Higher Education Vocabulary: Part 2
More Vocab… and How You Should Use It!
Let’s a get a few things straight when it comes to degree plans. First, the college might have a pre-outlined plan for you to meet your degree requirements in 4 years. Check out these from the University of Colorado as an example. I would advise you to ask if there is one and keep that as your guiding light once you’re a student. BUT as someone working through the college search and application process, you want the degree plan for a few different reasons.
You want to see how many courses you can take in your major subject area. For some degrees, it’s only 30ish credits out of the required 120.
You want to see if you have capacity to pursue a double major, dual degree, and or add in a minor and still graduate in 4-5 years.
You may be able to notice if your AP or IB courses meet any of your general education requirements. This can help you create space for a secondary area of study or, in some cases, graduate early. Early graduation is a great way to save money and also helpful if you’re looking to pursue a graduate degree.
Gathering all of this information as part of your college search process can help you better choose the best program for you AND you can develop better questions than “how is your X program?” (the answer will be “great” every time…) or “Do you have X major”? If you have meaningful understanding, you can ask more meaningful questions.
Gen. Ed. (General Education)
Subjects that the university requires all students to take to help them build a well-rounded education. Typically, you have a wide variety of courses that will meet various general education requirements. These courses can be done all during freshman or sophomore year OR you can weave them into your entire 4 year experience. Talk to your academic advisor to see which plan works best for you.
WHY YOU CARE
Some students feel “gen eds” are something to “get out of the way”, but I would encourage you to frame these differently. These courses are a great way to explore your interests while building valuable skill sets that will serve you later. I would encourage you to think of these as exploration opportunities. Most students change their major an average of 3 times. Take the opportunity to learn more about the world and run with it. It could bring you somewhere really exciting.
Elective
Electives are classes that aren’t specifically required for a student’s major and aren’t general education classes.
WHY YOU CARE
Students take electives to fill their program’s credit hour requirements or simply to expand their education. You can choose to be exploratory with electives but you can also target them and be very strategic by taking courses that will earn a minor or a double major/dual degree.
Academic Advisor
Someone who will help you plan what classes you’re going to take, rearrange your class schedule, and offer advice on careers or college life.
WHY YOU CARE
This is the person you will be working the closest with outside of your faculty once you’re a student on campus. This person can help you be as efficient as possible with your course selections. See if you can meet with this person during your campus visit!
That’s all for now, folks! Remember that the more information you have, the better you can ask questions. Better questions give you better information that will help you make an informed decision when choosing which universities to apply to and ultimately attend.
Talk soon!
Veronica
