This blog was written by Semester 2 storyteller, Shubi.
Let’s decode university life together…
Starting university is a bit like joining a TV show halfway through.
Everyone else seems to know what’s going on. They’re casually talking about rubrics, consultations, and the census date, while you’re still trying to work out whether you’re in the right building.
The good news? You catch on quicker than you think.
The official definitions are easy enough to find. This isn’t that. This is the version I wish another student had explained to me in my first week- the little translations that make university life feel a whole lot less confusing.
💻 “It’s on LMS.”
Let’s be honest… if you don’t know what LMS is yet, you will very soon.
It’ll become your most-visited website before you realise it, and before long you’ll probably catch yourself saying, “Have you checked LMS?” Too.
Need a quick introduction? Our What is the Learning Management System (LMS)? video is a great place to start.
Once the first assignment rolls around, you’ll start hearing a whole new set of phrases. They sound intimidating at first, but they’re actually there to help.
📝 “Check the rubric.”
First-year brain:
“I’ll read it after I’ve finished writing.”
Second-year brain:
“Wait… the rubric is basically telling me how to get good marks.”
A rubric is a marking guide that shows what you’ll be assessed on and what different grade levels look like. Don’t leave the rubric until the end, spending five minutes reading it before you start can save you a lot of guesswork later.
🤝 “Have you booked a consultation with the tutor?”
What you think it means:
“Am I in trouble?”
What it actually means:
Not at all.
Consultations are simply a chance to chat with your lecturer or tutor before you submit your work. Whether you want to test an idea or ask a question, they’re there to help. Think of them as one of university’s most underrated resources.
📅 “Don’t forget the Census date.”
Unlike some of the other phrases on this list, this one’s more of a friendly reminder.
You’ll hear people mention the Census date a lot because it’s important. You need to have your enrolment finalised by Census date, so it’s one of those dates worth adding to your calendar early. Future you will definitely appreciate it.
But let’s be honest, staying organised all semester is a little harder than it sounds…
📅 Student thoughts
Week 1:
“I’ve colour-coded my calendar. I’ve got this.” ✨
Week 4:
“Why do I suddenly have three assignments due… and how is it only Wednesday?”
If that sounds familiar, welcome to university.
Not everything about university revolves around assignments. Some of the phrases you’ll hear aren’t really “university lingo” at all- they’re just little moments that become part of campus life.
☕ “I’m just grabbing a coffee.”
Translation:
That’s usually the plan.
What actually happens is you bump into someone from your tutorial, chat with a friend you haven’t seen since Orientation, wave at your tutor walking past, and suddenly your “quick coffee” has turned into a 20-minute catch-up.
At some point, you’ll realise coffee runs at university are rarely just about coffee.
📖 “I’m going to the library.”
Translation:
Sometimes it means studying.
Sometimes it means finally finding a quiet corner to finish the assignment you’ve been avoiding.
Sometimes it means borrowing a charger because, somehow, yours is always sitting at home.
And sometimes it means opening your laptop, chatting with your friends for half an hour and convincing yourselves that simply being in the library counts as being productive.
Honestly… all of the above still count.
☕ “Let’s meet at Agora.”
What you think it means:
A quick catch-up before class.
What it actually means:
You’ll hear this phrase a lot, and before long, you’ll probably be saying it too.
Need a coffee? Agora.
Grabbing lunch? Agora.
Meeting your group? Agora.
Somewhere between your first week and your first assignment, it quietly becomes the unofficial meeting spot on campus. Before long, “Where should we meet?” turns into “See you at Agora.”
The funny thing about university is that nobody teaches you this language, you simply pick it up along the way.
One lecture becomes ten. One assignment becomes another. One coffee run turns into recognising familiar faces around campus. Before you know it, the words that once sounded completely foreign become part of your everyday conversations.
So, if you’re still quietly Googling the occasional university term, don’t stress- we’ve all been there. And one day, without even noticing, you’ll catch yourself saying, “Just check the rubric,” like you’ve known what it meant all along.