| College Admissions In The United States |
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OVERVIEW Although most educational institutions in the U.S. are , Business , Engineering , or technical curriculum while others may emphasize a Liberal Arts curriculum. Many combine some or all of the above. Two-year Colleges offer the Associates Degree (A.A.) and four-year colleges offer the Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor Of Sciences (B.S.) degree. These are usually primarily Undergraduate institutions, although some might have limited programs at the Graduate level. Universities service both Undergraduate and Graduate student bodies. Graduate Programs grant a variety of Master's Degree s including M.B.A. s or M.F.A. s. The highest academic degree is the Ph.D. Medical School s award M.D. s while Law School s award the J.D. Four-year institutions in the U.S. which emphasize the liberal arts are Liberal Arts College s. These colleges traditionally emphasize interactive instruction (although research is still a component of these institutions). They are known for being Residential and for having smaller enrollment, class size, and teacher-student ratios than Universities . These colleges also encourage a high level of teacher-student interaction at the center of which are classes taught by full-time faculty rather than Graduate Student TAs (who teach the classes at Research I and other Universities ). The colleges are either Coeducational , Women's Colleges , or Men's Colleges . Some are Historically Black Colleges . Some are also Secular (or Not Affiliated With A Particular Religion) while others are involved in Religious Education . Many are Private . Some are Public Liberal Arts Colleges . In addition, colleges such as Hampshire College , Beloit College , Pitzer College , Sarah Lawrence College , Bennington College , New College Of Florida , and Reed College offer Experimental Curriculums . Public and Private Universities are research-oriented institutions which service both an Undergraduate and Graduate student body. These institutions usually have a large student body. Introductory seminars can have a class size in the hundreds. The interaction between students and full-time faculty is limited as compared to liberal arts colleges. Many undergraduate classes are taught by Graduate Student TAs . LIST OF SCHOOLS See Also: List of American institutions of higher education APPLICATION PROCESS Students can apply to some colleges using the Common Application . There is no limit to the number of colleges or universities to which a student may apply, though an application must be submitted for each. With a few exceptions, most undergraduate colleges and universities maintain the policy that students are to be admitted to (or rejected from) the entire college, not to a particular Department or Major (This is unlike college admissions in many European countries, as well as graduate admissions). Some students, rather than being rejected, are "wait-listed" for a particular college and may be admitted if another student who was admitted decides not to attend the college or university. Admitted students may also be awarded financial aid. There are two kinds of financial aid: Need-based aid is awarded entirely on the financial specifics of the student's family, while merit-based aid ( Scholarship s) are given to students judged to show exceptional academic promise. Depending on the size and values of the school, admissions criteria can vary from being almost entirely formulaic (based upon Standardized Test scores, Class Rank , grades, and a few other numerical factors) to involving a significant subjective component evaluating the student's "fit" for the institution. Some schools do not require or even accept the SAT s for admission and thus are part of the SAT Optional Movement . Early Decision, Early Action, and Rolling Admission Many schools have implemented a system through which students can apply at a time other than the most common deadline (January 1st of the senior year) to lighten the load on students and admissions officers.
Need-blind, need-Aware admission and guaranteeing to meet full need In Need-blind admission, applicants are evaluated without regard to their ability to pay. However, need-blind admission does not necessarily mean that the financial need of an admitted student will be met. Only a handful of schools in the U.S. guarantee to meet 100% of the demonstrated financial need of all admitted students. All students applying for financial aid must complete the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Many colleges and universities, particularly those who provide financial assistance beyond federal and state aid from their budgets or endowments, require additional forms from applicants. International students have additional forms to complete before they can enroll, including a statement of finances required by the U.S. government. RANKINGS Two well known 's '' "College Rankings" issue. {Link without Title} 2007 movement See Also: Criticism of college and university rankings (2007 United States) On '' and the '' Council Of Independent Colleges .'' On 22 June 2007 , '' U.S. News And World Report '' editor Robert Morse issued a response in which he argued, "in terms of the peer Assessment survey, we at ''U.S. News'' firmly believe the survey has significant value because it allows us to measure the " Intangibles " of a college that we can't measure through Statistical Data . Plus, the Reputation of a school can help get that all-important first job and plays a key part in which grad school someone will be able to get into. The peer survey is by nature Subjective , but the technique of asking industry leaders to rate their competitors is a commonly accepted practice. The results from the peer survey also can act to level the playing field between Private and Public Colleges ." 4In reference to the alternative database discussed by the Annapolis Group, Morse also argued, "It's important to point out that the Annapolis Group's stated goal of presenting college data in a common format has been tried before {Link without Title} ''U.S. News'' has been supplying this exact college information for many years already. And it appears that NAICU will be doing it with significantly less comparability and functionality. ''U.S. News'' first collects all these data (using an agreed-upon set of definitions from the Common Data Set). Then we post the data on our website in easily accessible, comparable tables. In other words, the Annapolis Group and the others in the NAICU initiative actually are following the lead of ''U.S. News''." 5 SEE ALSO
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