Acceptance Rate: the percentage of applicants that a college or university will offer admission to. The acceptance rate is an indication of how selective a college or university is, and in most cases the lower the acceptance rate the more selective the college or university.
Accreditation: recognition of a college or university by any of the regional or national accrediting bodies indicating that the institution a specific department within it has been judged to be meeting its objectives, criteria or standards. Particularly important in those subjects that prepare students for careers that require licensure or certification (e.g., engineering).
ACT: originally called the American College Test, is widely used by college and university admission offices and is required or recommended as part of the admission process. The tests measure educational development in English, Mathematics, Reading and Science Reasoning. It is accepted by almost every college/university. Colleges require the students to take the “optional” writing section.
Admission: the decision to allow a student to enter a college or university.
Admission Plans: different rules are in effect depending upon when and how you apply.
- Deferred Admission: the practice of permitting students to postpone enrollment for up to one year after acceptance to the college. Typically, you are expected to submit the tuition deposit in order to hold a spot in the class for the term to which you are deferring your admission. You should check with each college or university to see if they allow students to defer and what policies they have regarding deferred enrollment.
- Early Action: term used to describe the application process, which permits a student to make application to an institution of preference and receive a decision during the senior year, well in advance of the normal response dates in the spring. The candidate is not committed to enroll at that particular institution.
- Early Decision: the application process in which a commitment is made by the student to the institution, that if admitted, the student will enroll. Only a student who can make a deliberate and well-reasoned first choice decision should apply under an Early Decision plan because the institution will require a nonrefundable deposit well before May 1. All applications to other colleges must be withdrawn upon acceptance. Students must speak with their College Counselor before they apply. Deadlines vary by institution.
- Early Admission: a program that allows a student to apply for admission during the junior year. The early admission program at most colleges is reserved for truly exceptional students whose academic preparation and achievement level are sufficient for early entrance to college, and who will have completed all of their graduation requirements by the end of their junior year.
- Regular Notification/Admission: the traditional admissions plan. All materials must be post-marked by a specific deadline, college or universities will begin reviewing applications and will mail most, if not all of their admission decisions at one time. Many selective colleges or universities tend to mail their decisions later, typically by mid-April.
- Rolling Admission: the college considers each application as soon as all of the required materials have been received. Students can usually apply to Rolling Admission colleges or universities as early as September and as late as March. Apply as soon as you are ready and you will receive a decision within four – six weeks. You have until May 1 to make decision in most cases. Treat rolling admission like early decision – apply early (November)!
AP/Advanced Placement Program: College Board provides high schools with course descriptions and examinations in select subjects. The high school implements the course by specific standards set by the College Board and administers the test. Students may receive college credit depending on their scores and the collage they attend.
Aid Package: a combination of aid (scholarship, grant, loan, and work) determined by the financial aid office of each college.
American College Testing Program: a non-profit agency that designs and administers tests for use within the college admission process (PLAN and ACT).
Application: formally submitting a request and required forms and materials for admission to a college or university. Most colleges and universities request online submission.
Associate Degree (A.A., A.S.): a two-year degree that generally prepares the student for further study. Some associate degree programs are sufficient training in certain careers, but many students in two-year colleges intend to complete their studies at a four-year college or university. A few four-year colleges offer two-year degrees.
Bachelor’s or Baccalaureate Degree: a four-year degree in a specified subject area. Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), and Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) are the most common baccalaureates. The difference between degrees varies between colleges and universities, but typically depends on the amount of liberal arts courses, studio time, laboratory courses, etc., which are required to complete the degree.
Class Rank: a student’s approximate standing in her or his graduating class. Rank is based on grade point average and presented either in “percentiles” or numerical order. As in most small, academically demanding schools, The Geneva School does not rank its students.
College Admission Counselor: professional working in the nation’s colleges and universities to assist students with the exploration of educational options. They may assist in the transition from high school to post-secondary education. Also referred to as Admission Officers, they play a role in the decision to admit a student to the college they represent.
College Board: a non-profit organization whose membership includes Counselors, Admission Officers, College Faculty and Financial Aid Officers. They sponsor the SAT, PSAT (and AP tests), as well as services connected with the college admissions process.
College Calendar: common calendars of instruction time, including the following:
- Traditional semester: two, approximately equal, semesters
- Early semester: two semesters, the first ending before Christmas
- Quarter Terms: three equal terms of about 12 weeks each (summer makes the 4th quarter but it is not a part of the regular academic year)
- 4-1-4: two equal terms of about 16 weeks each, with a 1-week interim period (very few colleges or universities still use this system)
College Fair or College Fair Night: a program organized to allow high school students and parents the opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from different colleges and universities. Representatives may be either professional admissions counselors or trained alumni volunteers. See calendar of events for the college fairs in our area. Juniors at The Geneva School are required to attend the Central Florida College Fair (February) each year.
