First year student in some countries
"Freshman year" redirects here. For other uses, see
Freshman Year
.
A
freshman
,
fresher
,
first year
, or colloquially
frosh
,
[1]
is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a
secondary school
or at the
college
and
university
level, but also in other forms of
post-secondary educational institutions
.
Arab world
[
edit
]
In much of the
Arab world
, a first-year is called a "Ebtidae" (Pl. Mubtadeen), which is Arabic for "beginner".
[2]
Brazil
[
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]
In
Brazil
, students that pass the
vestibulares
and begin studying in a college or university are called "calouros" or more informally "bixos" ("bixetes" for girls), an alternate spelling of "bicho", which means "animal" (although commonly used to refer to bugs). Calouros are often subject to
hazing
, which is known as "trote" (lit. "prank") there. The first known hazing episode in Brazil happened in 1831 at the Law School of
Olinda
and resulted in the death of a student.
[3]
In 1999, a
Chinese Brazilian
calouro of the
University of Sao Paulo
Medicine School named
Edison Tsung Chi Hsueh
[
pt
]
was found dead at the institution's swimming pool; this has since become one of the most well known episodes of violent hazing and has received extensive national media coverage since that year.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
Canada
[
edit
]
The term "first year" is used for a first-year student at university or college. The
student orientation period
at Canadian universities is often called "Frosh week."
Chile
[
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]
Mechon
or
mechona
is used for the first-year students of
University of Chile
, a term that has spread to the rest of the universities in the country.
Asia
[
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]
Some Asian countries use the same names as used in the United States (freshman,
sophomore
, junior, senior), among them
Malaysia
.
Germany
[
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]
In
Germany
, a first-semester student of a university program (Bachelor, Master, State exam etc) is called
Erstsemester
, or in short and more common,
Ersti
, with "erst" meaning
first
and the -i adding a benevolently diminutive tone. The plural is
Erstis
.
Unlike the word
freshman
, which stands for a student in their whole first
year
, the German word
Ersti
is exclusively used for students in their first semester. Students of higher semesters are accordingly called
Zweitsemester
,
Drittsemester
,
Viertsemester
etc. and sometimes, but rarely, also
Zweitis
,
Drittis
,
Viertis
, etc. for fun.
United Kingdom
[
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]
England and Wales
[
edit
]
Students at the beginning of their first year of university are often known in
England
and
Wales
as
freshers
; however, the term '
first years'
is also used. The first week of term before lessons are widely known as
freshers' week
[7]
where there are usually no classes and students take part in induction events and fairs. As Freshers are newcomers to the institutions and often experience a period of adjustment as they navigate university life, there are numerous UK websites available that offer support and resources to help freshers with university preparations, such as providing guidance on accommodation, academic advice, social activities, and general tips for a successful start to their university journey.
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
Unlike in
Scotland
, this term is not used in reference to pre-university education, the equivalent terms being
Year sevens
for the first year of
secondary school
and
first years
,
lower sixers
and
Year Twelves
used at
sixth forms
.
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
Scotland
[
edit
]
First year
(also known as
S1
in Scotland) is the first year of schooling in
secondary schools in Scotland
and is roughly equivalent to
Year 8
(Second Form) in England and Wales and Year 9 (Second Form) in Northern Ireland. Most pupils are 12 or 13 years old at the end of S1.
Preceded by
|
First year
11.5–13
|
Succeeded by
|
The first year of primary education in
Scotland
is known as
Primary 1
(
P1
).
At the
four ancient Scottish universities
the traditional names for the four years at university are
Bejan
("Bejant" at the
University of St Andrews
) (1st),
[19]
Semi (2nd), Tertian (3rd) and Magistrand (4th), though all Scottish universities will have a "freshers' week" (as with all British universities) and the term is as widely used with more traditional terms.
[20]
United States
[
edit
]
Beginner
[
edit
]
Freshman is commonly in use as a
US English
idiomatic
term to describe a beginner or novice, someone who is naive, a first effort, instance, or a student in the first year of study (generally referring to
high school
or university study).
[21]
First Year Congressional representatives
[
edit
]
New members of
Congress
in their first term are referred to as
freshmen senators
or
freshmen congressmen or congresswomen
, no matter how experienced they were in previous government positions.
