Abbreviation Thread

[dadofsam]

Per popular request(s)

Here's a start

LAC - liberal arts college (I don't know that there is a sepcific definition)

HYP - Harvard/Yale/Princeton
HYPS - Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford
HYPSM - Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford/MIT
HYPSMC - add Caltech

HBCU-historically black colleges/universities

ROFLOL - rolling on the floor/laughing out loud

Others, please add

[jmmom]

AWS - Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore meaning specifically those three or a stand-in for most selective LACS

ED-Early Decision (binding)
ED1, ED2 - two different deadlines for schools which have them; usually around Nov 1 for ED1, Jan _ for ED2
EA-Early Action (non-binding)
SCEA-Single Choice Early Action (non-binding but can apply to only one early school)

FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid (I think) - the form you need to fill out for aid at very many colleges/univs
CSS Profile - the form you need to fill out for aid at some colleges/univs (often in addition to FAFSA)

URM-under-represented minority

[sybbie719]

ADCOM- Admissions Committee

[jym626]

dadofsam-
Is the "c" after Stanford on your list always Cal Tech? When folks do the HYP alphabet salad, the "C" is often either Columbia or Cornell, yes? No matter, I suppose.

Then you've got:
BWRK - Bright, well-rounded kid
JK- Just kidding
NMF- National Merit Finalist
NMSF -National Merit Semifinalist
IMO- In my opinion
FWIW -For what its worth
and my personal favorite, used by my younger s when I walk by his computer :
PLOS - Parent looking over shoulder

[1moremom]

PLOS-->ROFL!

[ohio_mom]

BTW - by the way
BUMP - bring up my post
D - Daughter
S - Son
DD / DS - Dear or Darling Daughter/Son

[jym626]

ohiomom-
Don't forget DH or DW (darling husband/wife)
also forgot ID - Interim decision (term used by some schools instead of Early Action)

also, IMHO - In my humble opinion
TTFN -tata for now
UC's Univeristy of California schools
UIUC - Univ of Illinois- Urbana Champaign (which, when I was young, was always Champaign-Urbana, what happened?? Did they not want the acronym to be U-ICU??!!?? (you- I see you) Sounds like a peeping Tom)
WUSTL - Washington U - St. Louis
BRB- Be right back

[ohio_mom]

IMNSHO - in my not so humble opinion
SIL/BIL - Sister/Brother in Law

PENN may refer to University of Pennsylvania or Penn State, so specify UPENN / Penn State (or PSU) to avoid really massive confusion.

[curmudgeon]

COA-Cost of attendance, R +B- room and board, FA -financial aid,W+L-Washington and Lee,W+J-Washington and Jefferson, CTCL-Colleges That Change Lives, and here's one unique to discussions of colleges, the increasingly more popular FU-Furman University. And another one Columbia-SEAS -science,engineering and applied sciences-also known as the FU Foundation. Both of those can get you in trouble on other boards.

[ohio_mom]

How could we forget -

EFC - Estimated Family Contribution

[BLUMINI]

Does EFC = estimated financial cost or commitment?

Oops! Now, I know!

[bogororo]

for intels(Internationals), there is also the ISFAA - International Student Financial Aid Application, sometimes called the FSFAA - Foreign Student Financial Aid Application.

[celebrian25]

CSU- California State university system
CUNY- City University of New York system
SUNY- State University of New York system

I didn't know these when I first came so I figured someone else must be clueless too

[texastaximom]

PMs -personal messages as in "check your pms"

[ohio_mom]

OSU - The Ohio *State* University
OU - Ohio University

I still don't know the best way of distinguishing the Miami University in Ohio from the University of Miami in Florida. Wesleyan's are also a problem.