College Guides: publications, which include profiles of colleges and universities and can be used as part of the college exploration process.
College View Books: publications developed by individual colleges or universities to promote and present information about their respective institutions: campus setting, academic program, student life, costs, and other related information.
Common Application: allows a student to fill out one application form and recommendation forms for filing at more than one college or university http://www.commonapp.org. While more than 200 selective colleges and universities accept the Common Application, many require a supplement, which can be accessed from their web site.
Controllable Costs: costs that a student has greater flexibility at controlling. This includes optional housing plans, books, travel, computers, personal items (laundry, entertainment, clothing, car, etc.).
Co-op Plans/Cooperative Work-study Education: a program in which the student alternates between full-time college study and full-time paid employment related to the area of study. Under this plan, the Bachelor’s degree often requires five years to complete.
CPT: the College Placement Test. This test may be administered in lieu SAT or ACT scores. It is used for placement into math and English, or remediation.
Cross-registration/Dual Enrollment: the practice, through agreements between colleges and/or universities, of permitting students enrolled at one institution to enroll in courses at another institution without formally applying for admission to the second institution (most commonly during summer term while at home). Typically, credit received will count toward the graduation requirements of college or university in which the student is formally enrolled. Check with each college for possible high school credit awarded.
CSS/College Scholarship Service: a service of the College Board that assists colleges in the analysis of a family’s financial strength and subsequent ability to contribute to college costs. CSS provides the PROFILE form, which students use to apply for institutional aid at most private colleges and/or universities. You should check to see (www.collegeboard.com/css) which of your colleges or universities require the CSS PROFILE and then complete the registration process as early in the fall as possible. Check deadlines carefully, each college/university has its own deadline.
Deferred Admission: see Admission Plans above
Dual Enrollment: see Cross-registration above
Early Action: see Admission Plans above
Early Decision: see Admission Plans above
ETS/Educational Testing Service: an agency in Princeton, New Jersey that, develops and administers tests for the College Board (e.g., PSAT, SAT, AP).
Extracurricular Activities: any school activities, such as athletics, drama, or music that offers the student the opportunity to complement his or her classroom experiences.
Financial Aid or Assistance: any financial award to a student; may be in the form of grant, scholarship, loan or work-study.
Fixed Costs: college costs that are paid directly to the college or university, including tuition, student activity fees, laboratory fees, and other charges. For students who live on campus, the cost of room and board will also be a fixed expense, especially if optional plans are not available at reduced rates.
FAFSA/Free Application for Federal Student Aid: the application form needed to apply for federal student financial aid. It is processed at no cost to the applicant and is used to determine a student’s eligibility for federal grants, loans, and work-study funds. Families will want to submit their FAFSA online as soon as possible after the January 1 application availability date (senior year). You must apply for and obtain a “PIN” prior to filling out the FAFSA (see link)
FERPA/The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: the Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level.
GED/General Equivalency Diploma: a series of five tests that adults who did not complete high school may take through their state education system to qualify for a high school equivalency certificate. Many colleges and universities will accept specific GED test results in lieu of high school graduation.
GPA/Grade Point Average: an indicator of the student’s overall scholastic performance, computed by multiplying the numerical grade received in each subject (or course) by the number of credits offered for each then dividing by the total number of credits or courses studied. Cumulative GPA includes all courses taken to-date.
Grants: awards based on financial need that do not require repayment – available through the federal government, state agencies and individual institutions. FAFSA is required.
Honors Program: any program offering the opportunity for students to enrich their educational experience through independent, in-depth, advanced, or accelaterated study. Many state colleges or universities offer Honors Programs or Honors Colleges within their schools, in order to entice their best applicants away from top private college or universities. Advantages may include special housing, small class sizes, research options, scholarships, etc.
Interdisciplinary: refers to programs or courses that use the knowledge from a number academic disciplines, such as a combination of biology and physical sciences, or of engineering and business.
Liberal Arts: a course of study that provides a well-rounded education, including arts, sciences, and the humanities, as well as career courses. Many corporations feel it makes you a much more rounded student, more prepared for the eventual work force.
Loan: money borrowed by the student or parent to pay for college expenses; the loan must be repaid, usually with interest.
NACAC/National Association for College Admission Counseling: a national, professional association of more than 6,800 high school counselors, college admission personnel, and independent counselors and related organizations. NACAC acts as a governing board and assists in standardizing plans, forms and conduct of member colleges, universities and secondary schools.
