Re: CHAT: University Advice (was Re: A bit of advice)

Mangiat wrote:

> Er... I know I'm only a peripheric guy from Southern Europe and that the
> thread is already going on, but could you please explain me what the heck do
> all those initaials mean? Since I'm in the 4th year of High School from this
> week and I'll have to choose my University in the next 18-20 months, I'd be
> interested at least to understand what you're saying (the only thing I know
> is the meaning of BA and BS).
SAT = scholastic aptitude test:  the test that all Americans have to take to
get into undergraduate programs.
GRE = graduate record exam:  the same, but that undergrads take to get into
gradschool
AP = advanced placement, taken as tests to skip college courses if the
college accepts them. Acceptance of the credit depends on the individual
university. UT and most state schools accept a lot; most Ivy-League
colleges, like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, do not.  Whether they do or not
has a lot to do with the reputation of the school, how many people attend
that school (and thus how much they need to decrease class size), and
school politics.  They should, however, have a straightforward policy on
what tests they accept with what scores, and what they don't (A lot of
schools might accept the tests for credit only if you get a 4 or 5, the top
two scores).

> Anyway here in Italy we can't get a degree in
> Linguistics : ( You can get a degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures +
> specialization in Glottology, AFAIK.
Doesn't the University of Bologna have a good program that approximates
linguistics?  I know Umberto Eco teaches there.

Robert Hailmain wrote:

> > Now that I really have to start applying soon, I'm having this huge
> > inner battle over whether or not to bother retaking the SATs...is there
> > really such a thing as taking them *too* much like some people say there
> > is?
The dictum usually goes:  "Take it again and again and again, but not again."
That means that you should take it as many times as you feel comfortable,
but don't take it too often because colleges will begin to worry.

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Tom Wier   |     "Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."
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