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College Entrance Guide

IB Coordinator and College Counselor: Barbara Kuhl

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Accelerated program - A college program of study completed in less time than is usually required, most often by attending classes in the summer of by taking extra courses (overload) during the regular academic terms. Completing of a bachelor’s degree program in three years is an example of acceleration.

ACT (American College Test) - This is an aptitude test taken by at least half the high school graduates in over 25 states. Most colleges require either the ACT or the SATR as part of your application package. The ACT measures educational development in four areas: English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Natural Sciences. In each of the four sections, there are of 215 questions in multiple-choice format. Each section of the test is scored on a scale of 1-36; the four scores are then averaged to arrive at a composite score of 1-36. Some selective colleges will prefer to see both the SAT and the ACT exams. Most colleges will accept either one. Many colleges will accept ACT in lieu of SAT Subject Tests. Visit the ACT online at www.act.org.

Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) - A service of the College Board that provides high schools with course descriptions of college subjects. High schools implement the courses and administer the examinations to interested students, who are then eligible for advanced placement, college credit, or both on the basis of satisfactory grades.

Associate degree - A degree granted by a college or university after the satisfactory completion of a two-year full-time program of study, or its part-time equivalent. In general, the associate of arts (A.A.) or associate of science (A.S.) degree is granted after students complete a program of study similar to the first two years of a four-year college curriculum. The associate in applied science (A.A.S.) is awarded by many colleges on completion of technological or vocational programs of study.

Bachelor’s degree - A degree received after the satisfactory completion of a four- or five-year full-time program of study (or its part time equivalent) at a college or university. The bachelor of arts (B.A.) or bachelor of science (B.S.) are the most common baccalaureates.

Candidate Notification Date - The date by which a college notifies a student of the admission decision.

Candidate Reply Date - The date by which a student must reply to the college. May 1 is the date to which most colleges adhere.

CEEB (College Entrance Examination Board) - The code used to register for the ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, and AP exams. LILA’s code is 051694.

College Scholarship Service (CSS®) - A unit of the College Board that assists postsecondary institutions, state scholarship programs, and private scholarship organizations in the equitable and efficient distribution of student financial aid funds.

Common Application - A single application accepted by almost 300 institutions listed on the application. Applicants complete one copy, duplicate as many copies as necessary and mail the copies to colleges that accept the “common app.” Last year almost half a million applications were submitted via the Common App Online. Visit: www.commonapp.org.

Community College - A post-secondary institution that provides two-years of education often leading to an Associate degree. Many students then transfer to a four-year institution to complete the requirements needed for a Bachelor’s degree.

Core Curriculum - A set of courses that every student in a program, college or university must take. The curriculum is usually designed as to give the student a solid interdisciplinary liberal arts foundation. There may be choices.

Dependent student - One who is dependent on his or her parents for financial support. Dependency status is determined by guidelines established by the federal government.

Deferred admission - This program allows you to apply for admission during your senior year, and if accepted, to postpone your matriculation for one year after you have graduated from LILA. Students may elect this option in order to pursue special programs, travel or earn money. Financial aid awards must be renegotiated with your college when you are ready to enter, as they are yearly awards.

Deferred decision - Students who apply to a college under an early program may have the decision deferred by the college until the regular pool of applicants is reviewed in the spring. Students who are deferred should be sure to continue to earn high grades and to inform the college of any new special achievements or award.

Demonstrated interest - The number and quality of contacts you have had with the college. Colleges are interested in qualified candidates who have taken the time and effort to return post-cards and other mailings, visit, and e-mail. Selective colleges maintain folders on each applicant and note the positive interaction you have made. If you are very interested in a particular institution, you should respond to all material sent to you, write for their application, send e-mails requesting interviews and visits, visit the campus, spend the night, take the tour and schedule an interview, even if it is not required.

Early Action - An admission plan whereby a student typically can submit an application by November (usually November 15) and receive a decision by mid-December. This anxiety-reducing program is designed to allow you to focus on your studies and enjoy your senior year. Students may apply to more than one early action institution if the colleges state that you may do so. Read all applications carefully. Acceptance is not binding, which means you are not mandated to attend this specific college.

