools with course descriptions in college subjects and Advanced Placement Examinations in those subjects. Schools administer the examinations to qualified students, and several hundred participating colleges offer advanced placement, college credit, or both to students who obtain satisfactory grades. ACT TEST- It includes tests in English usage, mathematics usage, social studies reading, and natural sciences reading. There is also a writing sample which is optional, but encouraged. The composite score referred to in some colleges' descriptions and tables is the average of a student's scores on these four tests. ARTS AND SCIENCES (ALSO CALLED LIBERAL ARTS) - A broad term that encompasses most traditional courses of study, including the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, and foreign languages. (See also "humanities" and "social sciences.") ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE - The degree given for completing certain college programs of at least two, but less than four years of study, usually in a two-year institution, i.e., junior or community college. BACHELOR'S DEGREE - The degree given for completing certain undergraduate college programs that normally take four years. Also called the baccalaureate degree. CANDIDATES REPLY DATE AGREEMENT (CRDA) - A college subscribing to this agreement will not require any applicant offered admission as a freshman to notify it of his decision to attend (or to accept an offer of financial aid) before May 1. The purpose of the agreement is to give applicants time to hear from all the colleges they have applied to before they have to make a commitment to any one of them. COLLEGE WORK-STUDY PROGRAM (CWSP) - A federally sponsored program that provides jobs for students with great financial need. The jobs are available through colleges and public and private non-profit agencies. COMMON APPLICATION - A form produced by a consortium of about 400+ colleges that may be filled out and sent to member colleges in lieu of each school's individual application, www.commonapp.org COOPERATIVE EDUCATION — A college program that alternates between periods of full-time study and full- time employment in a related field. Students are paid for their work and gain practical experience in their major, which helps them apply for positions after graduation. It can take five years to obtain a baccalaureate degree through a co-op program.
CORE CURRICULUM - A group of courses all students in a college must take in order to graduate. Most colleges have some variation of general education course of study. DEFERRED ACCEPTANCE — the admissions acceptance date is being moved to a later date. EARLY ADMISSION - The practice of some colleges to admit certain students who have not completed high school, usually students of exceptional ability, who have completed their junior year. EARLY DECISION - Early decision plans are offered for applicants who are sure of the college they want to attend and are likely to be accepted by that college. An early decision application is initiated by the student, and he is notified of the college's decision earlier than he would be notified on its usual notification schedule usually by December 15 of his senior year. If accepted the student is bound by contractual agreement to attend and must withdraw all applications to other schools. The result of an early admission application can be acceptance, denial or deferral. If you receive a deferral for early admission, don't be disheartened. Either the college has chosen to wait and see more of your senior mid-year report or they wish to compare you to their larger regular admission pool. If you are in the limbo of deferred early admission, is there anything you can do? The answer is definitely yes, but don't go overboard. Let the admissions department know you are still interested by sending an e-mail listing any new awards, internships, leadership activities, or projects occurring since your original application was submitted, is fine. EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (EFC) — The amount of financial support a family is expected to contribute toward a child's college education. This amount is part of the formula used by the federal government to determine financial aid eligibility using the FAFSA form. EARLY ACTION - Some of the more prestigious schools (such as the Ivy League schools) have instituted EARLY ACTION programs. If the application is completed on time, the candidate will have an early, non-binding, decision. The admissions people use more stringent standards when they evaluate these applications, though, and potential candidates would do well to discuss the situation with their counselor in detail. EARLY DECISION - A program under which a student receives early notification of a college's admissions decision if the student agrees in advance to enroll if accepted. Students may apply early decision to only one college; it should be a clear first choice. Application deadlines for early decision are usually in November, with decision letters mailed in mid-December. FEE WAIVER - Permission, often granted upon request, for needy students to apply for admission without having to pay the application fee. Sometimes coaches will waive an application fee for a prospective student athlete. FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA) - Forms for families of financial aid applicants to use in supplying information about their income, assets, and other financial circumstances to the federal government and/or College Scholarship Service for use in estimating how much money a family might pay toward a student's college costs. Forms are filed free of charge. GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT EXAM (GED) - This is a series of tests that adults take to qualify for a high school equivalency certificate or diploma. Many colleges will accept satisfactory GED test results in place of a high school diploma. Individuals in Michigan must be 18 years of age and their class must have graduated before they can take the GED. GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) - A system used to evaluate scholastic performance. All subjects resulting in a numerical grade will be used to determine GPA.
