Olá! I'm Luana from Brasília, the capital of Brazil. I hope to be an environmental engineering major, but, surprisingly, my favorite class right now is Humanities 1. You can find me studying in the Tower Room or at AQ, our Catholic Student Center. One year ago I was looking through this blog hoping to get to know Dartmouth. Now, I get to tell you why I love this place so much while I learn what it means to be a Dartmouth student. Consider this an invitation to accompany me.
As a bookworm who loved dissecting and analyzing novels or philosophical works, a writing class focused on classical literature with weekly discussions was the right fit for me. Between reading Sophocles, Nietzsche, and Rawls, I had the opportunity to reassess my approach to reading, deepen my interpretations, and improve my public speaking skills while broadening my recognition of the significance of critical thinking.
Dartmouth sometimes feels like its own world. So much so that this close and united community has its own language. I have only been at Dartmouth for one term, and picking up the lingo seemed to flow easily, making me feel more and more a part of this community. So, here is your own Dartmouth Dictionary to help you take part in our little world.
Add/Drop: the first few days of classes where everyone is allowed to add or drop classes for the term, often also called the "shopping period" as students "shop" around for the classes they want to take for the term.
Baker-Berry: thebeautiful library at the heart of campus. No matter how often you walk by, it still leaves you awe-struck.
Baker-Berry library!
BEMA: acronym for "Big Empty Meeting Space." A beautiful wooded amphitheater in a grass-covered area located within College Park.
Big Weekend: refers to weekends during Fall, Winter, and Spring where important traditions take place, such as Homecoming (Fall term), Winter Carnival (Winter term), and Green Key (Spring term)
Blitz: email. It can be used as a noun: "I sent you a blitz yesterday."
Blobby: Baker + Lobby = "Blobby"—officially known as Reiss Hall—where you can find students studying and chatting.
ESCS: the Engineering and Computer Science Center (ESCS). Where lots of engineering and computer science students study.
The ESCS building!
D-Plan: Dartmouth's flexible study plan allows students to choose which mix of academic terms they plan to be on campus, enrolled but off-campus (study abroad), or on leave ("off").
Dark Side: seating section in FoCo—our main dining hall—to the right of the entrance.
Dark side of FoCo!
Drill: 50-minute foreign language sessions involving fast-paced questions and lots of finger-snapping. Resemble normal conversations and are a great way to get to know people and become fluent in a foreign language.
Flair: brightly-colored and flashy outfits worn during special social events at Dartmouth. Big deal here; always have flair!
Flitz: a flirty blitz (flirty email) that often has memes and poems.
FFB: First Floor Berry, where students go to study together and talk.
2FB: Second Floor Berry, where students go to study together and talk at a low volume
3FB: Third Floor Berry, silent rooms for studying—occasional whispering acceptable
4FB: Fourth Floor Berry, silent rooms for studying—no noise tolerated
FoCo: Food + Court = "FoCo," our main dining hall on campus. Officially called the Class of 1953 Commons.
Fritz: the "for friends" version of a flitz; an email to a friend that includes memes and poems.
FSP or LSA: Foreign Study Program or Language Study Abroad, coordinated by the Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education, are off-campus programs offered by academic departments. In language-based abroad programs (LSAs), students study a country's language and culture.
The Green: large quad or green space in the heart of campus where you can find people walking dogs, students playing frisbee and volleyball, studying, or just enjoying a warm patch of sunlight on warm days.
Doing work on the Green!
FoCo Late-Night: fried food that can be purchased between 9 pm and 1:30 am daily at FoCo.
Light Side: seating area in FoCo—our main dining hall—to the left of the entrance.
Sanborn: beautiful Hogwarts-like library where you can find students very concentrated.
The Stacks: silent study space in the library with levels of book stacks where you can find students intensely focused. Usually packed during midterm and finals season.
Tower Room: another beautiful Hogwarts-like library where you can find students very concentrated, located on the top floor of Baker Library.
The beautiful Tower Room!
Warm-cut: a path that allows students to walk through a building and warm up for a minute. Especially useful during the Winter term.
Woccom: walk + Occom = "woccom," awalk around Occom Pond, where you can easily find deer and beautiful scenery.
In addition to blogging, I work as a Fellow for the Tucker Center, which focuses on promoting spiritual and ethical life on campus. As part of this role, I'm leading the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break Trip. Read on to learn more about my work!
