Hey everyone! I'm Cooper from Wayne, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Philadelphia. I am a '28 here at Dartmouth, and plan on studying Quantitative Social Science and Cognitive Science. In my free time, I love getting food with friends, playing pickleball, watching sitcoms (personal favorite is Modern Family), and going on walks. I am super excited to be here and cannot wait to take you along my journey at Dartmouth!
Dartmouth has a lot of "slang" that really makes this place super unique. Let me tell you about some of these words that you will hear numerous times when you are on campus!
Foco: Although its official name is The Class of 1953 Commons, we call our main dining hall Foco. You will hear this term constantly, as it is the place where people eat most. I have covered the food in another blog post, but Foco really does have everything you need for a meal!
Foco Cookies: These are our famous cookies at Foco, and they are famous for a reason. They are genuinely some of the best cookies I have ever had. They are perfectly baked, perfectly warm, and melt in your mouth when you eat them. If you are going to get one thing from Foco, a Foco cookie is the thing to get.
The delicious Foco cookies!
Woccom: If you are ever asked to go on a Woccom, what that means is a walk around Occom Pond! This walk is such a beautiful way to take a break from studying and reset. It is a super easy walk and it is an essential part of the Dartmouth experience, so I would highly recommend going on one whenever you can!
Blitz: This is the term we use when referring to our email. When we talk about getting a blitz, essentially what that means is getting an email. There are terms that branch off from a blitz, such as a Flitz, which is a Flirty Blitz, and a Fritz, which is a Friendly Blitz.
Robo: Robo is what we call Robinson Hall, which is where numerous student organizations' offices are. You can find the Dartmouth Outing Club (or DOC, which is the largest collegiate outing club in the United States), The Dartmouth, the school newspaper, and Aegis, the yearbook! It is located right near Foco and Collis, and is a place where you find many students engaging in their passions.
The front of Robo! (Currently under construction)
Blobby: This term combines "Baker" and "lobby", referring to the first floor of Baker. This is a great place to get work done and also be able to talk to friends! It is a much more social part of the library, so if you like background noise while doing work, this is the place to be.
As you can see, Dartmouth has a lot of slang that we love to use. I have found that such slang contributes significantly to how incredible the community is here and how this type of slang brings us all together!
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
Here is my list of the restaurants in Hanover within walking distance of Dartmouth. Whether you're touring campus for the first time or are a Dartmouth student in need of a new place to eat, feel free to reference this list!
