Unit 1: Vocabulary from Readings 3

This list covers Remarks by the President in a National Address to America’s Schoolchildren, "An Early Start on College," "Why College Isn’t (And Shouldn’t Have to Be) For Everyone," and "Actually, College Is Very Much Worth It."
15 words 61 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ingenuity
    the property of showing inventiveness and skill
    You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
  2. dual
    consisting of two parts or components, usually in pairs
    Taking advanced, dual -enrollment classes made a big difference in Paj Ntaub Lee's life.
  3. legislature
    an assembly that makes, amends, or repeals laws
    Her experience should be shared by more Minnesota students, and the Legislature should expand the programs that make that possible.
  4. baccalaureate
    an academic degree on completion of undergraduate studies
    Minnesota students can participate in one of five dual-credit options—Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, postsecondary options, concurrent enrollment programs or Project Lead the Way, which allows students to take courses in technical and scientific areas.
  5. remedial
    tending or intended to rectify or improve
    A 2010 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities report showed that 53 percent of those who enrolled in a Minnesota public college within two years of graduation had to take at least one remedial course.
  6. statute
    an act passed by a legislative body
    To expand the options to include more students, the CSC report rightly recommends that the Legislature change the statutes to allow ninth and tenth graders to participate and to allow colleges and universities to advertise about the savings.
  7. prestigious
    having an excellent reputation; respected
    A degree from a prestigious university can open doors to elite business schools and law schools—and to jobs paying hundreds of thousands, if not millions, a year.
  8. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    So parents who can afford it are paying grotesque sums to give their kids an edge.
  9. burnish
    polish and make shiny
    The same intensifying competition is affecting mid-range colleges and universities that are doing everything they can to burnish their own brands—competing with other mid-range institutions to enlarge their applicant pools, attract good students, and inch upward on the U.S. News college rankings.
  10. platoon
    a group of persons who are engaged in a common activity
    For example, the emerging economy will need platoons of technicians able to install, service, and repair all the high-tech machinery filling up hospitals, offices, and factories.
  11. venture capitalist
    a speculator who makes money available for innovative projects (especially in high technology)
    Earlier this month, New York Magazine devoted almost 4,000 words to profiling venture capitalists (and college graduates) James Altucher and Peter Thiel and their efforts to convince Americans that they’d be better off skipping college.
  12. internship
    the position of working for an expert to learn a profession
    Thiel is even creating a $100,000 fellowship for young people who agree to delay going to college in favor of an internship.
  13. helm
    a position of leadership
    And what about all the people who didn’t finish college and are not at the helm of a wildly successful venture?
  14. bootstrap
    help oneself, often through improvised means
    The stories of entrepreneurs who bootstrapped themselves are exciting but most of us are not a Gates or Zuckerberg.
  15. naysayer
    someone with an aggressively negative attitude
    So before heeding the advice of the college naysayers, make sure you understand the stakes and the odds.
Created on Tue Jan 12 08:39:30 EST 2021 (updated Tue Jan 12 11:32:01 EST 2021)

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