Slang Words about School and Studying

Learn 15 American English slang words and expressions about school and studying! Read the slang words and example sentences, listen to the pronunciation and repeat the words and sentences out loud to improve your English speaking.

ace a test

To “ace a test” is to get a very good grade.

“How’d you do on the chemistry test?”

“I aced it!”

cram

If you “cram,” it means you study a lot in a short period of time.

“Are you going to the party tonight?”

“Nah, I have to cram for my history test.”

cut class 

If you “cut class,” it means you don’t go to class.

“I’m gonna cut math class so that I can finish this project for biology.”

“OK. I’ll tell the professor you’re sick.”

drop a class

If you “drop a class,” it means you stop taking that class.

“I’m really stressed out this semester. I’m thinking of dropping a class.”

hit the books

To “hit the books” is to study.

“I gotta go hit the books. I have a final exam tomorrow.”

pop quiz

A “pop quiz” is a surprise quiz.

“We had a pop quiz in philosophy class today. I was completely unprepared!”

flunk 

To “flunk” a test or a class is to fail.

“I’ve flunked economics three times.”

“Really? Maybe you should get a tutor.”

If a person flunks so many classes that they stop going to school or college, we say they “flunked out.”

slack off

If you slack off, it means that you get lazy and don’t work hard.

“A lot of students start to slack off near the end of the school year.”

dorm

“Dorm” is short for dormitory – the place where students live.

“How’s your dorm?”

“It gets a little noisy on weekends, but in general I like it.”

quad 

The “quad” is a rectangular area surrounded by buildings on a college campus.

“Where’s Jenny?”

“She’s sunbathing out on the quad.”

freshman 15

Many students gain weight when they start college. People often say that first-year students (freshmen) gain 15 extra pounds during their first year of school – this is called the “freshman 15.”

“I go to the gym every day so that I don’t gain the freshman 15.”

In high school and college, there are names for students in each year:

• freshman = first-year student
• sophomore = second-year student
• junior = third-year student
• senior = fourth-year student

full ride

If someone has or gets a “full ride,” it means they have a scholarship that pays for 100% of their education.

“She got a full ride to the state university thanks to her good grades in high school.”

senioritis

“Senioritis” is when students who are in their last year of college get lazy and stop working hard, because they know that they will finish their studies soon.

“Even the best students often get senioritis just before they graduate.”

pull an all-nighter

If you “pull an all-nighter,” it means you stay awake the whole night, usually studying.

“I had to pull an all-nighter to finish writing my paper for history class.”

frat

“Frat” is short for “fraternity,” which is a social organization of male college students. The word for a social organization of female students is “sorority.” These organizations are often called by Greek letters, like Alpha Theta Chi or Kappa Delta, and members are called “brothers” and “sisters.”

“My brother joined a frat his first year of college to make new friends.”