National Candidate’s Reply Date: an agreement by colleges and universities who are members of NACAC, which allows students to wait until May 1 to give their final decision to a particular college. This allows the student to receive offers of admission and financial aid awards from all participating colleges (except early decision) before selecting one.
Open Admissions: a college admission policy of admitting students without regard to conventional academic qualifications, such as grades and test scores. Virtually all applicants with high school diplomas or their equivalent are accepted. Such colleges usually have extensive programs designed to provide remedial or developmental help to students who enroll with academic deficiencies. Generally, community colleges.
PLAN: the Preliminary American College Test (pre-ACT) is specifically a sophomore assessment program from American College Testing. Designed to help students improve their post-secondary planning and preparation, it is complementary in content and format to the ACT, and can be used as an indicator of the type of score you might receive on the ACT.
PSAT/NMSQT: the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a modified version of the SAT I, and is administered by high schools each year in October.
Residency Requirement: the amount of time or number of credits most colleges and universities require that a student spend on campus to be eligible for graduation. It may also refer to the minimum amount of time a student is required to have lived in a state in order to be eligible for in-state tuition at a public college or university. Details about both types of residency requirements are usually found in the college’s catalog.
ROTC/Reserve Officers’ Training Corps: programs conducted by certain colleges in cooperation with the United States Air Force, Army, and Navy. ROTC also offers scholarships. Information about scholarships and the programs themselves can be found online or on the bookshelf located outside of the college counseling office.
Rolling Admission: see Admission Plans above
SAR/Student Aid Report: the form received back from the Federal Government after submitting the FAFSA – it contains an individual financial aid analysis as determined by the Federal Student Aid Program. A similar form called the ISAR, or Institutional Student Aid Report, is sent to all of the college or universities to which you indicated on the FAFSA you would apply.
SAT I/Scholastic Assessment Test I: a test designed to evaluate a student’s aptitude for scholastic work, not intelligence. The SAT is a multiple-choice examination and provides information on the basis of combined math and critical reading scores of 400 (low) to 1,600 (high). The SAT tests mathematical and reading abilities, is given by the College Board and is required or recommended by many colleges as part of the admission process. All but a few college/universities accept the SAT I.
SAT II/Scholastic Assessment Test II: (formerly known as the SAT Achievement Tests) subject tests, given by the College Board, designed to measure the student’s knowledge in particular subjects. See www.collegeboard.com for a list of colleges that require the SAT II.
Scholarships: non-repayable awards to students usually based on merit, sports, demonstrated financial need, or any combination of the above. Usually an outright gift that does not have to be repaid, and is paid directly to the student or applied directly to the tuition bill. For information about scholarships from various institutions you may check the college catalogs, the various scholarship search web sites, or see your College Counselor.
Statement of Principles of Good Practice: a professional code of ethics, developed by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), that guides the conduct of college admission representatives, school counselors and independent counselors as they help students in the college transition process.
SDQ/Student Descriptive Questionnaire: optional questionnaire students can complete when registered for either the SAT I or II. It gives the student the opportunity to provide academic and personal information to the colleges or universities to which they have had their scores sent. It is only completed once, during the initial SAT registration.
Student Search Service: an option when registering for the PSAT, SAT I or II to have the College Board send scores, names and addresses of students to those colleges participating in the service who match the particular characteristics the college specifies. It is a free service and can be an easy way to get on the mailing lists of many college or universities.
Study Aboard: any arrangement by which a student completes part of the college program by studying in another country. Many colleges or universities either offer their own programs or have cooperative agreements with other U.S. colleges and universities.
TOEFL/Test of English as a Foreign Language: a test given worldwide to determine a student’s ability to function in an English-speaking classroom, often required of students whose first language is not English.
Transcript: official record of high school or college courses and grades that is generally required as part of the college application. While we are happy to give you an official copy of your transcript, official copies, certified with a signature and school seal, must be sent directly from the College Counseling Office to the institution.
Tuition: room, board, the cost for instruction or study at a college, university, or school, housing costs, and food.
Wait List: a term used by institutions to describe a process in which they may initially delay offering admission until they have heard back from an earlier set of offers. If spots later open up in the class, then a college or university will turn to its wait list and make offers of admission at that stage. Wait list candidates often have to wait until after May 1 before they discover the final decision. (This means that you will most probably have to submit a non-refundable deposit elsewhere in the meantime.) Wait listing is a fairly common practice at top colleges and universities, and it should not be seen as a rejection. If you are wait-listed at a college or university, you should see your College Counselor as soon as possible.
Work-Study: a financial aid program that allows the student to work on-campus or with approved off-campus employers to earn money to pay for college expenses. Often referred to as the Federal Work-Study Program, qualification via the FAFSA.