Early Decision - A program whereby a student can apply to a first-choice college early in the fall of the senior year (usually by November 15) and receive a decision in mid-December. If you are accepted, you must attend the college. There are few and very stringent exceptions to this rule. You may only apply to one college as an early decision candidate. You may apply to other regular decision programs, but if you are accepted Early Decision, you must withdraw all regular applications. Some colleges have a round 2 Early Decision for which applications are due between December 15 and January 15. Some colleges have added a third round of early decision deadlines. Check the college that interests you and be sure you want to attend. Acceptance is binding and a deposit may be required. Students deferred under Early Decision are reconsidered with the regular-decision applicants.

E-mail address - Colleges ask for your e-mail address so that they can maintain contact with you during the process. Be careful—Make sure that your e-mail address is appropriate for a college application. 2sexi or Kill-r may be fun for your friends but remember everything you send represents you.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - A form completed by all applicants for federal student aid. In many states, completion of the FAFSA is also sufficient to establish eligibility for state-sponsored aid programs. There is no charge to students for completing the FAFSA. Forms are widely available in high schools and colleges, and may be filed any time after January 1 of the year for which one is seeking aid (e.g., after January 1, 2011 for academic year 2010-11 assistance). Visit: www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Gapping - A practice by which a college does not meet the full financial need of an admitted student, leaving a gap that must be filled by the student’s own financial resources.

General Education Requirements - Same as Core Curriculum.

Grade Point Average (GPA) - All high school courses are included in your GPA. Some minor courses such as physical education may be required for graduation but not included in your GPA. The single most important element in your college application will be the quality (difficulty) of the courses you took and the grades you received in those courses. If your grades dipped at some point because you experienced a personal tragedy, consider using an essay or adding a letter to your application to let the college now what happened. The college may look with disfavor on a drop in grades with no explanation. Your junior year academic performance is very important. Only your first term senior grades may hold more weight. Senior year is not a breeze! Not only will you trying to get your best grades but you will also be visiting and applying to colleges.

Graduate school - Usually a part of a university, this is the program you enter if you want to pursue studies beyond the Bachelor’s degree. Degrees awarded in Graduate school are the Master’s and the Doctorate degrees.

Honors program - A special program for the most competitive students that may consist of smaller classes, the top professors and special seminars or research opportunities. Some programs allow students to study fewer courses, but in greater depth. Scholarship and merit aid is also often used to entice students to attend a university that they might otherwise not consider. Large public universities use honors programs to attract competitive candidates to special programs.

H.S.I. (Hispanic-Serving Institutions) - An HSI is defined as a non-profit institution that has at least 25% Hispanic full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment. For further information, please check the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities @ (www.hacu.net) or www.ed.gov/programs/idueshsi/index.html.

Humanities - The social science disciplines such as literature, language, history, and philosophy as opposed to science and technology.

Internship - Any short-term, supervised work experience usually related to a student’s major field, for which the student earns academic credit. The work can be full- or part-time, on- or off-campus, paid or unpaid.

Liberal Arts Education - A general education of humanities, science and technology considered a foundation for life. A liberal arts education prepares one to (1) communicate thoughts and ideas clearly and efficiently, (2) understand a wide variety of perspectives and values, and appreciate civilization, beauty and natural processes, (3) and continually discover with sincere curiosity the world around us.

Major - The field of specialization or concentration for a college undergraduate. The student normally does from a quarter to a third of the total undergraduate work in his/her major field. Most often the student is asked to declare a major at the end of the sophomore year. Be sure to research all the options in different departments, especially at major universities.

Minor - A secondary area of academic concentration, which may or may not be required by an institution.

Mid-year reports - Copies of your first term senior grades are mailed to colleges in February when transcripts become available. Colleges use these grades to be sure that you are still enrolled and working hard in the courses you indicated you were taking on your original application in the fall.

NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) - This test, combined with the PSAT, is sponsored by the United States government and several hundred private corporations and colleges and taken by high school students in the fall of their junior year. Scoring well on this test is the first step toward recognition in the national merit scholarship competition. The NMSQT index is the sum of the verbal, math and writing scores.

