Ever been reading something from a university – maybe on their website, or in the viewbook – and thought “What does that word mean?”
Just like any organization or subculture, universities have their own vocabulary. Like the word “viewbook” I used in the first sentence. There are probably a lot of words that schools use that are new to you, or that may have different meanings from place to place. And understanding these words is important if you’re trying to make decisions about you or your teen applying to schools.
Many schools have recognized this, and have created their own mini-dictionaries. Some words, like “discipline” are used across universities (and have nothing to do with time outs) while other words may be specific to a particular institution.
If you’re interested in learning more university jargon, or need to look up a specific word that you’ve stumbled over during your school research, try the links below. Oh, and a “viewbook” is the brochure, often as heavy as a small book, with lot of pictures of campus and happy students, used for marketing to prospective students.
University of Victoria University Vocabulary
University of Waterloo Campus Lingo
University of Regina Glossary of U of R Lingo
University of Toronto Mississauga Glossary
