Birmingham-Southern College
- Inside Scoop

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Inside Scoop

Quick Stats

School Slang
  • The Battle: Nickname for Bill Battle Coliseum
  • Bush Hills, College Hills, Graymont: Neighborhoods surrounding the College
  • The Café: Refers to the main dining area on campus which is in the Norton Student Center and is actually called the Court
  • The Dungeon: Refers to the bottom floor of the Harbert building where the IT department is housed
  • East Buddha/BFE: Nickname that refers to how far away you end up parking your car
  • Ecoscape: One of several environmental projects that combines a garden with an innovative design; the original one is located behind the IM field.
  • The Gate: The gate that encloses campus and keeps all the bad guys out
  • Guard Shack: The location of the Campus Police Department in a small building at the entrance of the school
  • The Hilltop: Nickname for BSC, due to its location on top of a large hill
  • Interim: The yearly January term where students can travel or opt to take one class on campus
  • Maggie D: Nickname for Margaret Daniel, a building on campus
  • Munger: The name of the building that houses Munger Auditorium
  • North: Upperclassmen men’s dorm, officially renamed Daniel Residence Hall
  • Norton: Refers to the Norton Student Center
  • Olin: Shortened name for the Olin Math and Computer Science building
  • The Quad: Grassy area located outside the dorms where students often meet or hang out
  • Shawty: The friendly homeless guy at the local BP
  • Simpson: The old Simpson school house building, located behind sorority town houses
  • Southern: A shortened version of the school’s name, which is used regularly
  • Stephens, Science: Shortened names for the Elton B. Stephens Science Center
  • Tennis Courts: The former tennis courts, which now serve as a large parking lot for students
  • The View: A special section of the Hilltop News that covers issues in the surrounding neighborhoods
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
  • Classes are a lot harder than at state schools.
  • Don’t try to bring extra furniture for the freshman dorms, it won’t fit!
  • Get on the smallest meal plan possible.
  • How to manage my time better.
  • It’s not a good school for people who are undecided about their majors.
  • It’s not a grad school kind of place.
  • The difference between hours and credits.
  • You don’t have to read the summer reading before the first provost forum.
  • You don’t have to wear your nametag during orientation.
Tips to Succeed
  • Actually go to class.
  • Ask around about which professors are best.
  • Ask tons of questions.
  • Check your e-mail at least 10 times a day.
  • Don’t be afraid to make study buddies.
  • Get involved as much as possible.
  • Have a good idea of what you want to do before coming here.
  • Homework is more than a joke—it can help in class, too!
See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

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Inside Scoop at Birmingham-Southern College

camauck

'13

Mathematics

5.0
A+

Interim

The winter "Interim" term at BSC is one of the more unusual aspects of the school. The school year is divided into 3 terms: Fall (Sept-Dec), Winter (Jan), and Spring (Feb-May). Each January, students take only one class in any subject they like. Many students choose to study abroad, others stay on campus, and still others contract their own class to fit their interests.

Mar 31, 2011

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Inside Scoop at Birmingham-Southern College

softball4

'13

Education

5.0
A+

Professors and Classrooms

I love the size of the classrooms. Their small, which makes it easier to know one another and have more one on one with your professors. Every Professor I have come in contact with so far has always been helpful in the classroom and out of the classroom. I always know that I can contact them and they will be more than happy to meet with me to discuss anything.

Jun 09, 2010

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Facts

Traditions
  • Awards Day: Before the end of each spring semester, there is a special awards ceremony that recognizes students and organizations that have demonstrated leadership or academic excellence over the last year. After the ceremony, everyone meets out on the Alumni Plaza for a picnic and live music provided by the BSC Jazz Band.
  • Bell Tower: Each year on the last day of class, seniors go to the bell tower on the academic quad and ring the bells to signify the end of their college journey.
  • Capping Ceremony: On graduation day, each senior is allowed to pick a special person to present them with their cap. Family members, professors, or friends ceremonially cap them to signify the special bond that has helped them get through college.
  • Dream Café: Dream Café is a special event that is held during Alumni Reunion Weekend that features acoustic music and other performances. It serves as a fundraiser for the service-learning and leadership studies programs.
  • E-Fest: A miniature fall version of SoCo, E-Fest is usually a chance for students to enjoy free music after their first big stint of school during the fall. It’s a free concert and a great way to relax during the fall.
  • Greek Week: Each spring, fraternities and sororities get together to compete on the Quad in field games such as tug of war and pickup football games. Each fraternity and sorority is scored on each event, and there is a final winner chosen at the end of the day.
  • Guys Bid Day: Every year when the pledging season comes to a close and male pledges get a bid for a fraternity, the whole ceremony is followed by a huge party. In recent years, with the completion of New Fraternity Row, more space has given way to even more raucous behavior.
  • Halloween on the Hilltop: Every Halloween, neighborhood kids are invited to participate in a Halloween celebration involving a haunted house, carnival-style games, and a costume contest. Sororities and fraternities set up booths for the kids, and other organizations serve as chaperones and playmates for the kids.
  • The Honor Pledge: Before classes begin each fall, new students participate in a convocation where they ceremonially sign the Honor Pledge, and assert that they will follow it in the classroom and elsewhere on campus.
  • Honors Day: Honors Day is held each spring and is a culmination of the work done by seniors and other students throughout the year. Students give presentations all throughout the day that were sponsored by faculty members. Presentations range from biological studies to art exhibitions.
  • I*Jam: I*Jam is a recent tradition added to the BSC arsenal of musical festivities. This one-night event includes a hand-selected lineup of independent acts and is usually held in the old Simpson schoolhouse, now known as the Simpson building. The strange venue makes for an all-out party with a variety of people.
  • Interim Term: In January of each academic year, every student has the option of taking only one course or participating in an internship or study-abroad opportunity. The interim term is modeled after European institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford, which offer a special term for in-depth study.
  • SGA Christmas Party: Each year, around Greek formal time, the SGA hosts a Christmas party that features music, dancing, and optional formal attire. The party is open to everyone and is one opportunity for independents to go to a formal, as well.
  • SoCo: SoCo is BSC’s two-night concert series that is a spring celebration of youth and entertainment. Formerly known as Southern Comfort, the festival name was recently shortened to “SoCo” in an effort to disassociate the event with the brand of liqueur that shares its name. Past guests have included 17th Floor, Sister Hazel, the North Mississippi All Stars, and Tonic.
  • Welcome Back Dinners : In the fall of every year, on one of the first nights after classes have started, the cafeteria caters a welcome-back dinner where students, faculty, and staff are invited to eat dinner with the entire campus community. The president gives his first address of the year to welcome students back to the Hilltop.
Urban Legends
  • BSC spends more money on landscaping annually than they do on dorm renovations.
  • The gate went up around the school after a female student was shot at during the 1970s.
  • There are wolves and other kinds of strange wildlife that mysteriously appear on campus.
  • There’s an underground art gallery in New Men’s Hall.

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at BSC

Name: Kriti Mishra

Hometown: Hoover, Ala.

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