| Terms |
Definitions |
| Admissions Committee |
The group of people at a college that reads all applications and decides which students
to accept. |
| Alumnus/Alumna/Alumni |
A graduate of a particular college. An alumnus is a male graduate; an alumna is a female
graduate; "alumni" is the plural of alumnus, but it is used to refer to male and female graduates collectively. |
| Coeducational |
Describes colleges and educational programs that include both male and female students. |
| Cooperative Education (or "co-op") |
A college program that combines academic coursework with relevant work experience. Students often
alternate a semester of coursework with a semester of working in a related field, gaining both income and experience that will
help them pursue their careers after graduation. |
| College Credit |
A successfully completed part of a college program. For example, students might earn three
college credits when they successfully finish a one-semester class. Each college requires students to earn a specific
number of credits in order to graduate. High school students can sometimes earn college credits while in high school by
taking courses at local colleges or by successfully passing Advanced Placement exams. |
| College Preparatory |
High school courses in primary subjects (language arts, math, science, social studies) that are
required for college admission or are designed to help students prepare for college. In some high schools, the only college
preparatory courses are those that are also considered honors or advanced placement. Check with your guidance counselor. |
| Deposit |
A small percentage of the total cost of attending the college. When a student decides to
enroll at the college, the student or his/her parent(s) pay the deposit to hold the student's place in the incoming class. |
| Enrichment Programs |
Extracurricular programs that develop students' academic and thinking skills, either directly
through tutoring, or indirectly through projects and activities. |
| Extracurricular Activities |
Voluntary activities that students participate in, normally during after school or weekend hours.
These include athletic, performing arts, community service, student clubs, etc. |
| Faculty |
The teachers and professors at a school or college. |
| Financial Aid |
Money to help you pay for the costs of college, based on your financial need (by colleges,
federal, state, local, government and private sources). |
| Financial Aid Package |
The total amount of financial aid you receive to help pay for college costs. It is generally a
combination of scholarships/grants, loans, and part-time work-study employment. |
| Grants/Scholarships |
Money awarded to you (by colleges, federal, state, local government and private sources) to pay for
college costs that you do not have to pay back. In general, grants are awarded based on financial need,
and scholarships are awarded based on merit (such as outstanding academic achievement, demonstrated talent,
or athletic ability) or involvement (such as membership in an organization or ethnic group, or employment
in a company. |
| Internship |
An opportunity for a student to receive supervised, practical experience in an occupation
related to his/her field of study. Most internships are unpaid, but some provide a small stipend. |
| Liberal Arts |
Describes a college or educational program designed to provide students with broad-based knowledge
and skills, rather than preparing students for a particular career. |
| Loans |
A type of financial assistance that involves you or your parents borrowing money to cover college
costs. You and/or your parent(s) will have to repay the amount of the loan - with interest - to the lender. Many student loan
programs have low interest rates and do not require repayment until you graduate or are no longer attending college. |
| Major |
Called a concentration at some colleges, a major is the primary subject you choose to study in
college. Many (but not all) of your colleges courses will be related to your major. |
| "Need-blind" Admission |
When admission to a college is based solely on the student's qualifications, regardless of the
student's and the student's family's ability to pay for college. |
| Private College |
A self-supporting institution of higher learning operated with private funds. |
| PSAT/NMSQT |
Stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It is a shorter version of
SAT I that should be taken to help prepare for the SAT I and must be taken in the 11th grade for students to qualify for
some of the most prestigious scholarships. |
| Public College |
An institution of higher learning operated with state funds. Tuition and fees at public colleges
are much less expensive than private colleges for state residents. |
| Seminar |
A type of course involving a small number of students and a large amount of class discussion. |
| Transcript |
A written record of your achievement in high school, including the courses you have taken, the
grades you earned, certain standardized test scores, awards or special achievements, and your attendance record. |
| Transferable Skills |
Skills that are important in order to succeed in any workplace, but that are not specific to any
particular job. Instead, these skills can be transferred from one job to another. |
| Work-Study |
College work-study is a federally or state subsidized financial aid program. You must earn the
amount of money you are awarded to cover part of your college expenses, usually by working 10-15 hours per week on campus or
for an off-campus nonprofit agency. |
