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University/Fin. Aid/ Testing Links
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Accreditation: Recognition of a college or university by any of the regional or national accrediting bodies, indicating that the institution as a whole has been judged to be meeting its objectives. ACT: A group of tests administered by ACT and required or recommended by most colleges as part of the admission process. The tests measure educational development in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning and are given at specified test centers throughout the year. ACT scores range from 1-36. Advanced Placement: Administered nationally in May, the Advanced Placement test (AP's) measure a student's mastery of advanced placement or advancement placement level material. Scores range from 1 to 5. A student receiving a 3, a 4, or a 5 may receive college credit for their work depending on the specific credit requirements of the college where he or she matriculates. Aid package: A combination of aid (possibly including a scholarship, grant, loan, and word) determined by a college financial aid office. Candidates Reply Date: A college cannot require any candidate who has been offered admission as a freshmen to notify them of his/her decision to attend before May 1. The purpose of the agreement is to give applicants time to hear from all of the colleges they have applied to before they have to make a commitment to any one of them. Applicants offered admission under and early decision plan are the only exceptions to this agreement. College Board: (CEEB) An organization of colleges and secondary schools which sponsors programs such as the Admission Testing Program (ATP) and the College Scholarship Service (CSS) CEEB Code: The Benjamin School's code number is 101239. The ACT uses the same number.
Common Application: This is used by as many as 200 colleges and universities. The student completes one common application and then mails copies to whichever colleges he or she chooses from the list of participating schools. This application can be downloaded from the Internet at www.commonapp.org Co-op job: This is an on-the-job training program, usually related to the student's major and is often a full-time, paid job with a semester or year off campus. Consortium: Several colleges and universities in close proximity to each other will often join together in a consortium. The advantages of attending a college which is a member of a consortium are that the student has the resources of many libraries, instead of one; that s/he has the opportunity to take courses at a member institution which are not available at her/his own college; and that s/he can take advantage of many of the combined cultural and educational opportunities offered when the members of the consortium unite to present panel discussions, special lectures, and unusual courses. Credit hour: A unit of academic credit that often represents one hour of class time per week for a period of student (semester, quarter, etc.) Deferred Admission: The practice of some colleges of allowing an accepted student to postpone enrollment for one year. Double Deposit: This term describes the unethical practice of submitting enrollment deposits, signaling a student's intent to attend, to more than one college. The College Counseling Office frowns on this practice and will notify schools if a student "double deposits." The College Counseling office will send final transcripts to only one college except in the case of Wait Lists. Early Action (EA): The application process in which students make application to an institution of preference and receive a decision well in advance of the institution's regular response date. Students who are admitted under Early Action are not obligated to accept the institution's offer of admission or to submit a deposit until the regular reply date (not prior to May 1). Early Admission: Admitting students of superior ability into college courses and programs before they have completed the standard high scho9ool program. Early Decision (ED): The application process in which students make a commitment to a first-choice institution where, if admitted, they definitely will enroll. Should a student who applies for financial aid not be offered an award that makes attendance possible, the student may decline the offer of admission and be released from the Early Decision commitment. Educational Testing Services (ETS): This organization is responsible for producing and administering a variety of standardized tests, among them the SAT I and SAT II. Four-one-four: This is an academic calendar consisting of two regular four-month semesters with a short winter or January term. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The application required for students to be considered for federal student financial aid. Obtain a FAFSA form or electronic filing information from a high school or college for the appropriate year (usually available in November). The FAFSA is processed free of charge, and it is used by most state agencies and colleges. Grade point average: An indicator of the student's overall scholastic performance. The GPA is computed by multiplying the number of grade points earned in each course (generally, A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) times the number of course hours/credit hours then dividing the sum by the total number of course hours/credit hours carried. Grants: Awards based on financial need that do not require repayment. Grants are available through the federal government, state agencies, and educational institutions. Honors program: Any program offering opportunity for superior students to enrich their educational experience through independent, advanced, or accelerated study. Legacy: The is an applicant whose parents or grandparents are graduates of a particular college. Siblings, uncles, and aunts are not usually considered legacy. Major: The subject of study in which the student chooses to specialize; a series of related courses, taken primarily in the junior and senior years. NCAA Clearinghouse: The Clearinghouse processes academic qualifications for all prospective Division I and Division II athletes and determines whether they are eligible to compete. Open admissions: The policy of some colleges of admitting virtually all high school graduates, regardless of academic qualifications such as high school grades and admission test scores. PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test): Administered in October of the junior year, the PSAT is a practice test. Scores are used to determine those students who qualify for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Students and counselors use the PSAT as a diagnostic tool to determine testing strengths and weaknesses, but PSAT results are not part of a student's permanent record. Regular Decision: The application process in which a students submits an application to an institution by a specified date and receives a decision within a reasonable and clearly sated period of time, but not later than April 15. Resident Advisor (RA): The is a paid student personnel officer or an upper classman living in a freshmen dorm to offer support and advice to new students. Rolling Admission: The application process in which an institution reviews application as they are completed and renders admission decisions to students throughout the admission cycle. SAT I: A test of verbal and mathematical abilities given by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) at specified test centers throughout the year and required or recommended by many colleges as part of the admission process. SAT II Subject Tests: Formerly called Achievements, the SAT II: Subject Tests are one hour tests measuring achievements in 24 subject areas such as writing, languages, math, sciences, and history. Students choose which tests to take. SAT II's can be taken at any time during one's high school career, but many students take them in June of their junior year. Many colleges will require the writing subject test and some will also require a math test. Check catalogues of individual colleges for their specific requirements. Scholarships: Non- repayable awards to students based on merit or merit plus need. Student Aid Report (SAR): The information you will receive approximately 2-4 weeks after your FAFSA has been process. It will report the information from your application and, if there are no questions or problems with your application, your SAR will report your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Study Abroad: Is any arrangement by which a student completes part of the college program-typically the junior year but sometimes only a semester in the summer-studying in another country. A college may operate its own abroad program or it may have a cooperative arrangement with another American College or with an institution in another country. Teaching Assistant (TA): This is a graduate student who teaches undergraduates, and/or holds smaller discussion sections for a professor's large lectures. Three-two Program (3-2): This is a program in which students study three years in a liberal arts college followed by two at a specialized school, such as engineering, nursing, or business administration. Transcript: The official record of high school or college courses and grades, generally required as part of the college application. Wait List: An admission decision option utilized by institutions to protect against shortfalls in enrollment. Wait lists are sometimes made necessary because of the uncertainly of the admission process, as students submit applications for admission to multiple institutions and may receive several offers of admission. By placing a student on the wait list, an institution does not initially offer or deny admission, but extends to a candidate the possibility of admission in the future, before the institution's admission cycle in concluded |
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Glossary of Terms
College
Calendar: Common systems of instruction time--