Question: I've just started to investigate colleges and have come across a great number of words that are completely foreign to me. Can you help me with such puzzling words as registrar, bursar and audit? - High-School Senior
Answer: You are definitely not alone. Most high-school students are unfamiliar with many of the terms commonly used by colleges. The following definitions should be helpful:
Audit - to take a class for informational purposes; no credit is given.
Bursar's Office - the money center where tuition and fees are paid.
Class Standing - represents the number of credits needed to advance from one level to another, such as from freshman to sophomore status.
Core Curriculum - the group of courses required of all undergraduate students regardless of their major.
Credits - generally one hour of class time a week equals one credit. A certain number of credits is required for a major, a minor and graduation. Electives - courses outside your major area of study that count in the total graduation requirements.
Independent Study - courses allowing students to do individual work on projects or topics of special interest under the supervision of faculty members.
Major - a concentration of related courses in which a student chooses to specialize, such as economics, French or music. A major is required for graduation.
Minor - a clustering of related courses for the purpose of providing individual depth in a subject that is in addition to a student's major. A minor might or might not be required for graduation.
Orientation - a program before college begins that acquaints students with campus life, academic expectations and classmates. It is also a time to meet with advisers and to register for courses.
Pass/Fail - Students receive either a grade of "P" for passing or "F" for failing upon completing a course. Prerequisites - a course or courses that must be taken before enrolling in a specific course.
Registrar's Office - the college office responsible for registering students and keeping academic records.
Syllabus - an outline for a course containing course information, reading lists, requirements and test dates.
Transcript - an official copy of a student's educational record.