Chances are if you come to visit us on campus (or chat with a student or alum) you’ll hear a lot of HBS terms and acronyms being thrown around. So what do they all mean? Here’s a quick guide to some key HBS lingo.

ALDRICH: Aldrich Hall is where all first year classes take place. Aldrich Hall was opened in 1953 (and later updated in 2004), and the horseshoe-shaped classroom layouts were specifically designed to facilitate case method learning.

BAKER: Baker Library is equipped to assist MBA students with the breadth of their curriculum at HBS. Work with Baker staff to create target lists of companies, order HBS cases, research your paper or project topics, and prepare for courses.

CASE METHOD: Pioneered by HBS faculty and one of the highlights of the HBS experience, the case method is a profound educational innovation that presents the greatest challenges confronting leading companies, nonprofits, and government organizations—complete with the constraints and incomplete information found in real business issues—and places the student in the role of the decision maker. Students will read 500 cases during their two years at HBS.

COLD CALL: At the beginning of each class the professor cold calls a student to open up the case. Students never know which day or class they will be cold-called in! This has become such a cornerstone of the HBS experience that there is now a Cold Call Podcast.

CPD: CPD is the Career and Professional Development Office on campus. About 70% of students change careers after HBS, and CPD works to help each student define their own unique career vision. The CPD team includes over 50 career coaches who specialize in different industries, geographies or life stages. CPD partners with over 1,500 organizations from around the world that participate in some form of the recruiting process at HBS; whether it is interviewing on campus or posting jobs on our website.

EC: EC stands for “Elective Curriculum” and refers to the flexible second year at HBS. Second year students are also referred to as “ECs”. There are over 100 elective courses for students to choose from, as well as opportunities to cross-register with other Harvard schools, MIT’s School of Management, and Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts. Additionally, ECs can enroll in an Immersive Field Course (IFC), or to design their own independent projects.

EXEC ED: HBS Executive Education brings business leaders and executives from around the world together through a number of diverse programs and educational offerings.

FIELD: FIELD is a required part of the first-year curriculum and stands for Field Immersion Experience and Leadership Development. FIELD Global Capstone (CAP) takes place in the second semester. Field Global Capstone builds on interpersonal and team-based skills learned in START, LEAD, and Inclusion and culminates with student teams going into global markets around the world to help develop a new product or service concept for global partner organizations.

GEO: GEO is the Global Experience Office on campus. You’ll work closely with this department when going abroad for FIELD Global Capstone or IFCs in your second year.

GSAS: GSAS stands for the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Together with GSAS, we offer the MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences Program. Graduates earn two degrees in two years and are prepared to grow transformative organizations that will advance new drug discoveries or therapeutics.

HIVES: Classrooms in Batten Hall designed with FIELD courses in mind to facilitate small group work.

    HKS: HKS is short for Harvard Kennedy School. Together with HKS, we offer two joint degree programs: the MBA/MPP and the MBA/MPA-ID. After three years, graduates will be prepared for complex issues that call for the collaboration of the public, nonprofit, and private sectors—and for leadership effective in each.

    HLS: HLS is short for Harvard Law School. Together with HLS, we offer the JD/MBA which is the oldest joint degree program at Harvard. Structured to be completed in four years, the joint degree program integrates two complementary disciplines that prepare graduates for professional roles requiring leadership, legal expertise, and a general management perspective in private enterprise, government, and the nonprofit sector.

    HMS: HMS is short for Harvard Medical School. Together with HMS, we offer the MD/MBA which provides the informed leadership necessary for innovation and progress at the intersection of medicine and business.

    IFC: IFC stands for Immersive Field Courses. You’ll have the option to take one of these in your second year, and they usually include classroom work in the fall that culminates with an immersion in January.

    I-LAB: The Harvard Innovation Lab is a state-of-the-art building which serves as a hub for entrepreneurial activity around the university and the Boston area. With office space and a packed calendar of programming, the i-Lab brings entrepreneurs throughout the university together.

    NVC: The New Venture Competition is an annual student competition sponsored by Harvard Business School’s Rock Center for Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise Initiative. Students can test their ideas, get feedback from industry experts, and win prize money.

    PARTNER: About 15% of students come to HBS with significant others. Partners receive many of the same great benefits as students, like an HBS Partner ID card (to join our fitness center and use library resources) and access to some MBA Career & Professional Development services. Partners are also encouraged to attend HBS-sponsored partner events and join HBS clubs.

    PORTRAIT PROJECT: Each year we ask our students a straightforward, simple question taken from the lines of a poem by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Mary Oliver: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Students respond with intimate and candid responses through our annual Portrait Project.

    RC: RC stands for “Required Curriculum” and refers to the first year at HBS. Second year students are also referred to as “RCs”. As RCs, students take a set of Required Curriculum courses which are the foundation of the general management education.

    ROCK: The Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship is the hub of entrepreneurship at HBS. The Rock Center manages many different programs including the New Venture Competition, the Rock Accelerator program, the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence program, the Rock Summer Fellowships, and the loan reduction program for students pursuing entrepreneurial ventures after school.

    SEAS: SEAS stands for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Together with HBS, SEAS offers a two-year MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences degree. The two-year program aims to educate future leaders of technology ventures by providing a strong foundation in general management, building design skills, and deepening students’ understanding of engineering.

    SA: The HBS Student Association represents and advocates for the student body and serves as the main interface between students and the faculty/administration. Through our academic, social, and professional initiatives, we strive to create an invaluable and rewarding MBA experience for all students

    SECTION: HBS can feel like a big place – so the class is divided into ten sections of about 90 people. During your first year you will take all your classes with this group, and it’s likely they’ll become your closest friends at business school.

    SHAD: Shad is a the three-story, brick and concrete structure that houses a multipurpose gym, indoor track, cardio and weight room, racquet courts, locker rooms, and exercise studios. It is exclusively open to members of the HBS community.

    SIPS: SIPs, or Short Intensive Programs, are no-fee, no credit elective courses for RCs and ECs that offer the opportunity to think about career choices, gain practical skills, and explore topics you might otherwise never get to study. Startup Bootcamp, launched originally for RCs, is still one of the most popular SIPs.

    SPANGLER: Spangler Center is the epicenter of student activity. It is home to the dining hall, game room, US Post Office, Harvard COOP, MBA offices, and more.

    START: START week is the first official welcome for the new class of MBA students. START takes place over the course of students’ first week on campus in late August; all first years (RCs) participate in START and a group of second year (EC) START Ambassadors plan and lead activities throughout the week.

    TREK: Pack your bags to travel to different parts of the world! HBS Treks are student-organized trips that give you a chance to network, explore career options, and learn about new cultures with your classmates.

    TUNNELS: The underground tunnels at HBS connect different buildings around campus. The best part? You can go from your dorm to your classroom in shorts and flip flops – even in the middle of winter.

    WSA: Women’s Student Association is a student-led organization at HBS for anyone who identifies as a woman. It is the largest student organization on campus.