Overview

Snapp contains a number of enumerations (i.e., value lists). These enumerations range from a list of states and provinces, to grading scales, to essay prompts. This section provides detail about a few noteworthy enumerations in the Snapp data standard. Where possible, an external reference is provided to give some insight into how we picked the values. 

The enumerations and values are listed in full in the Snapp Profile XSD, and the documentation downloadable from the Snapp Data Standard Resources section of this site.

Details

This section contains detail and usage notes about the enumerations in Snapp:

Citizenship Status

Some scholarship programs directly serve DREAMers and other individuals who have current or pending DACA status. The previous version of Snapp has citizenship values that plausibly apply, but no explicit indication of DACA status. We have added two DACA-specific values to the Citizenship Status List enumeration in Snapp: Current DACA Status and Pending DACA Application.

In addition, the federal Student Aid Report (SAR) has statuses not represented in Snapp, but likely meaningful to scholarship programs. We have added the following SAR values to the same Citizenship Status List enumeration:

• Conditional Permanent Resident
• FAFSA-Eligible Non-Citizen
• Asylum-Seeker or Asylee
• Cuban or Haitian Entrant
• Humanitarian Parolee

Gender Identity

This list represents an amalgam of values represented by the LBGTQIA acronym and from various studies, sources such as the GLAAD Media Reference Guide, and the values in use by partners. "Prefer to Self-Identify" or similar inclusive language is used to indicate a free-form entry for this value. The user interface should not use the term "Other," as it has negative connotations. However, we do include "Other" in the value text as a hint for technologists and analysts doing data mapping.

General - Other Values

Many enumerations have an "Other" value. If an Other value is present, it's usually at the bottom of the list (in the XSD). Most enumerations with an "Other" value have a companion text field to provide additional information. For example, entities that reference the CountryList enumeration have a CountryOther text field to contain the name of a country not provided in the enumeration.

General - List Sorting

Those delving into the Snapp XSD have asked about the convention we use to sort enumeration values. Enumeration lists in the standard are sorted via the following approach:

General - Other Values

Many enumerations have an "Other" value. If an Other value is present, it's usually at the bottom of the list (in the XSD). Most enumerations with an "Other" value have a companion text field to provide additional information. For example, entities that reference the CountryList enumeration have a CountryOther text field to contain the name of a country not provided in the enumeration.

General - List Sorting

Those delving into the Snapp XSD have asked about the convention we use to sort enumeration values. Enumeration lists in the standard are sorted via the following approach:

• If a list has a natural order, such as an increasing amount, a sequence of events, a typical order in everyday use, or a graph of associations, we generally sort by that.
• If there is no natural sequence, we fall back to alphabetic.
• An "Other" value is typically the last item.
• A "None" or "Not Selected" is added to the end of a list (immediately above "Other," if present).

Citizenship Status

The Citizenship Status enumeration in Snapp is an amalgam of values from the U.S. government classifications and federal Student Aid Report (SAR).

Gender Identity

This list represents an amalgam of values represented by the LBGTQIA acronym and from various studies, sources such as the GLAAD Media Reference Guide, and the values in use by partners. "Prefer to Self-Identify" or similar inclusive language is used to indicate a free-form entry for this value. The user interface should not use the term "Other," as it has negative connotations. However, we do include "Other" in the value text as a hint for technologists and analysts doing data mapping.

AttachedFileTypeList

Used by Student.AttachedFile.FileDescription. Contains a structured list of file types. Many of the types are, by design, general in nature, usually where implementers have requested the ability to exchange a type of attachment but where norms aren't established in the application space.

By convention, the following usage is recommended for each type:

EssayTypeList

The Snapp Data Standard supports the exchange of essays. From a student's perspective, this is perhaps one of the most useful pieces of information to share between applications. The EssayTypeList enumeration values provide the means of identifying the subject or type of essay – usually defined by an essay prompt.

To establish the list of essays, the Snapp team reviews use by current implementers and also does an annual survey of essay prompts in the scholarship application space.

The Snapp EssayTypeList enumeration mapped to a sample of real-world application prompts follows, along with annotations on which version(s) of the Snapp Data Standard includes the type.

SchoolYearList

Snapp provides a structured list of "School Year" values.

• By convention, "College Year 5" through "College Year 8" means a 5th through 8th year of working toward one's bachelor's degree.
• By convention, "Graduate School" years may apply toward a master's or doctoral degree. 
• The Scholarship Purpose and Enrollment School Program can provide additional details about the intended enrollments of an applicant.

StateOrProvinceList

Snapp currently has structured values for North American states and provinces. We want to allow students to indicate mailing and physical addresses in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico – including U.S. territories and outlying areas, armed services addresses, and similar.

There was no single standard or ISO specification that perfectly served this purpose, so we combined a few references.

• For the U.S., we largely relied on postal codes (which include armed forces address values not included in the common ISO references). See Wikipedia here, for example.
• For Canada, we also relied on postal codes – which align with the ISO 3166-2 standard. See Wikipedia here, for example. For standardization and readability, we used the prefix-code format (e.g., CA-NB for New Brunswick). 
• For Mexico, we also relied on postal codes. Rumor has it that the postal service in Mexico doesn't publish an official list. For readability and consistency, we aligned with the approach we took for Canada and used a prefix-two-letter-code format. Most values included are mappable to ISO 3166-2. See Wikipedia here, for example, for the codes and the mapping. 
• The Mexican state of Guanajuato is represented in Snapp as "MX-GT". Implementers have noted that GJ is the more common code, so they would have expected MX-GJ. We have a ticket to verify and update, if needed, in a future version of Snapp.