|
|
|
Admissions Glossary
Selected and adapted from:
Academic adviser: a member of the faculty who helps and advises students on academic matters. S/he may also assist students during the registration process.
Accreditation: approval of colleges and universities by nationally recognized professional associations or regional accrediting bodies.
Advanced Placement (AP): AP courses are generally taught at U.S. high schools by teachers who follow the guidelines developed and published by the College Board. According to the information available on the official website http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/Controller.jpf , there are 35 AP exams in 20 subject areas. These exams test the student's ability to perform at a college level. Note: AP courses are not offered in Romania.
Assistantship: financial assistance to a graduate student that is offered in return for certain services: teaching or laboratory supervision as a teaching assistant, or for services in research as a research assistant.
Associate degree: degree granted by a college or university after the satisfactory completion of a two year program of study.
Baccalaureate degree: the degree of "bachelor" conferred upon graduates of most U.S. colleges and universities. Same as "bachelor's degree".
Bachelor's degree: degree awarded by an institution of higher education after the student has accumulated a certain number of credits. Usually a bachelor's degree takes four years of full-time study in the liberal arts and sciences or professional subjects. It is a prerequisite for study in a graduate program.
Campus: the land on which the buildings of a college or university are located.
Class: high school or college students who finish their course in a particular year. Romanian "promotie".
Class rank: a number or ratio indicating a student's academic standing in his or her graduating class. A student who ranks first in a class of 100 students would report his or her class rank as 1/100, while a student ranking last would report 100/100. Class rank may also be expressed in percentiles (for example, the top 25 percent, the lower 50 percent, etc.).
Coed: a college or university that admits both men and women; also refers to a dormitory that houses both men and women.
College: a postsecondary institution that provides undergraduate education and, in some cases, master's level degrees. College may also refer to a division of a university; for example, College of Business.
College/university catalog: an official publication giving information about the academic programs, facilities, entrance requirements, and student life available at that college or university.
Common application: a standard undergraduate application form used by approx. 300 colleges and universities that are subscribers to the Common Application Group. Many nonsubscribing colleges accept the Common Application.
Core requirements: mandatory courses required for completion of a degree.
Course: regularly scheduled class sessions of one to five (or more) hours per week during a term. A degree program is made up of a specified number of required and elective courses and varies from institution to institution.
Credits: units institutions use to record the completion of courses (with passing grades) that are required for an academic degree. The catalog of a college or university defines the number and kinds of credits that are required for a higher education degree and states the value of each course offered in terms of "credit hours" or "units."
Degree: diploma or title conferred by a college, university, or professional school upon completion of a prescribed program of studies.
Department: administrative subdivision of a school, college, or university through which instruction in a certain field of study is given (such as English department or History department, etc.).
Dissertation: thesis written on an original topic of research, usually presented as one of the final requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D.).
Doctorate (Ph.D.): the highest academic degree conferred by a university to students who have completed at least three years of graduate study beyond the bachelor's and/or master's degree and who have demonstrated their academic ability in oral and written examinations and through original research presented in the form of a dissertation.
Dormitories: housing facilities on the campus of a college or university reserved for students. A typical dormitory would include student rooms, bathrooms, common rooms, and possibly a cafeteria. (short: "dorms")
Early action vs. early decision: both programs involve an earlier application deadline and earlier notification of the admissions decision. If you choose to apply Early Decision (ED), you can submit your application to only one institution which is your first educational option. ED programs are binding, which means that, if admitted, you are expected to attend that institution. The problem with ED is that it doesn't allow you to compare financial offers from several universities. Early Action (EA) programs are non binding: if you are admitted, you can still apply to other schools, compare financial offers and then decide which institution to attend.
Electives: courses that students may choose to take for credit toward their intended degree, as distinguished from mandatory courses.
Extracurricular activities: activities outside university courses (sports, arts, other interests).
Faculty: the members of the teaching staff of an educational institution. The faculty is responsible for designing the plans of study offered by the institution.
Fees: amount charged by universities, in addition to tuition, to cover costs of institutional services.
Fellowship: a form of financial assistance usually awarded to a graduate student for remarkable academic performance. Generally, no service is required of the student in return.
Financial aid: a general term that includes all types of money, loans, and work-study programs offered to a student to help pay tuition, fees, and living expenses.
Freshman: a first-year student at a secondary school, college, or university.
Full-time student: a student who is enrolled at a college or university and is taking at least the minimum number of credits to meet the requirement for a full course load.
GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test. See www.mba.com. Usually required for admission to graduate programs in business and management.
Grade: the evaluation of a student's academic work.
Grade Point Average (GPA): a system of recording achievement based on a numerical average, calculated by multiplying the numerical grade received in each course by the number of credit hours studied. Romanian "media generala".
Graduate: a student who has completed a course of study, either at high school or university level.
Graduate program: study course offered by a university to students who already hold a bachelor's degree. Commonly available at universities, not at colleges.
Grant: a form of financial aid.
GRE: Graduate Record Examination. See www.ibo.org. Note: in Romania the IB is administered by two schools: American International School of Bucharest (AISB http://www.aisb.ro/ ) and Mark Twain International School (MTIS http://marktwainschool.ro/) .
International student adviser: the person at a university or college who is in charge of providing information and guidance to international students in such areas as U.S. government regulations, visas, academic regulations, social customs, language, financial or housing problems, travel plans, insurance, and legal matters.
