“Language is the dress of thought”
~Samuel Johnson

Getting started in college can seem like an uphill battle. One of the first challenges a student can encounter is navigating the college’s website. In the attempt to get as much information as possible into the hands of current and future students, college websites are crammed full of information and language that may be new to the first-time college student. Trying to figure out how to get started can be confusing, even when the web site says, “Steps To Enroll.”  Registration, admission, enrollment… are they all the same thing? If you are registered, are you admitted and enrolled? Is enrollment in the college the same thing as enrollment in classes? And that’s just the beginning of the potential for confusion! How can a student know the answers to these questions?

Learning to speak the “language of college” can seem even harder than learning a foreign language because as a new student, you have no idea what words you need to learn. If you travel to a foreign country, you know there are core vocabulary words you will need. Things that will get you the food you like and services you need. Basic needs like bread and water can be correlated among different languages. A dog is a dog all over the world and not confused with a cat. The vocabulary of college is not so straightforward.

One of the first decisions a student may need to make is if they are planning to attend college as a degree seeking or a non-degree seeking student. Even more confusing, non-degree students can also be referred to as “community education” students or “personal enrichment students” or “non credit students “For example, a student wants to take a drawing class. One of the first questions that may be asked is whether the student wants to take the class for credit or non-credit, or for a degree or for personal enrichment? Both types of students can take drawing classes. If a student doesn’t know what a credit is or what one is worth, it’s hard to answer the basic question in order to register for the drawing class, and the registration process is very different depending on the answer to the questions above. . How can a student know if he/she wants to be a “credit student” or not, or a degree seeking student or not?

What is the difference between a credit and non-credit student?

Credit Students or Degree Seeking are working towards either a career/technical certificate or degree program at Chemeketa, or are taking courses that will be eligible to transfer for a program at another college or university. In some cases, students take courses that are offered for credit for personal reasons or skills updating, even if they do not need the college credit.

Noncredit, Community Education Students, or Personal Enrichment Students are taking courses for personal or professional interest. Non-credit and Community Education classes do not offer college credit, but in some cases community education students can earn community education units, certification or other evidence of class completion to meet personal or professional requirements.. Noncredit classes are offered at many different locations. Noncredit community education students can take advantage of many college services. Students, who have their major listed as Personal Enrichment but are taking classes towards a degree, should take to an advisor to change their major so that credits earned count towards a degree.

One important difference between credit and non-credit/community education courses is whether a student will be able to use Federal Student Aid to pay for the courses. Check with the specific college you are interested in attending to see whether you can use Federal Student Aid for tuition in the program, you want to study. Another important difference may be in the transfer ability of the course work to other institutions. A student may find credit classes are easier to transfer than non-credit classes. The importance of this factor would depend on the long-term goal of the student. The key to answering the question of credit or non-credit lies in determining what program of study a student will pursue and how the college of choice classifies that program. Learning to speak the language of the college is part of learning the school’s culture. It is important to remember that not all colleges use the same words in the same way.

Commonly Used Academic Vocabulary Used At Chemeketa Community College

Below is a list of commonly used terminology at Chemeketa Community College. Without using the Internet or college catalog, see how many words you know the meaning of. Write the meaning in the space adjacent to the term.

*A list of the definitions to the vocabulary words listed is provided at the end of the chapter.

As a college student, you will need to come up with a strategy for learning lots of information, like the specific language of your school. Tim Ferris has a TED Talk about mastering skills by deconstructing them. When you deconstruct something, it means to take something large, and break it down into smaller parts. It also means to identify why you might fail before you start and make a plan to stop failure before it happens.

Axis of Awesome is a comic music group that has created a funny video demonstrating simplicity and seeing the common factor among songs.

Tim Ferriss: How To Feel Like the Incredible Hulk (TED Talk)

Video: https://youtu.be/iPE2_iCCo0w

Axis of Awesome: 4 Chord Song

Video: https://youtu.be/5pidokakU4I

Based on the ideas of simplifying and deconstructing a task to learn it, think of how those ideas could be applied to mastering the language of college.

• Can you see any ways to simplify the task of learning 30 words?
• Are there any connections between the words that you can see?
• Will you need all the words all the time?
• Will you need some words more frequently than others?
• When and where might you need each of the works?
• Can you think of any words not included in this list that would be helpful to know in relationship to your college vocabulary?

List the ideas you come up with in the space below:

Core Academic Vocabulary Used At Chemeketa Community College

Licenses and Attributions

Original chapter work is attributed to Alise Lamoreaux. Chapter editing and additional work on the chapter is attributed to Grecia Garcia and Ashley Duran.