Being at college doesn't mean that you'll automatically adopt a new language or change your identity, but you usually do learn who you are when you leave home for the first time. What also happens at college is you learn the ins-and-outs of your new community. Which place is the best bar, which professor is the easiest and which 8:30 doesn't have an attendance policy. The inside jokes and phrases that develop on your campus don't make sense to anyone else, but you're fine with that. Here are some of the words that mean so much to Villanova students, and not in the traditional sense. I mean, who knew a cookie could also be known as the center of campus?
1. Oreo
An Oreo is not just a delicious cookie to Villanovans. It's the cookie-like sculpture that no one knows the actual name of in the center of campus. It's usually bombarded with booths that students try to avoid making eye contact with. Also a great place for an Instagram picture, just saying.
2. The Quad
On other campuses, the Quad might be a lawn that students tan on when it gets warm enough. At Nova, the Quad is comprised of two dorms everyone wants to live in and cement benches people can sit on. Even though that description doesn't make it sound ideal, every student knows that no matter what time of day it is, there's always something interesting happening in the Quad.
3. Happy Hour
Qdoba Happy Hour is one of the greatest things to ever happen to Bryn Mawr, no questions about it.
4. Spit
On tours, Blue Key members might call it Donahue Hall, but to everyone else, it's known as the Spit. Spit dinners will always be an important tradition, and it's not fair that freshman have access to this luxury every day.
5. Pit
Even though it's arguably not as good as the Spit and nearly impossible to get a table during the 12:30 lunch rush, the Pit is the perfect place to go tell your stories from your previous night out while eating pancakes for 2 hours to cure your hangover.
6. Cat(s)
When people randomly scream "Go Cats" at you in public when they see the "V" on your shirt, it's going to take on a whole new meaning. A cat isn't just another animal anymore, it's a symbol that'll resonate with us forever. I mean, Wil D. Cat is pretty much a celebrity on campus anyway.
7. Basketball Season
Even though this one is pretty self-explanatory, basketball isn't just another sport Villanovans talk about. It's our life for a good portion of the year, and no one can take away the feeling of winning a National Championship and storming the Quad while someone lit a couch on fire.
8. Wells Fargo (tailgates)
Speaking of basketball, Wells Fargo isn't just another sports arena. It's a place where you can find thousands of Villanova huddled for warmth on a freezing January day.
8. Anything being named after something/someone religious
The two dorms I've lived in were named after a saint and a priest. Our coffee stop is called Holy Grounds. There are crucifixes in every classroom instead of clocks. You just kind of get used to it after a while.
9. The Courts
No, we're not going to go to the courts to play basketball. We're going to go there hoping that mice don't eat our food and no one punches a hole in the wall. Sounds like a great place to live, right?
10. The Exchange
No, we don't actually exchange anything here. It's more like you sit, eat and pretend to get work done for five hours until it's time to actually get your work done. The real question is, what side do you sit on?
