Example of Flair!

This is what flair looks like. Believe me it gets worse than this!

Dartmouth Slang

We also have:

* sketchy: to describe someone who is acting weird in any sense of the word

*flair: clothing that is eccentric (colorful, different, wacky)

More Dartmouth Words!

Dartmouth students definitely have their own vocabulary and I think there should be a special dictionary just to decode it! We have our own words with special meanings that will leave your friends back home wondering what are you talking about.

Here are some more words for your collection:

>FoCo: Short for Food Court, one of the main dining areas in Thayer Dining Hall. Famous for Spicy Russian, grilled cheese sandwiches, Fried Chicken Mondays (FCM), and other delicacies that only the Dartmouth Dining Services (DDS) know how to prepare best.
Ex. "Send me a blitz if you want to grab some food at FoCo."

> Self-call: Used to take note when an individual arrogantly boasts or brags about their achievements or grades.
Ex. Person 1: "I just got a perfect score on my Chemistry test!"
Person 2: "That's such a self-call!"

>DOC Trips: Dartmouth Outing Club Trips. First-year outdoor trips that occur before Orientation. Students can pick to do a variety of activities such as kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking, fishing, and much more!

> D-Plan: Dartmouth's unique academic calender based on a quarter system that is split into 4 terms (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer) each lasting between 8-10 weeks.

>Prospie: A prospective student who is interested in Dartmouth. Not a disease!

>UGA: Undergraduate Advisor. A UGA is similar to a Resident Advisor at other schools, but much cooler! UGA's are responsible for a building a sense of community on your floor and are in charge of planning fun activities, events, and are helpful resources when picking classes and applying for study abroad programs. They are not "rule enforcers."

> BFAB: Breakfast For A Buck. BFAB occurs every Saturday in the freshmen dorms. Your UGA organizes this delightful breakfast event with eggs, ham, pancakes, and other goodies and all you have to bring is a $1 and your own silverware.

> DBA: Declining Balance Account. This is your meal plan. We do not have a "points" system or a set number of meals that you can eat. At the beginning of the term you sign up for a dining plan and you will have this money available to spend on food whenever you want, and at any dining facility.

> Topside: Dartmouth's own grocery store located on the 2nd floor of Thayer Dining Hall.

> Fro-Yo: Frozen yogurt. A must-have in FoCo.

> Pavilian Cookies: Synonymous with "the most amazing cookies you will ever have in your life!" Types include: Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts, and of course Chocolate Chip.

Hope this gets you started on your Dartmouth lingo!

Dartmouth Talk!

At Dartmouth we use a lot of our own words. You'll hear a lot of abbreviations, word combinations, and just plain made-up words. Some of my favs are:


* blitz- Dartmouth's word for e-mail and the main form of communication on campus. It probably comes from the World War II term Blitzkrieg (lightning warfare), since blitzes are sent so quickly and so often. It's funny to go home and tell someone you'll blitz them because they look at you like you're crazy!

* schmob: large groupings of freshmen who travel everywhere together.
Ex: During orientation and the first couple weeks of school you will see schmobs everywhere as freshman learn to navigate Dartmouth.


* awk-rando: a term to describe someone who is "awkward" and "random."

Where are you from and have you ever been homesick?

The posts below answer last week's blog question.

The 305!! M.I.A. (aka Miami)

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY but after I finished elementary school my dad and I moved to Miami, FL, where I currently reside. These are 2 huge cities with millions of people, something completely different from Hanover, NH. When I applied to colleges I knew that I did not want to stay in Florida, and was looking for the "college town feel." When I visited Dartmouth, I knew I found what I was looking for.

Yes, Hanover is a small town in a state that many people haven't heard of before, but it's filled with lots of character, activities, and a sense of community that rivals other college towns and cities. It was the tight-knit community at Dartmouth, facilitated by it's location in Hanover, that prevented me from getting homesick. Of course I miss home-cooked meals, the beach, and most of all 80-degree weather almost every day of the year, but the opportunities and experiences at Dartmouth were well worth the move.

D.M.V!!!!

I was born and raised in Washington DC, and I now live in Silver Spring,MD. (We call it the DMV: DC, MD, VA). I was used to being in a city and honestly it was one of the reasons that I DIDN'T want go to Dartmouth initially. I quickly realized that I have the rest of my life to be in a city and that Hanover is what a college town is supposed to look like. I like that I don't spend as much money and that there are fewer distractions readily available. But still, I definitely miss home every now and then. My first year I was so caught up in the novelty of college that being away didn't get to me. After the terms away start to add up, you feel it. I now find myself missing my family a lot more...even my sister. I was so happy to chill with my mom this past Sophomore Family weekend. And I can tell that Dartmouth is starting be like a home to me because I showed her all of my favorite "spots," just as if I were showing off my city to out-of-towners.

