Campus Lingo

Ace - To do very well, receive the grade of an “A”. Example: “I feel like I aced my math test!”

All-Nighter - To put off studying until the night before an exam or deadline. Example: “John pulled an all-nighter to get his paper finished.”

B.A. or B.S. - B.A. stands for “Bachelor of Arts” and B.S. stands for “Bachelor of Science”. Both degrees can be earned
at four-year colleges.

Beer Pong - (Alternatives: Beirut, Lob Pong or Scud) An American drinking game common at some college parties. It involves throwing a ping pong
ball across a table with the aim
of making the ball land in one
of several cups of beer.

Bounce - To leave. Example: “I have to bounce— I have to go home to study.”

Bouncer - Security guard at bar or club.

Buzz Kill - When someone or something ruins a special moment. Example: “My mom was a buzz kill and made me stay home to do chores.”

Chick - Young attractive woman (the expression may be seen as derogatory). Example: “I have my eye on the chick across the room.”

Cramming - Intensive memorization in a short period of time — usually done by a student preparing for a school examination. Example: “I’m always stuck cramming for that professor’s class.”

Crash - 1. To sleep. Example: “I crashed on the couch last night.”
2. A common term for a computer fault. Example: “My hard drive crashed and I lost my term paper!”

Credits - A unit that gives weighting to the value, level or time requirements of an academic course. Various systems of credits exist: one per course, one per hour/week in class, one per hour/week devoted to the course (including homework), etc.

Cut - To purposely miss class. Example: “Joe cut class in order to attend a concert.”

Dude - An informal term of address, usually referring to a man or boy. Example: “Hey dude! I haven’t seen you on campus in forever!”

Elective - An academic course chosen by the student from a set of options, as opposed to a required course.

Final - Exam given to students at the end of a particular academic term, typically a semester, or more traditionally at the end of a complete degree course.

Flunk - To fail. Example: “I totally flunked that math exam!”

Frat - Short for “fraternity,” referring to all-male or mixed-gender social organization.

Freshman - (Alternatives: frosh, newbie, freshie, or fresh-meat) A first-year student in college or university.

Have a good one! - Short for “Have a good day/evening.”

Homey, Homes or Homeboy - Generally refers to a close friend, usually a male friend who exhibits strong loyalty. Derived from hip-hop and rap music. Example: “Jack and I go way back — he’s my homey.”

Hoodie - A sweatshirt with a hood. Example: “May I borrow your hoodie? I’m cold.”

Hottie - A very attractive person. Example: “My girlfriend is a real hottie!”

Junior - A student in the penultimate (usually third) year in college or university.

Jock - A classic American stereotype of an athlete.

Kegger - A party attended by students where the main purpose is to consume beer out of a keg. Example: “My frat is throwing a huge kegger tonight, you have to go!”

Major - A college or university student’s main field of specialization during his or her undergraduate studies.

Mid-term - Exam given in the middle of a term or semester to measure students’ progress and comprehension of course material.

Minor - Secondary focus of a student’s studies.

Nerd - Alternatives: geek or dork
A stereo-typical designation, referring to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual knowledge or pastimes, rather than engaging in a social life or other main-stream activities. Example: “Bob is such a nerd, he reads instead of going to parties.”

Junior - A student in the penultimate (usually third) year in college or university.

Jock - A classic American stereotype of an athlete.

Kegger - A party attended by students where the main purpose is to consume beer out of a keg. Example: “My frat is throwing a huge kegger tonight, you have to go!”

Major - A college or university student’s main field of specialization during his or her undergraduate studies.

Mid-term - Exam given in the middle of a term or semester to measure students’ progress and comprehension of course material.

Minor - Secondary focus of a student’s studies.

Nerd - (Alternatives: geek or dork)
A stereo-typical designation, referring to somebody who passionately pursues intellectual knowledge or pastimes, rather than engaging in a social life or other main-stream activities. Example: “Bob is such a nerd, he reads instead of going to parties.”

Pad - A place to live. Example: “Let’s go back to your pad and study.”

Party Animal - Someone who loves fun and parties.

Peace or Peace Out - A friendly phrase to say goodbye. Example: “Peace out, guys. I’m going home.”

Prof - Short for “professor”.

Psyched - To be excited or looking forward to an event. Example: “I’m so psyched to get my pay check!”

Quiz - A form of student assessment that often has fewer questions of lesser difficulty and requires less time for completion than a test or exam.

Senior - A student in the last (usually fourth) year at a college or university.

Sophomore - A student in the second year of study at a college or university.

Sorority - A women’s social organization, comparable to a male fraternity.

Syllabus - A professor’s outline of the class highlighting assignments, test dates, policies, and textbooks.

Term - A division of an academic year, the time during which a college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms, semesters, quarters, or trimesters, depending on the institution.

Wasted - (Alternatives: hammered or smashed) To be intoxicated or drunk. Example: “He was so wasted when he left the bar.”

What’s up? or Wassup? - An informal expression meaning “What are you doing?”, “How are you?”, or “What is happening?”

Work-study - Programs that allow students to work, often on campus, as part of their financial aid package.

24/7 - All of the time. Derived from the fact that there are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. Example: “It seems like I am at my desk 24/7.”