Download college lingo - Aspen School District

DISCOVERY COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE: COLLEGE LINGO
PUBLIC:
A public college or university is an institution of higher learning that is predominantly funded by public
means. Public colleges and universities generally rely on subsidies from their state government/state funds.
States charge higher tuition to out-of-state students. The higher fees are based on the theory that students
from the state, or much more often their parents, have contributed to subsidizing the university by paying state
taxes, while out-of-state students and their parents have not.
PRIVATE:
A private college or university is an independent school that sets its own policies and goals, and is privately
funded. Private colleges are supported by tuition, endowment, and donations from alumni and friends.
Usually, private institutions are more expensive than public ones, but it does depend on the school. Privates
typically offer the best financial aid for those who qualify in the form of need-based financial aid and/or meritbased scholarships.
COLLEGE:
A college is an institution of higher learning that may stand alone or make up one part of a university. Single
colleges tend to be smaller than universities. Small schools usually only have undergraduate programs.
At a college, classes will be small, professors will likely know your name, most of your fellow students will live
in on-campus housing, and you may know most of them. You'll have an easier time participating both in class
and in student activities.
Private colleges are typically more limited in options than either public or private universities. It might not have
your area of study, or if you want to change your major, the program you want may not be available. Yet one of
the benefits of a small college is even though they have fewer options for majors, the programs that are
available are usually more focused, with greater access to faculty.
UNIVERSITY:
Generally, universities are larger and more independent than colleges. They are more likely to offer graduate
courses and degrees. Colleges offer a collection of degrees in one specific area while a university is a
collection of colleges. When you go to a university you will graduate from one of their colleges. Larger
institutions have a wide variety of majors and are more likely to have the area you want to study.
At a large university with big classes, you can easily be lost in the sea of faces, and your professor might go
the entire semester not knowing your name. This is an advantage for students who do not feel comfortable
participating in class, but a disadvantage if you need special help from the instructor. If you are an independent
learner, a large college may be a good fit.
Universities generally have a wider and more diverse variety of student organizations to join. At a small
college, students may need to (or have the opportunity to) start a club whereas at a university, the choices will
be seemingly endless. Universities also typically have more extensive campus facilities (movie theaters,
bowling alleys, cafeterias, hospitals, stadiums, libraries, etc.)
RETENTION RATE:
This is the percentage of a school’s first-time, first-year undergraduate students who continue at that school
the next year. A low retention rate can indicate student dissatisfaction and should be questioned.
EARLY ACTION:
Early action is an accelerated college application process in which students typically complete their
applications in November. In most cases, students will receive a decision before the new year. Some reasons
to consider early action include:
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At many colleges, the acceptance rates are higher for early action than for regular admission.
Early action is not binding -- students are free to apply to other colleges.
Students can apply early to other colleges (unless it is early action restrictive)
Although students receive early notification of an acceptance, they do not need to make a decision until
the usual May 1 deadline. This allows time to figure out financial aid.
If accepted early at a college, the spring of a student's senior year can be far less stressful.
Even if accepted early, a student can choose to go to a different college with no penalty.
EARLY ACTION (RESTRICTIVE AKA SINGLE CHOICE EARLY ACTION):
Single-choice early action, also known as restrictive early action is a non-binding option for students who
have completed a thorough college search and are confident in their first choice. (Only offered at Boston
College, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Yale).
Admission decisions are released mid-December, and admitted students have until May 1 to respond to their
admission offer, which allows them to compare financial aid awards across institutions. To students who apply
for financial aid, the institution provides an estimated award at the time of admission.
Single choice has the benefits of early action except that applicants agree not to apply to any other private
college/university under an Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, Early Decision or Early Notification program.
Exceptions are as follows:
 The student may apply to any public college/university with a non-binding early option.
 The student may apply to any college/university with a non-binding rolling process.
 The student may apply to any foreign college/university on any application schedule.
EARLY DECISION:
Early decision is an accelerated application process in which students typically complete their applications in
November. In most cases, students receive a decision from the college before the new year. Unlike early
action, early decision is binding. If admitted, a student is committing to attend that institution and must withdraw
all other college applications. Because of the restrictions, a student should not apply early decision unless he
or she is 100% sure that the college is the best choice and they have discussed the decision with their family.
ED plans have come under fire as unfair to students from low-income families since they do not have the
opportunity to compare financial aid offers. Students with concerns about college affordability are advised to
use the individual college’s NET PRICE CALCULATOR (on the web) to determine financial eligibility and your
family’s expected family contribution (EFC)
Admission rates for "early" applicants tend to be higher than the overall admission rates for the institution; this
is particularly true of the most selective colleges. Candidates who apply "early" can only present colleges with
their transcripts through the end of junior year and should have strong transcripts.
Typically, a candidate who has applied early decision can receive one of three outcomes in December:
admitted, rejected or deferred. If deferred, they will be reconsidered for admission with the second round of
early decision applications or with the regular decision pool and notified later with their final decision. Generally
when an applicant is deferred he or she is released from their binding early decision agreement.
ROLLING ADMISSION:
With rolling admission, students have a window of time during which they can apply. The application process
typically opens up in the early fall and it may continue right through the summer. Unlike a regular admission
process with a firm deadline, rolling admission applicants are often notified of their acceptance or rejection
within a few weeks of applying.
A college with rolling admission typically accepts applications for as long as spaces are available. Applicants
should realize that in many cases, applying early during rolling admission improves the chance of acceptance.
While there may be no application deadline, there typically are deadlines for scholarships, financial aid and
housing. A late application may make it impossible to get any decent financial aid.