Academic calendar
Summer 2026 runs May 11, 2026 – Aug 7, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026 11 week
- Summer 2026Relevant now
- Summer 2026 9 week
- Summer 2026 5 week (MMP)
- Fall 2026 2 week Session A (MMP)
- Fall 2026 6 week Session A
- Fall 2026 12 week Session AB
- Fall 2026 18 week
- Fall 2026
- Fall 2026 6 week Session B (MMP)
- Fall 2026 8 week Session A
- Fall 2026 16 week
- Fall 2026 6 week Session B
- Fall 2026 12 week Session BC
- Fall 2026 5 week Session C (MMP)
- Fall 2026 8 week Session B
- Fall 2026 6 week Session C
- Fall 2026 6 week Session D (MMP)
- Spring 2027 6 week Session D
- Spring 2027 12 week Session DE
- Spring 2027Spring 2027 18 week
- Spring 2027 8 week Session A
- Spring 2027 16 week
- Spring 2027 6 week Session E
- Spring 2027 12 week Session EF
- Spring 2027 8 week Session B
- Spring 2027 6 week Session F
- Summer 2027 11 week
- Summer 2027
- Summer 2027 9 week
- Summer 2027 5 week (MMP)
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 53 of 53 terms
1
- 1903
- The 1903 Cafe, a popular dining location within Froedtert Hospital used by MCW students.
A
- AANS
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons student chapter.
- AMA
- The MCW chapter of the American Medical Association.
- AMA-MSS
- American Medical Association - Medical Student Section, a prominent professional student chapter on campus.
- AMIG
- Addiction Medicine Interest Group, a student-run specialty interest organization.
- AMSA
- American Medical Student Association, a national organization with a local chapter.
- AMWA
- American Medical Women's Association; an organization advancing women in medicine.
B
- Black Bag Ball
- The largest annual formal social event for MCW students, typically organized by AMSA.
D
- DIG
- Dermatology Interest Group, one of many specialty-specific student organizations (SIGs).
- DIGs
- Departmental Interest Groups; student-run organizations focused on specific medical specialties (e.g., Surgery DIG).
E
- Echelon
- Echelon Apartments, a popular housing choice for students located at the nearby UWM Innovation Campus.
F
- FMSA
- Family Medicine Student Association.
- Froedtert Caf
- The main cafeteria located in the connected Froedtert Hospital, often used by students on clinical rotations.
G
- GSA
- Graduate Student Association, the representative body for PhD and Master's students.
- Gunner
- A term used for an overly competitive student who may hinder others to get ahead (common med school slang used locally).
H
- Highland
- Highland Park Apartments, a common residential choice for medical and graduate students near the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center.
- Hub Central
- The cafe and social space located in the Hub for Collaborative Medicine.
K
- Kern
- The Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education, a major center for character and competence in medicine
L
- LMSA
- Latino Medical Student Association, an organization dedicated to representing and supporting Hispanic and Latino medical students.
M
- M1-M4
- Shorthand for a medical student's year of study (e.g., M1 is a first-year, M4 is a fourth-year).
- M1/M2/M3/M4
- Standard shorthand for a student's current year in the four-year medical school curriculum.
- Match Day
- The annual event in March where graduating medical students find out where they will complete their residency training.
- MCW Cafe
- The primary cafeteria located within the Medical Education Building (MEB).
- MCWSA
- Medical College of Wisconsin Student Assembly, the central student government body.
- MSA
- Medical Student Association, the primary student government body for MD students.
P
- P=MD
- A common student mantra ('Pass equals MD') referring to the pass/fail grading system used in the pre-clinical years.
S
- SA
- Student Assembly, the primary student government body representing the interests of the student population.
- Shelf
- Standardized subject exams taken at the end of clinical rotations.
- SIGs
- Student Interest Groups; the primary category for student-run specialty and hobby clubs.
- SLDI
- Student Leadership Development Initiative, a student-run organization focused on physician leadership training.
- SNMA
- Student National Medical Association, focused on supporting underrepresented minority medical students.
- Step
- Refers to the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 exams, the high-stakes boards required for medical licensure.
- Step 1
- The first major board exam (USMLE) typically taken by students after their second year.
T
- The 92nd Street Apartments
- A frequent reference to the various apartment clusters located along 92nd Street near the medical center.
- The Alumni Center
- The dining and lounge area located on the second floor of the Medical Education Building.
- The Boards
- General term for the national licensing examinations (USMLE or COMLEX) that dominate student study schedules.
- The Bubble
- A term for the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) campus, referring to its self-contained environment.
- The Caf
- The Froedtert Hospital cafeteria, used by students for a wider variety of hot meals and late-night options.
- The Cafeteria
- General student term for the main food service area located near the HRC and MEB intersection.
- The Coffee Cart
- The mobile or small-scale coffee service points located in the MEB or hospital lobbies.
- The Coffee Shop
- Refers to the Starbucks or local coffee kiosks located within the Froedtert/MCW skywalk system.