Sophomore Family Weekend!

Unrelated to the question of the week

Last weekend was Sophomore Family Weekend and I had so much fun with my mom! We went to so many cook-outs and most importantly we went shopping :-). Sophomore Family Weekend is a time when parents can come and visit, just to check in. There is a similar weekend called First Year Family Weekend during the spring of your first year. I loved being able to take my mom to Collis Commonground and having her see all of the different student groups perform. She loved seeing Sheba dance! I miss her a lot, however, I am glad that she was able to come and check out what Dartmouth is like for me!

I'm a townie....

I am from Hanover, NH.

Yup, I go to college in my hometown. As expected, homesickness isn't something I have really had to deal with too much during my time at Dartmouth. Even when I traveled abroad to Spain, I never really felt homesick. Between email, instant messenger, Skype and Facebook, it is ridiculously easy to stay in touch with family and friends nowadays. Dartmouth is a whole new community that I didn't really know of before I was accepted. Now I feel like my hometown has expanded to include my 4,000 or so fellow Dartmouth students.

One great benefit of being from here: I know my way around way better than my classmates....and home-made cookies whenever I want.

B-more!

I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD, so coming to Hanover was a bit of a change for me. I was accustomed to the city life and going to the malls whenever I had free time. Of course you won't find that in Hanover, which turned out to be a good thing for me (no high credit card bills, whaa whoo!). I really wasn't that homesick when I first got here. My parents came up to help me move in, but as soon as orientation started, they went back to Baltimore. I didn't go on a DOC trip, but I already knew some people who were also going to be incoming freshman because we had gone to the same summer program.

Knowing people before hand definitely eased my transition into college and made me less homesick. Occasionally I miss a good home cooked meal, so when my friends and I have time we cook all of our favorite foods : )

H.O.U.S.T.O.N

I am from Houston, Texas so my Dartmouth experience has been extremely different from what I experience at home. Since Hanover, NH is very small college town and Houston, TX is a huge city, I did get homesick during my first term at Dartmouth. Everything and everyone was just so different! Also, I didn't have my twin sister to rely on anymore. However, my homesickness didn't last too long because my undergraduate adviser (UGA) held so many floor meetings that I started making friends. Additionally, I joined a couple student organizations and made lots of friends that way. Plus, now that I am so busy with the clubs that I am a part of, I sometimes forget about my homesickness. However, I still get homesick every so often for a good home-cooked meal :-).

What is your least favorite thing about Dartmouth?

The posts below are our responses to the question of the week:

What is your least favorite thing about Dartmouth?

The Dartmouth Bubble

What I like least about Dartmouth is the fact that sometimes we are surrounded by a bubble. It seems like new information, not about Dartmouth, very slowly finds its way on campus. When I go back home and listen to the radio, songs that I think are brand new, have been out for three months. In order to find out new information, my mom calls me and tells me exactly what is going on in the news that day. Unless you read the New York Times or Wall Street Journal every day, it is very hard to find out what is going on in the world. Because of this, I have made the New York Times website as my home page so that I do not lose sight of the fact that things are constantly happening around the world. During student organizational meetings, we try to make time for discussing new events. It is tough trying to not get caught up in the Dartmouth bubble, however, it is very much possible to not lose sight of all of the things that are happening around you, and not just at Dartmouth.

Least Favorite Thing= Dating Scene

I would have say that my least favorite aspect about Dartmouth is the dating scene. The D-Plan can make it challenging to keep a relationship because of the constant moving on and off campus that happens.

Since everyone is very busy with academics, extracurriculars, sports, and other commitments, it can be tough to spend a lot of time with a significant other. It's definitely a challenge, but it can be done.

Least and Most Favorite thing = D-Plan

My least favorite thing about Dartmouth is probably also my favorite thing about Dartmouth. The D-plan is definitely a defining characteristic of the Dartmouth experience, and I have taken full advantage of it's flexibility in traveling to Barcelona, Spain and working in the Dartmouth Admissions Office. That being said, the 10-week terms make the year go by incredibly fast. I am now a rising senior and can't believe how quickly I am 3/4 of the way through Dartmouth! I love how fresh and vibrant the D-plan keeps campus, but I wish I had more time in the day to do everything I wanted to, from going to shows to joining yet another organization.

Learn more about the D-Plan here!

My D-Plan:
R = In residence at Dartmouth
L = Leave term
O = Off-campus program (study abroad)