Against the backdrop of traditional measures of college readiness (i.e., high school GPA, standardized test scores, and high school rank), the consideration of "non-cognitive" factors marked a significant departure when they were first discussed as integral aspects of college success. Used to refer to any characteristic, ability or disposition that was theorized to affect college success or retention, the term "non-cognitive" became a kind of a catchall for any variables beyond those "cognitive" or "intellectual" variables listed above. However, the term "non-cognitive" is now and has always been a misnomer, used to refer to a vast array of constructs, many of which reflect cognitive process. Now, this could be considered simply a semantic issue; "non-cognitive," "dispositional" or "non-academic," what difference does it make if there is shared understanding of what the term refers to? The problem is that there isn't shared understanding and as a result this essential area of study has been compromised by critiques and misunderstandings, causing not only confusion about how these factors affect college readiness, but also general skepticism about their utility in predicting college success. It seems, then, that for more transparent discourses to take place about the multifaceted nature of college readiness, this crucial area of research must be recast, enhancing the clarity of the field in order to provide a linguistic grounding for future research. With this in mind, as a preliminary step the author proposes that "non-cognitive" be replaced with the more appropriate "non-academic" term, thereby elucidating the true distinction that researchers are making between various contributing factors to college preparation and success. (Contains 1 table.)