Harvard Slang

If you know the slang, you know the school. The following is a list of things you really need to know before coming to Harvard. The more of these words you know, the better off you'll be.

ABP

Au Bon Pain, the popular French food stop in Harvard Square, on the Mass. Ave. side of the Holyoke Center.

Ad Board

A faculty committee charged with interpreting and enforcing the rules of the Faculty of Arts and Science.

Af-Am

African American Studies.

B-School

Harvard Business School.

Concentration

Harvard's word for “major.”

Coop

The Harvard Cooperative Society, the bookstore located at Harvard Square. Pronounced as in “chicken coop.”

The Core

A set of courses that composes approximately one–quarter of the undergraduate program; students choose seven courses from eleven broad areas of academic inquiry.

Crimson

The name of the student daily newspaper, the Harvard Crimson; also the nickname of any Harvard sports team.

Crimson Cash

A declining debit account system that uses your Harvard ID. You can put cash on it electronically in order to purchase copies, food, and other sundries.

CUE Guide

The Harvard University Course Evaluation Guide, published by the Committee on Undergraduate Education. Though it is still printed as a book, it is also available electronically.

Div School

Harvard Divinity School.

Ed School

Also known as HUGSE (Harvard University Graduate School of Education).

FAS

Faculty of Arts and Sciences, composed of Harvard College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Division of Continuing Education.

GSAS

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

GSE

Harvard Graduate School of Education.

HASCS

Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services.

HBS

Harvard Business School.

Head of the Charles

The annual October regatta held on the Charles River.

HLS

Harvard Law School.

HMS

Harvard Medical School.

HOLLIS

Harvard's libraries' online catalog and now also a directory to the suite of electronic resources that the libraries make available.

House

The residences of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Harvard Houses were modeled on the college systems of Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England.

HUL

Harvard University Library (the entire library system).

HUPD

Harvard University Police Department.

ICG

Instructional Computing Group (technical support).

IOP

Institute of Politics, at the Kennedy School of Government.

KSG

Kennedy School of Government.

K-School

Kennedy School of Government.

Let's Go

The series of travel books written and published by Harvard students.

MAC

Malkin Athletic Center.

Masters

Faculty members who lead and administer each undergraduate House.

MBTA

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (i.e. the subway and buses).

MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (the other University in Cambridge).

OCS

Office of Career Services.

Pit

The area immediately surrounding the Harvard Square T–stop, one of the Square's hubs of street entertainment.

Proctors

Graduate students or officers of the University who live among freshmen, serve as academic advisors, and direct the events and programs of an entryway.

QRAC

Quadrangle ecreational Activities Center at 66 Garden Street.

Quad

An area separated from the main campus by about a ffteen–minute walk, composed of three undergraduate Houses, a library, and an athletic facility.

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study

An interdisciplinary center offering non–degree instruction and executive education programs. The Institute was created when Harvard and Radcliffe formally merged in October 1999.

Reading Period

The 10–day period of anxiety in which students prep for finals.

Resident Tutors

Graduate students or faculty members who live in the Houses with students and provide a range of informal advice and counsel.

Shopping Period

The first five or so days of an academic term at Harvard, before Study Cards are submitted for formal enrollment in a course, when students can visit classes, sit in on lectures, and review syllabi and readings.

Statue of 3 Lies

The John Harvard Statue (see Urban Legends).

The T

Short for MBTA.

Tercentenary Theatre

The part of Harvard yard bounded by Widener Library, University Hall, Sever Hall, and Memorial Chapel. It is the site for commencement.

TF

Teaching Fellow (like other colleges' TAs).

UHS

University Health Services.

Veritas

The Harvard motto; Latin for “truth.”

The Yard

Most universities have a quadrangle, but Harvard has its yard, divided into two parts. The freshman dormitories border the Old yard; Widener Library and Memorial Church border the New yard.