Academic calendar
School of Health Professions and College of Nursing Summer Semester 2026 runs May 11, 2026 – Aug 14, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- School of Health Professions and College of Nursing Summer Semester 2026Relevant now
- School of Public Health Summer Semester 2026
- Summer Semester 2026
- School of Health Professions and College of Nursing Fall Semester 2026School of Public Health Fall Semester 2026
- Fall Semester 2026
- School of Health Professions and College of Nursing Spring Semester 2027
- School of Public Health Spring Semester 2027
- Spring Semester 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 51 of 51 terms
8
- 811
- The residential hall located at 811 New York Avenue, primarily housing medical and graduate students.
- 816
- A residential building (Building 816) that houses a study lounge and student accommodations.
- 825
- The residential hall located at 825 New York Avenue, offering apartment-style living for students.
C
- Cafe 101
- The primary student-center cafe and catering service located in Room 2-20.
- Carrels
- Assigned small-group study rooms in the HSEB that serve as 'home base' for preclinical students.
- COM
- College of Medicine, the largest school within the university.
- CON
- College of Nursing.
- County
- Kings County Hospital Center, the large municipal hospital adjacent to Downstate where students perform many clinical rotations.
D
- Dedicated
- The multi-week period set aside specifically for USMLE Step 1 board exam study.
- DHWS
- Daniel Hale Williams Society, the local Downstate chapter of the SNMA.
- DMC
- Downstate Medical Center, the institution's legacy name still used by students and staff.
- Downstate
- The common shorthand and affectionate nickname for the entire university.
F
- FSA
- Faculty Student Association, which oversees campus services like dining and the bookstore.
G
- GSSC
- Graduate Student School Council.
- Gunner
- A term used by medical students to describe a hyper-competitive peer who may prioritize their own success over group learning.
- Gunners
- Competitive students known for over-preparing or being less collaborative (common med-school slang used locally).
L
- LMSA
- Latino Medical Student Association, an organization representing the interests of Latino medical students.
M
- Match
- Short for Match Day, the high-stakes annual event where medical students find out where they will spend their residency.
- MSC
- Medical School Council, the student government for the College of Medicine.
N
- NetID
- The unique username assigned to students for accessing campus email, WiFi, and academic portals.
- North
- The North Residence Hall (811 New York Ave).
- NSC
- Nursing School Council.
O
- OSAS
- Office of Student Academic Services, providing tutoring and academic counseling.
P
- PBL
- Problem-Based Learning, a core component of the preclinical curriculum.
- Pimping
- The traditional medical school practice where attendings or residents quiz students on medical knowledge during rounds.
R
- RHC
- Residence Hall Council.
S
- SC
- Student Council, the primary student governing body representing all five schools.
- SGS
- School of Graduate Studies.
- SID
- Student Identification number, the nine-digit code used for administrative logins and identification.
- SIGN
- Student Interest Group in Neurology, providing seminars and learning materials for students interested in the field.
- SNMA
- Student National Medical Association, a national organization focused on underrepresented medical students.
- Sodexo
- The third-party vendor that manages campus dining and catering services.
- SOHP
- School of Health Professions, offering programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and more.
- South
- The South Residence Hall (825 New York Ave).
- SPH
- School of Public Health.
- SSR
- Students for Social Responsibility, a student-run organization dedicated to community service in Brooklyn.
- Step
- Refers to the USMLE Step examinations (Step 1, Step 2 CK) that medical students must pass for licensing.
T
- The Boards
- Collective term for the USMLE Step examinations that dominate the second and third-year student experience.
- The Bridge
- The enclosed overhead walkway that connects the Basic Sciences Building to the University Hospital.
- The Caf
- The main cafeteria located on the first floor of the University Hospital at Downstate (UHD).
- The Cafeteria
- The main dining hall located on the first floor of University Hospital at Downstate (UHD).
- The Cart
- Refers to various mobile coffee or food carts often stationed near the hospital entrance or the BSB.
- The Commons
- The newly renovated main cafeteria and dining space connecting the BSB and the Hospital.
- The Deli
- Refers to the various local delicatessens directly across from the hospital on Clarkson Avenue where students grab quick meals.
- The Grove
- The outdoor landscaped seating area between the main campus buildings used for studying and socializing.
- The Link
- The enclosed overhead pedestrian bridge that connects the Basic Sciences Building to the University Hospital.
- The Pit
- A common student reference to the lower-level lounge or study areas in the BSB.
- The Res Halls
- Collective shorthand for the on-campus housing facilities managed by the Office of Residential Life.
- The Snack Bar
- The smaller food service area located in the Basic Sciences Building (BSB) for quick meals and coffee.
- The Student Center
- The facility at 394 Lenox Road that serves as the hub for social activities and recreational dining.
- The Well
- The University's student fitness and wellness center located in the Student Center.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- 15-minute intervals
- The standard frequency for campus shuttle departures to transportation hubs.
- Banner
- The self-service web portal used for course registration, checking grades, and managing financial aid.
- BSB
- Basic Sciences Building, the primary hub for lectures, labs, and administrative offices.
- cafe_101
- Cafe 101
- DMC-Secure
- The official encrypted campus WiFi network available across academic and clinical buildings.
- Downstate Card
- The official campus ID card required for building access, library services, and shuttle boarding.
- Downstate ID
- The mandatory identification card required for swiping into every campus building and accessing the library.
- DownstateCard
- The official campus ID card required for building access and library services.
- Extension 2626
- The University Police phone extension used to request shuttle services.
- FM&D
- Facilities Management and Development, the department students contact for dorm repairs or campus maintenance.
- FSA
- Faculty Student Association, the non-profit organization that manages campus services like the bookstore and dining.
- HSEB
- Health Science Education Building, containing modern classrooms and the simulation center.
- ID Badge
- The mandatory identification card required for swiping into all campus buildings and hospital units.
- Kings County
- Kings County Hospital Center, the massive NYC Health + Hospitals facility adjacent to Downstate where students frequently rotate.
- Lottery
- The randomized system used to assign students to clinical rotation sites.
- Parkside
- The Parkside Avenue Q train station, a common alternative transit point for students commuting from other parts of Brooklyn.
- PHAB
- Public Health Academic Building, housing the School of Public Health.
- PHB
- The Public Health Building, housing the School of Public Health.
- Red Phones
- Emergency telephones located throughout campus corridors and labs that connect directly to University Police.
- SAB
- Student Activities Building or specific academic annex.
- Send Word Now
- The university's emergency notification system used to send alerts to student mobile devices.
- SmartCard
- An upgraded DownstateCard that includes a debit account for campus purchases.
- The Library
- The Medical Research Library of Brooklyn, located within the BSB complex.
- The List
- Common shorthand for the residency match list or the internal student listservs used for announcements.
- The Listserv
- The primary email broadcast system used by administration and student orgs to communicate campus-wide news.
- The Shuttle
- The campus security shuttle service that provides transportation between campus buildings and local transit hubs.
- the_commons_cafeteria
- The Commons (Cafeteria)
- UHB
- University Hospital of Brooklyn, the primary teaching hospital.
- UHD
- University Hospital at Downstate, the main teaching hospital on campus.
- Winthrop
- The Winthrop Street 2/5 subway station, the closest transit point to the main campus entrance.
- Winthrop Street
- The nearest subway station (2 and 5 trains) for commuting to campus.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- School of Health Professions and College of Nursing Summer Semester 2026 runs May 11, 2026 – Aug 14, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 51 approved campus terms and 31 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.