Prospective describes something expected to happen in the future, or someone who is likely to become something, such as a customer or student.
From Latin *prospectivus* 'looking forward', rooted in *prospicere* 'to look ahead'. It kept the sense of future-looking possibility.
A 'prospective student' is literally someone you’re looking at in terms of the future, not just who they are now. The word quietly shifts focus from present facts to imagined possibilities.
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