- The Echelon
- Echelon Apartments, the most popular off-campus housing complex for MCW students located directly across from campus.
- The Enclave
- A popular luxury apartment complex in Wauwatosa where many MCW students live due to its proximity to campus.
- The Hub
- The primary dining and social space located within the Medical Education Building (MEB).
- The Hub Cafe
- The main dining area located within the Hub for Collaborative Medicine.
- The Kiosk
- Small grab-and-go food stations located throughout the clinical and research buildings.
- The Link
- The extensive skywalk system that connects MCW buildings with Froedtert Hospital and Children's Wisconsin.
- The Link Coffee
- The small coffee kiosk/cafe area located within the skywalk system connecting the campus buildings.
- The Match
- The annual process and ceremony where graduating students find out their residency placement.
- The Reef
- A nearby apartment complex frequently cited as a top housing option for the MCW student community.
- The Reserve
- The Reserve at Mayfair, the most common off-campus apartment complex that serves as a de facto student housing hub.
V
- Variety Fest
- An annual campus talent show where students and faculty showcase non-medical skills and performances.
W
- White Coat
- Refers to the White Coat Ceremony, the formal induction of new students into the medical profession.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- AMCAS
- The American Medical College Application Service, the primary system used for medical school applications.
- Badge
- The mandatory ID card required for swiping into all secure campus buildings, elevators, and parking structures.
- Badge Access
- The requirement to use a physical ID card to unlock almost all doors and elevators within the medical center complex.
- BRC
- Biomedical Research Center
- Brightspace
- The learning management system (formerly D2L) where students access lecture recordings and course materials.
- BSB
- Basic Science Building, housing research labs and academic departments.
- Bublr
- The local bike-share program with stations located around the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus.
- CCB
- Clinical Cancer Center, the facility where clinical oncology services and research are integrated.
- CCD
- Center for Cancer Discovery, located on the 3rd floor of the campus complex.
- children_s_wisconsin_cafeteria
- Children's Wisconsin Cafeteria
- CHW
- Children's Wisconsin, the pediatric hospital integrated into the campus.
- D-Lot
- The primary surface parking lot used by students, located on the campus periphery.
- D2L
- Desire2Learn (Brightspace), the learning management system used for all course materials, syllabi, and grades.
- Froedtert
- Froedtert Hospital; the primary adult teaching hospital where clinical rotations occur.
- HCM
- Hub for Collaborative Medicine, a central building for faculty and administrative offices
- HRC
- Health Research Center, a major facility for laboratory research and faculty offices.
- Lot C
- The primary parking lot assigned to students and those on clinical rotations at the Milwaukee campus.
- MCW Connect
- The internal campus portal used for news, administrative tasks, and accessing institutional resources.
- MCW ID
- The essential campus identification card required for building access, library services, and after-hours entry.
- mcw_caf
- MCW Café
- MEB
- Medical Education Building, the central hub for classrooms, student services, and the Hub.
- MFRC
- MACC Fund Research Center, a building dedicated to pediatric and cancer research.
- MNS
- Mass Notification System, the emergency alert service that sends texts and emails to the campus community.
- MRMC
- Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, the consortium of healthcare and educational institutions that share the campus.
- MRMC Shuttle
- The shuttle service connecting the various parking lots and buildings within the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus.
- OASIS
- The primary online portal for student scheduling, grades, and academic records.
- Public Safety
- The campus security department, reachable for emergency assistance or non-emergencies like jump-starting a dead battery.
- Scholarly Pathways
- Specific elective tracks (e.g., Global Health, Urban Health) that medical students choose to focus their studies.
- Short White Coat
- The specific waist-length lab coat that identifies a person as a medical student rather than a physician.
- Skywalks
- The elevated pedestrian bridge system connecting MCW buildings to Froedtert Hospital and other MRMC facilities.
- Structure 1
- One of the main parking garages used by staff and students with specific permits.
- TBR
- Translational Biomedical Research Center; a facility focused on clinical and translational science.
- TBRC
- Translational Biomedical Research Center, a facility focused on moving laboratory discoveries into clinical practice.
- The Badge
- The mandatory identification card required for all building access, parking, and hospital entry.
- The Bubble
- A nickname sometimes used for the enclosed, climate-controlled environment of the connected campus buildings.
- The Hub
- The Hub for Collaborative Medicine; a central building for faculty offices and student collaboration spaces.
- The Link
- The specific indoor corridor connecting the Medical Education Building (MEB) to the Froedtert Hospital complex.
- The Shuttle
- The campus transportation service that moves students and staff between remote parking lots and the main buildings.
- The Skywalk
- The extensive indoor bridge system that allows students to walk between MCW, Froedtert, and Children's Wisconsin without going outside.
- the_dining_room
- The Dining Room
- WisGO
- The fare system (app or card) used for the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) buses.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Summer 2026 runs May 11, 2026 – Aug 7, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 53 approved campus terms and 41 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.