First year high school students
[
edit
]
High school first year students are almost exclusively referred to as freshmen, or in some cases by their grade year,
9th graders
. Second year students are sophomores, or
10th graders
, then juniors or
11th graders
, and finally seniors or
12th graders
.
First year university students
[
edit
]
At college or university, freshman denotes students in their first year of study. The grade designations of high school are not used, but the terms
sophomore
, junior, and senior are kept at most schools. Some colleges, including historically women's colleges, do not use the term freshman but use first year, instead.
[22]
[23]
Beyond the fourth year, students are simply classified as fifth year, sixth year, super senior, etc. Some institutions use the term freshman for specific reporting purposes.
[24]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Frosh Definition & Meaning"
.
Merriam-Webster
. Retrieved
30 August
2023
.
- ^
Abu Sobh, Mona (6 October 2013).
???????-?????-?????-??-???-???-?????
[They face funny situations in the first year of university].
Al Ghad
(in Arabic).
Jordan
.
- ^
a
b
Nadai, Mariana.
"Quais foram os trotes mais crueis do Brasil?"
.
Mundo Estranho
(in Portuguese).
Grupo Abril
. Archived from
the original
on 18 February 2015
. Retrieved
17 February
2015
.
- ^
Toledo, Roberto Pompeu de (30 April 1999).
"Tolerancia zero, o remedio para o trote"
.
Veja
(in Portuguese).
Grupo Abril
. Archived from
the original
on 18 February 2009
. Retrieved
17 February
2015
.
- ^
"Calouro morre afogado em trote na USP"
.
Terra
(in Portuguese)
. Retrieved
17 February
2015
.
- ^
Oliveira, Mariana (6 June 2013).
"STF mantem absolvicao de 4 pela morte de calouro da USP em 1999"
.
G1
(in Portuguese).
Brasilia
:
Grupo Globo
. Retrieved
17 February
2015
.
- ^
"Becoming a Fresher at UoB | Unihousing"
.
unihousing.co
. Retrieved
13 September
2023
.
- ^
"Freshers"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
Reidy, Tess (12 November 2019).
"How to make your first year at uni count ? even if your grades don't"
.
The Guardian
.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
"Freshers' Week cliches (and how not to be one)"
.
BBC Bitesize
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
Smith, Jemma (September 2021).
"Making the most of freshers' week"
.
www.prospects.ac.uk
.
- ^
"22 things graduates wish they had known as freshers"
.
Save the Student
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
"Your Freshers Guide - Freshers Week 2023"
.
Your Freshers Guide
. Retrieved
4 July
2023
.
- ^
Goodger, Lottie.
"The best student letting agencies in Birmingham in 2023: Revealed! - Unifresher Unifresher"
.
Unifresher
. Retrieved
4 July
2023
.
- ^
Birch, Luke (3 June 2018).
"TYPES OF YEAR 7s IN BRITISH SECONDARY SCHOOL"
. Archived from
the original
on 5 July 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^
Ferguson, Donna (27 August 2019).
"
'No one will try to terrify you': year 8 advice to year 7s"
.
The Guardian
.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
"The best (and worst) tips for year sevens starting secondary school"
.
The Independent
. 3 September 2013
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
"First year sixth form students could return to college on 1 June"
.
FE Week
. 11 May 2020
. Retrieved
21 June
2020
.
- ^
Chisholm, Hugh
, ed. (1911).
"Bejan"
.
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 659.
- ^
Grant, Sir Alexander
(1884).
The story of the University of Edinburgh during its first three hundred years (Vol. 2)
. London: Longmans, Green, and co. p.
479
. Retrieved
2 March
2019
.
- ^
Random House, Inc. (2006).
"freshman"
.
Dictionary.com
. Retrieved
12 August
2007
.
- ^
Huffpost College (2012).
"UNC Drops 'Freshman' From School Vocabulary In Favor Of 'First-Year,' Media Controversy Ensues"
.
HuffPost
. Retrieved
15 June
2016
.
- ^
Student Admissions Representatives (2010).
"Meet Our Student Representatives"
.
New College of Florida
. Archived from
the original
on 6 February 2011
. Retrieved
19 December
2010
.
- ^
Office of the Registrar (2006).
"Glossary of Reporting Terms"
.
University of Wisconsin?Madison
. Archived from
the original
on 27 October 2007
. Retrieved
12 August
2007
.
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
freshman
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikiquote has quotations related to
Freshman
.