Need-analysis form - The starting point in applying for financial aid. All students must file the federally sponsored FAFSA to apply for federal financial aid programs. For many colleges, this may be the only need-analysis form you will need to file. For other schools, particularly private collges, additional forms, such as the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, may be required. To apply for state financial aid programs, the FAFSA may be all you need to file, but check with your state agency to find out if other application forms are required.

Need-based financial aid - Gift and/or self-help financial aid given to students who have demonstrated financial need, calculated by subtracting the student’s expected family contribution from a college’s total costs.

Open admission - A policy of admitting high school graduates and other adults generally without regard to conventional academic qualifications, such as high school subjects, high school grades and admission test scores. Virtually all applicants with high school diplomas or their equivalent are accepted.

PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test) – This test, combined with the NMSQT, is a test of scholastic aptitude administered to HS juniors throughout the country. Underclassmen also take this test for practice. Scores are given for verbal, quantitative and writing aptitude in two-digit figures (multiply by ten to approximate SAT equivalents).

Post-graduate - More commonly referred to as “graduate” in reference to a student, post-graduate describes one who is working beyond the Bachelor’s degree; in reference to a school, post-graduate describes an institution that trains in a specific professional field and grants a post-undergraduate degree.

Profile - The high school profile is a description of your high school and the recent graduates and is sent to colleges with each application. This helps the college understand the type of school from which you are applying and the curricular options available to students. The high school profile usually includes the senior class’ median range of standardized test scores. A college profile helps you, the prospective applicant understand the type of student the institution is looking for.

Recommendations - Letters written for you by two or three teachers who know you well and in whose class you did well (usually junior year teachers). That means that you were an active participant and received good grades. You should ask your teachers in early May as many will write their recommendations over the summer. Be sure to let them know how many colleges you are applying to so that they make copies of their letters. In the fall, give each teacher addressed and stamped envelopes so that they can mail the letters to colleges. Always use LILA as the return address.

Regular admissions - Completed applications are due to the college between September and the closing date set by the college (Jan 1, Jan 15, Feb 15, etc.) Acceptance is not binding and notification of admission decision usually occurs by April 15.

Research university - It can be a large or small institution and usually implies that there are state of the art facilities and notable researchers on the premises working on cutting edge ideas, techniques or products. This can mean excellent opportunities for research, internships and excellent networking opportunities upon graduation.

Resident vs. Non-Resident - Applicants to public institutions usually pay lower tuition rates if they are state residents. Residency requirements vary from state to state.

Retention rate - This is the percentage of students who return for their sophomore year. Look for patterns of specific groups that do not return (women, out of state, foreign, etc.)

Rolling admission - An admission plan whereby admission officers review applicants’ files after all parts of the application are received and turn in a decision within a short time, usually four to six weeks. Acceptance is not binding.

SAT™ (Scholastic Aptitude Test) - The College Board’s test of developed verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities, given on specified dates throughout the year at test centers in the United States and other countries. The SAT is required by many colleges and sponsors of financial aid programs.

SAT Subject Test™ - College Board tests in specific subjects, given at test centers in the United States and other countries on specified dates throughout the year. Used by colleges not only to help with decisions about admission but also in course placement and exemption of enrolled freshmen.

Secondary School Report (SSR) - This is the school’s part (written by the College Counselor) of the application. Students complete the top of the form, and our cover sheet being sure to complete and sign the waiver information. The College Counselor completes the form and writes the letter of recommendation.

Transcript - The official complete copy of a student’s academic record including courses and grades. In the college admission process, this document is traditionally given the most weight.

Wait list - List of students who meet the admission requirements but will only be offered a place in the class if space becomes available. The wait list is usually maintained until August 1st, after the summer melt. Demonstrated interest may help avoid being put on the wait list of a college to which you are qualified and truly interested. A wait list notice may turn out a rejection.

Work study - An arrangement by which a student combines employment and college study. The employment may be an integral part of the academic program (as in cooperative education or internships) or simply a means of paying for college.

Yield ratio - The percentage of students admitted to a college who ultimately attend that college. The yield is often extremely high at selective colleges. To increase their yield ratio some colleges are wait listing or denying students they are certain are using them as a safety college. When past practice shows that students in a particular profile are unlikely to enroll, the college may decide not to send an acceptance. To help let colleges know that you are serious about attending even though you are “high profile,” be sure to show demonstrated interest.