Adjusting to college is hard, especially on a campus where it can seem like everyone speaks a different language. Here are a few quick definitions to get you through your first semester at the best college in the country (sorry I'm biased).
1. Pit
Otherwise known as Dougherty Hall, the Pit is a typical dining hall on Villanova's main campus. Because it is located in the lower level of the building it has been nicknamed the Pit. Typically, freshmen do not eat at this dining hall because the dining hall on South Campus is better, however, it is always a good option.
2. Spit
Speaking of the dining hall on South Campus, the Spit is arguably the most popular place on campus for freshmen to get dinner together. While the name sounds unappetizing, it is no indication of the quality of food. 'Spit' simply got its name from being the South Pit. In fact, during the first few weeks of school, the Spit is a hot spot to meet other new students over the best dining hall quality food Villanova has to offer.
3. Sparket
The Sparket is a market connected to the Spit dining hall and therefore its name comes from combining Spit and market. The Sparket is fantastic to stock up on dorm room snacks, especially ice cream. It also has a f'real milkshake machine that my friends and I particularly enjoy during midterm and finals week.
4. Cova
Cova is the final term in our Villanova dinning dictionary. Officially known as Cafe Nova, the student body has abbreviated this name as well. Cova is not a dining hall, and therefore most people prefer it to both the Pit and the Spit. Due to this, the line is intense (but well worth it) between 12:30 and 2:00 on pretty much any weekday.
5. The Finn
The Finn is also known as the Finneran Pavilion. You will spend a decent amount of time here during orientation, but trust me it gets way more fun in there. The Finn is where on-campus games occur and typically if you arrive early enough you will get some sort of themed souvenir in addition to bonus lottery points for future tickets.
6. SpO
This is an abbreviation for Special Olympics, a popular student group on campus. This group comes with its own slew of abbreviations such as LPH, a position freshmen can apply for to get more involved.
7. Courts
The Courts is an apartment complex that is home to mostly fraternity brothers. There is almost always something going on during the weekends and sometimes at the end of the week at the courts. You can take an Uber or Lift to the Courts, whereas you need a pledge ride to get to and leave a fraternity house. This is nice if you are looking for a shorter night out or simply more control over your ride times.
8. The Barn
This is the name for the Pi Kappa Phi (aka Pi Kapp) fraternity house. No, this is not an actual barn.
9. Gypsy
This is the name of the Phi Sigma Kappa (aka Phi Sig) fraternity house. All the other fraternity houses generally go by their greek letters.
10. The Quad
This is the name given to two of the sophomore dorms on Main Campus, Sullivan Hall and Sheehan Hall. These dorms are a lot of fun to live in and on a nice day, you will always see some of the residents outside having a catch or listening to music. Living in one of these dorms during your sophomore year is a blessing if you are a business student because Bartley Hall is right next door.
