Big Bash The beginning-of-year orientation party that's associated with RAG
Caf Where you can go for a cup of coffee. Arrange to meet your peeps in one of the cafs in the Steve Biko Students’ Union building.
DP Indicates a duly performed course, which means you’re allowed to write your exam
DPR Duly performed refused, which means you’ve been spending too much time hanging out in the caf
Early assessment A formal academic check to see how you’re doing in your first few months
First lecture Where you will find yourself at 08:00 on Monday mornings if you’re a fresher
Fresher That’s you! Another word for a first-year
Hot seat Weekly appointment with a tutor to discuss your progress
Jammie Shuttle The blue bus that gets you around campus and town
Jammie Thursday When cool things happen on Jammie plaza during Meridian
Jammie plaza The open area below Jammie Hall where lots of events happen
Lectures They last 45 minutes, with 15 minutes in-between to get to your next class
Meridian Lunch break – from 13:00 to 14:00 during the week
North Stop One of the main Jammie Shuttle stops on upper campus (ditto South Stop)
OL Orientation leader (your person in the know)
O-Week The week before lectures start when you find your way around campus, make new friends, join societies and ease into varsity life
Pass mark Anything above 50%
Practicals Where you put into practice what you’ve learnt in theory. These sessions, which often happen in laboratories, can be up to three hours long.
RAG Stands for “remember and give”. The fundraising arm of SHAWCO (see below)
Res Residence – your home away from home
SAX Appeal The RAG magazine that you’ll be asked to
sell at traffic lights while dressed in funny clothes
SHAWCO Students Health and Welfare Centres Organisation – UCT’s socially responsive student-run organisation that offers community outreach opportunities
SRC Students’ Representative Council, the highest decision-making structure of student governance
Tuts Tutorials are small groups that meet to discuss material covered in lectures. These are compulsory if you want to get
your DP.
Tutor The person who is in charge of the tut and who is there to help you get to grips with the subject matter
Varsity Not just where you’re studying but also the official name of the student newspaper, which comes out on campus every second Tuesday.
Vula UCT’s official online learning system. You’ll find everything you need to know about your course here.
Year mark An evaluation of your performance throughout the year. Along with your exam results, this contributes to your final mark.