Preparing My College Vocabulary

Hey guys, I've seen a lot of college-related terms and I'm getting a little confused. Can someone help me by explaining essential college vocabulary I should be familiar with?

Absolutely! Here's a list of essential college vocabulary terms you should get familiar with:

1. Admissions: The process through which colleges and universities accept students.

2. Early Decision (ED): A binding application process in which you apply early to your top-choice school. If you're admitted, you must attend that college and withdraw all other applications.

3. Early Action (EA): A non-binding application process in which you apply early and receive a decision earlier, but are not committed to enroll if accepted.

4. Regular Decision (RD): The standard application process where you apply by a specified deadline, and colleges notify you of their decision typically by April 1st. You have until May 1st to accept the college’s offer.

5. Rolling Admissions: Admission policies where colleges review applications as they are received and make decisions on a rolling basis.

6. Waitlist: A list of applicants who were not initially offered admission but may be considered for acceptance if spots become available.

7. Deferred: A decision made by a college to delay reviewing an early application until the Regular Decision round.

8. Yield: The percentage of accepted students who choose to enroll at a college.

9. Reach, Target, and Safety Schools: Reach schools are those where your academic credentials fall below the school's average; Target schools are where your academic credentials are in line with the school's average; Safety schools are those where your academic credentials are above the school's average, and you have a high chance of acceptance. CollegeVine's free chancing engine can help you get a sense for which category a particular school falls into for you: https://www.collegevine.com/admissions-calculator.

10. Financial Aid: Monetary assistance provided by a college, federal and state governments, or other organizations to help pay for college.

11. Grants and Scholarships: Types of financial aid that don't need to be repaid.

12. Work-Study: A federally-funded program that allows qualifying students to work part-time on or off campus to help pay for college costs.

13. FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a form required to be eligible for federal, state, and many institutional financial aid programs. Required by just about every college to be eligible for financial aid.

14. CSS Profile: A financial aid application required by some colleges that, along with the FAFSA, determines your eligibility for institutional aid.

16. Major: The primary field of study that a student chooses to focus on during their undergraduate years.

17. Minor: A secondary field of study that complements a student's major or allows them to explore additional interests.

18. Liberal Arts: A curriculum that focuses on general knowledge and transferable skills in a variety of disciplines like humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.

19. College vs. University: Colleges typically focus on undergraduate education, while universities offer both undergraduate and graduate programs.

20. Private vs. Public: Private colleges are funded by tuition, fees, and donations, while public colleges receive state funding and typically charge lower tuition for in-state residents.

This list should give you a solid understanding of the most essential college vocabulary terms. There are others out there that you may encounter as you research and apply to college, though, so don't hesitate to reach out for clarification on anything you come across that isn't on this list!

Good luck with your college search!