The Freshman Dictionary: I-P

i-banking, nickname, investment banking. What many of your classmates will go on to do. See “tool shed.”

ICC, abbrev. Interclub Council. Group made up of the 11 eating club presidents. Coordinates relations between Prospect Avenue, the municipality and the University.

ICE, abbrev. Integrated Course Engine. An online tool that visually presents your class schedule for the semester. You can also friend request people on the site and stalk their schedules.

independent, n. Upperclass student who joins neither an eating club nor a University dining facility. By graduation, is either a great connoisseur of Princeton’s restaurants, a great cook or a great mooch. Many live in Spelman.

Intersession, n. 1. Week off between fall finals and the start of spring semester. The only week of true freedom you will ever have at Princeton. 2. Jolt of fear for seniors who haven’t started their thesis research.

IRC, abbrev. International Relations Council. Umbrella group somehow related to Whig-Clio that organizes Model UN conferences. See “tool shed,” “Tower Club,” “Wilson School.”

Ivy Club, n. Bicker club with a reputation for elitism and mahogany. See Street’s breakdown of the Street.

Jadwin Gymnasium, n. Gym for varsity athletes and sports located far, far down-campus. Site of varsity basketball games. Not Jadwin Hall.

Jadwin Hall, n. An academic building south of Fine Hall that contains the physics department. Not Jadwin Gymnasium.

jam, n. An event at which one or more a cappella groups sing, commonly inside of an arch.

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junior paper, n. Lengthy independent work for juniors meant to prepare them for the senior thesis. Some departments require one; most require two. Often abbrev. “JP.” Tragic reminder of impending mortality.

junior slums, n. Upperclass dorms located up-campus; Princeton’s version of slums. Don’t be fooled by the Gothic stone.

Keller Center, n. Center located near the E-quad that sponsors events, classes and programming related to entrepreneurship and innovation. Stop by before you drop out to work on your start-up full-time.

kiddie lit, nickname, ENG 385: Children’s Literature. Perennially over-enrolled course that people think will be an easy LA. Beware — it’s quite large and grades are heavily deflated.

LA, abbrev. Literature and Arts, a category of your distributional requirements. See “kiddie lit.”

late meal, n. The only thing that makes upperclassmen jealous of freshmen. In theory, an option for students who miss dining hall meal times. In practice, free noms and mixers. See “Frist.”

Lawnparties, n. Afternoon drink-a-thon and dance-a-thon on the lawn of each eating club, held in early fall and at the end of spring Houseparties. Known for importing great bands and creating a massive influx of sundresses on Prospect Avenue. Time of year to wear your preppiest clothing — small animal print and pastels encouraged.

lectures, n. pl. Oft-missed speeches by professors that constitute the foundation of the Princeton education. Try to attend a couple so you can tell your parents that you are making the most of their tuition dollars.

Lewis Library, n. Large, modern science library located down-campus across Washington Road. New, nice and quiet.

LGBT Center, the, n. Center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students and allies. Provides safe space on the second floor of Frist. Sponsors events and programming throughout the year and provides resources for interested students.

Lot 32, n. Parking lot located just outside of campus, far down Elm Road, where your upperclass friends’ cars are located.

master, n. Faculty member who acts as den mother or father for the freshmen and sophomores in the residential colleges.

Mathey College, n. Residential college located just south of Rocky. A collection of loosely associated buildings with no central quad. Shares a large, picturesque dining hall with Rocky.

McCosh Hall, n. A large, sprawling series of lecture halls up-campus in which many of your introductory-level large lecture classes will be held. Also features smaller seminar rooms mainly used by the English and History departments. Desks are small, cramped and wooden; bathrooms are difficult to find.

McCosh Health Center, n. Isabella McCosh Infirmary, located just south of Frist. You go here when you’re too drunk to go to your room but not drunk enough for the hospital. Areas of expertise: mono and asking women if they’re pregnant.

McCosh Walk, n. Walkway extending from University Place on the west to Washington Road on the east. If there weren’t hills, you’d be able to see clear from one end of campus to the other. Features many puddles. Stop by around 4:55 p.m. on Dean’s Date to watch your friends sprint.

Multi-club Bicker, n. Initiative begun last year in which some of the bicker clubs allowed sophomores to bicker two clubs at once. See “Bicker.”

Nassau Herald, n. Princeton yearbook containing only the senior photos. To get all the other stuff you associate with yearbooks, you have to shell out some extra cash for the Bric-a-Brac. See “Bric-a-Brac.”

Nassau Weekly, n. Also “the Nass.” A weekly tabloid distributed far less than weekly. Known for humorous “Verbatim” section, which is filled with random overheard quotes from around campus, and for printing other random gibberish. See “WPRB,” “St.A’s.”

netID, n. The part of your email address preceding “@princeton.edu” and your username for most campus websites.

New York City, n. Just an hour-and-a-half train ride away. A round-trip ticket is around $30. Sometimes art or biology classes take you there for free.

Newman’s Day, n. To Paul Newman’s chagrin, students attribute to him the quote “24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not.” Of course, Newman never said that, and there are 30 beers in a case, but that doesn’t stop some University students from attempting to drink 24 beers in 24 hours every April 24.

Nude Olympics, n. Sophomore rite of passage banned in 1999 as part of an effort to reduce drunken revelry. Celebrated by running naked through Holder Courtyard at midnight on the night of each year’s first snowfall.

OA, abbrev. Outdoor Action. Week-long pre-orientation program that sends half of the incoming freshman class into the woods to get dirty and make friends. There’s no action on Outdoor Action, but there’s always freshman week to get to know a new friend even better.