GOVERNMENT AID - Money that federal or state governments make available to students, most of which is administered through the colleges on the basis of need. Government aid can come in the form of grants, loans, and work-study jobs. HUMANITIES - Subjects in which the primary focus is on human culture. Examples include history, philosophy, language, and literature. (See also "social sciences.") INDEPENDENT STUDY - Any arrangement by which a student is allowed to complete some of his college program by studying independently instead of attending scheduled classes and completing group assignments. Typically, the student plans his/her program of study, often on topics of his/her own choice, in consultation with a faculty adviser or committee, to whom he/she may report periodically and submit his/her final report for evaluation. LEGACY - An applicant whose mother or father is an alumna or alumnus of a particular school. Students with legacy status are often given preferential treatment in admissions. MERIT SCHOLARSHIP - A financial grant for some part of college costs, usually awarded for academic achievement or special skills in an extracurricular activity, and not based on need. Private corporations and many colleges offer merit scholarships. MME - The Michigan Merit Exam is given to all current juniors throughout the State of Michigan. This assessment includes an actual ACT Assessment with Writing that students may use for college admission purposes. NEED BASED AID - Money awarded solely on the basis of need, usually administered through the colleges. Some schools agree to pay the difference between their total fees and the expected family contribution; others pay part of it, leaving some "unmet" need. Most financial aid packages consist of some combination of four components; grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study jobs. Some of the money comes from the college's own resources, although part is financed by federal and state governments. OPEN ADMISSION - The policy of a college to admit high school graduates and other adults generally without regard to conventional academic qualifications, such as high school subjects, high school marks, and admissions test scores. Thus, virtually everyone who applies is accepted. PASS-FAIL GRADING SYSTEM - The practice of some schools and colleges to rate student performance in their courses as either "pass" or "fail" instead of giving grades to recognize various levels of passing work. This grade is not typically included in the student’s GPA. PLAN - A shorter practice version of the ACT. This practice test is given to tenth graders each year. It allows students an opportunity to experience a standardized test and also gives them career information. Students are encouraged to take the PLAN during their sophomore year of high school.
PRELIMINARY SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST/NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP QUALIFYING TEST (PSAT/NMSQT) A two-hour version of the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) measuring verbal and mathematical abilities that are important in many college programs. The PSAT/NMSQT is administered by schools each year in October. This is also the assessment used to determine National Merit Scholars nationally. RESERVE OFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS (ROTC) - Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs conducted by certain colleges in cooperation with the United States Air Force, Army and Navy. Local recruiting offices of the services themselves can supply detailed information about these programs, as can the participating colleges. ROLLING ADMISSIONS - The practice of a college to consider a student's application as soon as all of the required credentials, such as school record and test scores, have been received, and to notify him of its decision without delay. Colleges that follow this practice may make and announce their admissions decisions continuously over several months, in contrast to the practice of other colleges to accumulate their applications until late in the year and announce all their decisions at the same time. SAT I: REASONING TEST - The SAT, administered by the College Board, is one of the two major nationally standardized assessments. This test is designed to measure proficiency in mathematical and verbal ability. The highest score in each section is 800. The "new" SAT that began in March 2005 includes verbal ability, mathematics, and writing skills. This new test will now have a total score possibility of 2400. Many selective colleges have indicated that students who take the new SAT will not have to take the SAT II writing exam. Also, students who take the ACT with Writing, may be exempted from taking SATII tests for admissions purposes. Students should check with each college individually to determine what testing is required for admission purposes. SATII: SUBJECT TESTS - These are hour-long tests given by the College Board to measure ability in specific subject areas. Many selective colleges and universities require the SAT Subject Tests. Check out each college testing requirements individually through the college website. STUDENT AID REPORT (SAR) — Report of the government's review of a student's FAFSA. The SAR is sent to the student and released electronically to the schools that the student listed. The SAR does not supply a real money figure for aid but indicates whether the student is eligible. STUDY ABROAD - Any arrangement by which a student is enabled to complete part of his college program typically the junior year but sometimes only a semester or a summer studying in another country. His own college may operate the campus abroad or it may have a cooperative agreement with some other American college or an institution of the other country. TEACHING ASSISTANT (TA) - A graduate student who assists a professor in the presentation of a course. Usually the professor gives two to four lectures a week for all the students in the class, and teaching assistants hold smaller weekly discussion sections. WORK-STUDY - Campus jobs, for financial aid recipients, that are subsidized by the federal government. Work-study jobs are a component of most need-based financial aid packages. Students typically work ten to twenty hours a week to help finance their education.