Internship: placement of a student in a work environment in order to acquire professional experience.
Ivy League: originally, a sports league for eight Northeastern private universities: Brown
University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Yale University. Nowadays, the phrase is associated with an exclusive elite education. All these schools tend to be consistently ranked in the top 15 of US News and World Report.
Junior: a third-year student at a secondary school, college, or university.
Lecture: common method of instruction in college and university courses; a professor lectures in classes of 20 to several hundred students. Lectures may be supplemented with regular small group discussions led by teaching assistants.
Liberal arts: a term referring to academic studies combining subjects in the arts, the humanities (language, literature, philosophy), the social sciences (economics, sociology, history, political science), and the sciences (mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry). Also called "liberal arts and sciences" or "arts and sciences." A distinct feature of U.S. higher education.
LSAT: Law School Admission Test. See www.lsat.org. Required for admission to law school, after completion of a Bachelor's degree.
Maintenance: refers to the expenses of attending a university, including room (living quarters) and board (meals), books, clothing, laundry, local transportation, and incidentals. Roughly the same as living expenses.
Major: the subject or area of studies in which a student wishes to concentrate.
Major professor/thesis adviser: the professor who works closely with a student in planning and choosing a research plan, in conducting the research, and in presenting the results. The major professor serves as the head of a committee of faculty members who review progress and results. Relevant mostly to graduate study.
Master's degree: degree awarded upon completion of academic requirements that usually include a minimum of one year's study beyond the bachelor's degree.
Minor: a subject in which the student takes the second greatest concentration of courses.
Need-blind admission: a college admission policy in which the institution claims not to consider an applicant's financial situation when deciding admission.
Nonresident: international students are usually classified as nonresidents; tuition fees and admission policies may differ for residents and nonresidents.
Notarization: the certification of a document, statement or signature as authentic and true by a public official known in the United States as a "notary public".
Part-time student: a student who is enrolled at a university but is not taking the minimum number of credits (usually 12) to meet the university's requirement for a full course load.
Post-doctorate: studies designed for Ph.D. holders.
Pre-departure orientation: session providing practical information for students preparing to study and live in the United States.
Prerequisite: program or course that a student is required to complete before being permitted to enroll in a more advanced program or course.
Registration: process through which students select courses to be taken during a study period. U.S. higher education institutions may divide the academic year in quarters, semesters, or trimesters.
Research assistant (RA): a graduate student who assists a faculty member with his/her research in return for some form of financial aid from the university.
Resident assistant: a person who is in charge of campus dormitories and is usually the first point of contact for students with problems or queries regarding dorm life. Resident Assistants are usually students at the respective college or university and receive free accommodation and other benefits in return for their services. Sometimes called Resident Counselor.
Rolling admission: a university admits and rejects candidates until the freshman class is filled.
SAT: Scholastic Assessment Test. See www.collegeboard.com. Usually required for admission to most U.S. colleges and universities. SAT represents two different tests: a general test (SAT Reasoning) and subject tests in specific fields (SAT Subject Tests).
Scholarship: financial aid, usually given at the undergraduate level, that may take the form of a waiver of tuition and/or fees. Merit scholarship are granted based on outstanding academic achievements, special talents, etc., with no regard to financial need. Presidential or Dean's scholarships are relevant examples. At some colleges, applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships; at other colleges, a separate application is required.
School: a general term used for any place of education. May designate educational divisions in a university, for example School of Education, School of Engineering, etc.
Semester: period of study lasting approximately 15 to 16 weeks or one-half the academic year.
Senior: a fourth-year student at a secondary school, college, or university.
Social Security Number (SSN): a number issued to people by the U.S. government. Anyone who works regularly must obtain a Social Security Number. Many institutions use this number as the student identification number.
Sophomore: Aasecond-year student at a secondary school, college, or university.
Teaching Assistant (TA): a graduate student who acts as instructor for an undergraduate course in his or her field, in return for some form of financial aid from the university.
Term: 7-week long period of study.
Thesis: a written work prepared by a candidate for a bachelor's or master's degree presenting the results of research on a specific topic.
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language. See www.ets.org/toefl . Usually required of applicants who are not native speakers of English in order to assess their ability to communicate in a US campus.
Transcript: a certified copy of a student's educational record, containing titles of course, the number of credits, and the grades in each course. Issued by the education institution attended.
Trimester: period of study consisting of approximately three equal terms of 16 weeks during the academic year.
Tuition: the money an institution charges for instruction and training. Does not include the cost of books.
Undergraduate studies: four-year study programs at a college or university, undertaken after secondary school graduation and leading to the associate or bachelor's degree.
University: a large postsecondary institution that offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
USMLE: United States Medical Licensing Examination that graduates of medical schools outside the U.S. need to take in order to be able to practice medicine in the U.S. See www.usmle.org.
Visa: an endorsement stamped into the passport by the U.S. Consulate which allows a foreign citizen to enter the U.S.. Romanian students admitted to U.S. schools are issued the F1 visa.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our Sponsors
|
|
Our Partners
|
|
|
Testimonials
Read what people that benefited from our grants have to say about their experinece with Fulbright. This is very helpful especially if you would like to take advantage of our current offers.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Facebook