ODUS, abbrev. Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students. Oversees campus organizations, undergraduate student government and various student centers. A source of funding for your student group.

OIT, abbrev. Office of Information Technology. Controls the University’s computer and Internet systems. Runs a tech clinic in Frist.

Old Nassau, 1. phrase. Nickname for Princeton University, derived from Nassau Hall. 2. n. School song.

Orange Key, n. Campus tour-guiding group. Don’t believe everything they told you on your tour.

Orange and Black Ball, n. Campus-wide ball resurrected two years after a decades-long absence. Lots of finger food. Similar to prom.

Orgo, abbrev. CHM 303/304: Organic Chemistry. Soul-killer. Separates the kids from the doctors.

Pace Center, n. Civic engagement powerhouse on campus that encompasses Community House and the Student Volunteers Council. Sponsors Breakout trips during school breaks and distributes large amounts of money for service projects. See “Breakout trips.”

Palmer Square, n. Town square located just across Nassau Street from the University. Home to preppy stores, specialty boutiques and townies.

Patton, Susan, n. An alumna of the Class of 1977 who wrote an infamous Letter to the Editor to this paper discussing advice she would give to her daughter, namely her belief that Princetonian women should “find a husband on campus before [they] graduate.” Draw your own conclusions.

PAW, abbrev. Princeton Alumni Weekly. The nation’s fourth-oldest weekly magazine, published by the Alumni Association far less than weekly.

P/D/F, abbrev. pass/D/fail. Grading option developed to facilitate a true liberal arts education. Designed to allow students to take a class that expands their horizons with the guarantee that their GPA won’t tank. Unless you get a D. Or fail.

Pequod, n. 1. Fictional ship in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.” 2. Outrageously expensive photocopied packets of required reading that often resemble the whale. Promised to become free during every USG election. Don’t hold your breath.

Physics for Future Leaders, actual name of PHY115A. A physics course explicitly designed to introduce non-scientists to just enough science to ostensibly be able to make decisions. Future leaders who are also scientists should seek an actual education elsewhere. See “tool shed,” “P/D/F.”

pickups, n. pl. Nights on which Princeton’s many, many selective clubs and organizations greet new members by showering them with champagne, Silly String, etc. in their dorm rooms and then taking them elsewhere for revelry. See “Bicker.”

Poe Field, n. Large oval field at the far southern end of campus where club and intramural sports teams hold practices, sunbathing frequently occurs and barbecues are sometimes held. See “Alexander Beach.”

power hour, n. Ritual in which a shot of beer is downed every minute for an hour. Use of hard alcohol not advised. See “boot.”

P-Rade, n. Annual procession of ridiculously spirited, multi-generational alumni sporting black-and-orange costumes. Takes place at the end of Reunions. See “alumni,” “Reunions.”

pre-med, n. A student hoping to go to medical school. Generalized anxiety and cutthroat behavior varies per person. See “Woody Woo.”

precept, n. Fifty-minute weekly discussion between a small group of students and a preceptor (a grad student or faculty member) to supplement lectures. A unique feature of Princeton’s education system inaugurated by Woodrow Wilson. Vary widely in quality. Never truly mandatory.

prefrosh, n. What you are until you arrive on campus.

pregame, 1. n. Name for any gathering held prior to a night out on the Street. Usually a source of hard liquor. Usage: “birthday pregame,” “frat pregame.” 2. v. To consume drinks at a party held on campus prior to a night out on the Street. Usage: “Let’s pregame at John’s birthday party before heading to T.I.”

preppy, 1. n. Person who attended St. Paul’s, Andover, Exeter, Lawrenceville, Groton, etc. Likely wears a lot of polos and is never seen without Sperrys. 2. adj. Princeton is supposedly one of the 10 preppiest schools in the nation, but don’t be fooled: It’s in the top five. See “Lawnparties.”

Princeton, 1. n. The University to which you have committed the rest of your life (including your future earnings). 2. n. The affluent suburban town in which your blissful Orange Bubble is located.

PrincetonFML, n. Website where Princetonians procrastinate by publicly sharing their frustrations (Summer’s almost over, FML) and their glories (Time for four years at Princeton, MLIG).

Princetoween, n. The night on which all of campus collectively celebrates Halloween, irrespective of the actual date. Typically the Thursday before Fall Break.

Prospect, abbrev. 1. Prospect House. Formerly the University president’s home in the middle of campus. Now a faculty dining hall and the site of end-of-semester fancy dinners for various organizations. 2. Prospect Garden. The gardens surrounding Prospect House; popular venue for Houseparties photos. 3. Prospect Avenue. See Street’s guide to the Street.

Prospect 11, n. The ultimate drinking challenge: one beer at every eating club in one night. A favored item on senior bucket lists. Called “Prospect 10” before Cannon reopened, and possibly once again if Quad goes bankrupt. See “Beast.”

prox, 1. n. Common name for PUID, or the Princeton University TigerCard. 2. v. To unlock a door by holding your PUID close to an electronic sensor. Humping the wall in the process is optional. Usage: “Could you prox me in?” 3. n. The Daily Princetonian’s blog. See “PUID.”

Public Safety, n. University cops responsible for regulating parking, ignoring room parties and opening doors for locked-out students. Called “P-safe.” Despite years of effort by the police union, the officers don’t carry guns.

PUID, n. Your University ID. Your key to admission at the library, sporting events and eating clubs. Can be used to charge food purchases to your student account. Eating club members sport special stickers on theirs. See “prox.”