Students’ Glossary

Riots, overall, exam and quiz – Do you also feel completely lost in the students’ slang? Take it easy, now we’ll go through the words you may need in your studies – or if someone near you starts talking about words you don’t understand. Join in!

• Nolle-P and Nollan

  The orientation period at the start of the academic year, which takes place in mid-August for the autumn term and mid-January for the spring term, is called Nolle-P (the zero period) for the students. During the orientation period, all new students are called nollan (a zero, several zeroes). This is because the new student still has zero university credits, so they are not trying to be mean.

• Exam, Retake, and Dugga

  An exam is a larger test or examination often held at the end of a course. If you don’t pass the exam, you can take a retake. A dugga is a smaller test or quiz done before the exam as a tool for the student to ensure they understand the subject or various components. Since exams usually happen around the same times for all students, the weeks leading up to the exams are often called exam-p (the exam period), and many students study almost constantly.

• Ovve

  Ovve is an abbreviation of the word overall. The garment ovve is sacred to students and is often worn during parties, the orientation period, and other occasions. The color of the ovve and its trimmings are determined based on the program the student is studying. The ovve is also often adorned with patches that represent associations, events attended, or fun trivia.

• Kravall, Sittning, and Gyckel

  Various types of events are often organized by students. The most student-like are the Kravall and Sittning. A kravall is not as dangerous as it sounds but is a party where students wear overalls. The word kravall here stands for the requirement for overalls. A sittning is a dinner with many guests where food is served and gyckel (also called spex) is performed, which often consists of a song or other entertainment.

• VFU

  Officially called workplace-based education. It is when a student has an internship in the profession they are training for.

• Campus

  Areas where students have their study environments in one place. Here, students can have everything from their exams to their parties. For LiU students in Linköping, there are campuses in Valla and at the University Hospital.

• Fadderi, Festeri och mästeri

  There are several different associations that organize various events during study time. A Fadderi is an association that plans and carries out Nolle-P for the new students. These are usually a bit oddly dressed during Nolle-P, wander in groups, and speak a bit peculiarly. They may look a bit dangerous but are nothing to be afraid of. A Festeri is an association that carries out parties, kravalls, and sittnings during the year, but also other events like competitions! A mästeri is a group that is a combination of a fadderi and a festeri and does both parts.

• Kår, Fakulteter och Kårhus

  A kår is an interest organization working to ensure students have a good study time, they can almost be seen as the students’ union. At LiU, there are three kårer, each representing different faculties, meaning different fields of education. There’s the technical (TekFak), the philosophical (Filfak), and the medical (medfak) faculty. Students who choose to “join” and pay a membership fee to the kår receive support from the kår if there’s something they feel they need help with during their education or social contexts. The kårer jointly own kårhus located around Linköping. This is where students organize parties, pubs, kravalls, and sittnings.

• Akademisk kvart

  Keep a close eye on the times in the schedule! Often, a lecture for students may start a quarter later than what perhaps feels “normal.” When group work or smaller lessons start at “10,” many might show up closer to 10:15 because the akademisk kvart is obvious to many participants, but if it says 8:00, then 08:00 is the time to show up. This is called an akademisk kvart and is said to be based in the time when it was uncommon for students to carry watches and they relied on the church’s clocks.

• Stad i ljus

  The students’ national anthem “Stad i ljus” by Tommy Körberg concludes all parties held. Did you not miss the clip from Musikhjälpen at Stora Torget 2015 when students sang together with Rickard Söderberg? Completely magical – we recommend that you check it out below!