Glossary and Resources for
Students and Parents
GLOSSARY
Early Action: An application plan that allows students to apply and be notified of an admission decision prior to the regular application and notification schedule. Usually, the deadline is November 1st, and applicants are notified in mid-December. Under this plan, students are allowed to apply to other colleges and universities.
​
Early Decision: A binding application plan under the same time frame as Early Action. If accepted, the Early Decision applicant must enroll in the university and withdraw any applications to other colleges or universities.
​
Restrictive Early Action: Similar to Early Action except that it restricts a student’s ability to apply early to other institutions.
​
Rolling Admissions: There are no fixed application deadlines, and each student’s application is reviewed and accepted or rejected as it is received until the class is filled.
​
Award Letter: The document sent to an accepted student by a college that lists the amount and type of financial aid offered.
​
Certification of Finances: The purpose of the Certification of Finances is to help colleges and universities obtain complete and accurate information about the funds available to international applicants who want to study in the United States.
​
Cost of Attendance (COA): The total cost of attending a college or university, which includes:
Books, Computer and Supplies
Room and Board
Travel Expenses and Personal Expenses
Tuition and Fees
Health Insurance
BOOKS TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE COLLEGE PROCESS
Coburn & Treeger. Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years.
​
Faber & Mazlish. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk.
​
Jones & Ginzburg. Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond.
​
Roger W Mc Intire. College Keys: Getting in, Doing well, and Avoiding the 4 BIG Mistakes.
​
Frank Bruni. Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania.
​
Patricia Pasick. Almost Grown: Launching Your Child from High School to College.
​
Jacques Steinberg. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College.
​
Richard Weissbourd. The Parents We Mean To Be. How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children’s Moral and Emotional Development.
​
Jeffrey Selingo. Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions.