Glossary

ADE: the website where you can view your expedition itinerary—in other words, your schedule

AMERINSA: INSA’s Latin American international program with a great atmosphere

Améro: a happy hour where speaking Spanish is a must…

Lecture hall: classes with your whole year—you’ll probably see fewer and fewer people there as the year goes on (and that’s okay)

Archives: We’ve been working hard to put together a Yvan Monka-style masterclass for you—enough to help you get through your future assignments without too much trouble… You can find them here or on the course page

After: after the party, when you really don't want it to end (or when you're hungry, head to Chamas)

ASINSA: An international Asian program???? Full of top-notch students?? Too stereotypical??? I want to write a compliment like I did for Amerinsa, but I have no ideas—helppp

AS: Sports Association—to get your body in shape for life as a daring explorer. For more info, check out the dedicated page!

Adventurer: anyone who decides to study engineering, but also the theme of this year’s orientation program

New ball: “This is an example…”

Block A: Base Camp for Daring Adventurers (Men's Dorm)

Building B: Base Camp for Fearless Adventurers (Girls' Dormitory)

Sections C-D: 2A Shelters

BdE: Student Council—they organize and offer tons of activities for you; there’s a page dedicated to it

Before: Pre-party—a great way to get in the mood!

Biz: An affectionate nickname for the 1A students (don’t worry—there are no hazing rituals or anything like that at INSA)

BMC: Marie Curie Library—a quiet place to study for your entrance exams

K-Fêt Party: A themed party held on select Thursday evenings at K-Fêt (often before the holidays!)

Compass: What you need to find your way back from a wild night out at K-fêt

University Library: the perfect spot to really get into your work under soft lighting

Shopping cart: the gathering spot for your crew during the midterms; you’ll see plenty of them during campaign week

Campaign: the period when we gave it our all to get elected as Student Council President and put together this awesome event for you (yep, we won!)

Capelle: a massive 1,000-seat lecture hall that you may have already seen if you attended the open house, and where you’ll experience your most exciting back-to-school meetings (not really), as well as the fantastic show put on by the Adventure Club

Student ID: the name says it all—it’s your ID card, but the student version (don’t lose it; replacing it costs €25, and in Macron’s France…)

CdP: Sponsorship Committee, aka US—the folks who write this site and prepare your application

Chamas: A taco spot you’ll find yourself visiting often after a night out—a great place to stop for a taste of Algerian-style sauce. Open until 4 a.m., it’s the go-to spot for all foodies on a night out.

Classic: The path taken by most Insalians (we can't all be original…)

Car keys: your most valuable possession—don’t lose them (they cost 300 euros)

CM: Lectures, also known as “lecture halls”—the further into the semester you get, the more you’ll notice that some adventurous students are off on other quests instead of being here…

Cobiz: another business with the same sponsor—we're totally in this together

Coin-Coin: INSA’s version of the game, similar to Beer Pong but even more fun—a duel in which only the toughest explorer will come out alive

Exams: Nope, it's a prank—there aren't any at INSA

Connemara: If you hear this, it means it’s time to leave K-Fêt—it’s closing for the night (heading to Chamas?).

COOP: a small store located at the MDE; we got to try an incredible variety of Brets Jsp flavors. I wonder if they’ll have them again next year? Is it any good, though? Yeah, I like it, but I think that’s poorly worded—survival essentials

Camping buddy: the person who’ll have the pleasure of sharing your 17-square-meter campsite with you. It’ll all work out, don’t worry—and if not, you can always find a solution 🙂

Croix-Luizet: The tram stop is right next to Residences A and B and the Néel and Mirza buildings. If you want to find your way around campus, go to the page: INSA Map

Department: You join it in your junior year when you choose your major

Doua: It’s the largest university campus in the Lyon metropolitan area—and you’re going to be part of it!

Dual Purpose: A large concert hall and a venue for festivities, notably the INSA Ball

Shower: A stream or spray of water that washes over the body and serves a hygienic purpose (please look it up—I know we’re in engineering school, but still…)

Ecocup: A reusable cup—your best friend when exploring K-Fêt so you don't have to pay the deposit again

Summer School: An early start to the school year for international students, students from France’s overseas departments and regions (DROM), and students from partner high schools. This is a chance to get to know each other and prepare as best as possible for the year’s classes.

Electricity: Chapters Straight Out of the Cursed Swamps

Esca: Awesome night on the stairs of Building B. I don't know if I'll let DCPPP go—I'll admit I'm not sure either → ask the others

Student: you (come on)

EURINSA: a highly diversified European international business (and that's so cool)

Family: see "Miff"

FIMI: Initial Training in Engineering Professions—that’s the name of your first two years at INSA

Flam’s: a restaurant in Lyon that serves all-you-can-eat flammekueches—the perfect spot for unforgettable evenings, especially with your Miff!

Fotiadu: the name of the director of INSA Lyon—you might see him at the rally!

Gala: an evening for the Class of '5A graduates (the grand masters of this odyssey—maybe us one day, who knows)

Gaston Berger: the legend who helped found INSA Lyon alongside Jean Capelle; a lecture hall is named after him

Globalinsa: see SCAN

Godet: the lecture hall that will require perseverance and teamwork to find before class starts—maybe it’s a maze of ruins, who knows…

Off-Campus: Refers to a student who does not live in INSA housing

Humas: Amazing parties during orientation week, but also the building where we have our ancient languages and humanities classes

Hygiene: The set of principles and practices aimed at maintaining and improving health. Please.

IE: Weekly Survival Test or Written Quiz (almost) every Friday afternoon in 1A

IEFS: End-of-Semester Written Exam—that’s the midterms (I know you’re looking forward to them)

Engineer: What you’ll become in 5 years (or not). Don’t give up—we’re counting on you!

Inkk: an app like Pronote that serves as your roadmap for your schedule

Insaliens: INSA students

INSA Lyon: Simply the best engineering school—you’re in for an amazing time!

I’ll admit it: Life at INSA is pure bliss

Jean d’Alembert: Building for physics lectures and lab sessions

K-fêt token: This is your deposit to get your glass back at K-fêt so you don't have to lug it around everywhere

Open House: If you're a true fan, you must have come by to say hi at the Open House!

K-fêt: It’s not a cafeteria, but it’s where you’ll be hanging out at night! It’s our own hangout, run by students right on campus.

KLS: INSA DJ Association. If you love DJing, getting the party started, and techno, then go for it!

La Doua: Transforming into a beach

Lanière: That’s your lecture hall group—that large group of about 100 students who are divided into 3 or 4 sections for the rest of the classes.

Lineage: These are your predecessors in the school; every year, the 2A class becomes the mentor, and your lineage is made up of all of these generations

List: a group of 25 mercenaries (the "Listers") who sacrifice the start of their second semester (or even more) to run in the CdP campaign (This year, the four elected lists are: Vikinsa, Insapocalypse, Insamerica, and Ins’hawaii)

Maxence: The chef at Le Prévert—if you’re cool and trendy, he might follow you on Instagram…

MdE: Student Union Building—here you’ll find the INSA Shop (where you can buy INSA sweatshirts and show off your style) or the COOP, for example; it’s also the BDE’s headquarters

Mechanics: a reference like the one for electricity??

Miff: This is the group of people your mentor belongs to—your new tribe at INSA. You’ll meet lots of really cool people there, but to do that, you need to fill out the mentoring questionnaire carefully!

Mirza: Building for classes, design, computer science, chemistry, and CM

My Online Transcript: The site where you can either cheer with joy or cry (more likely) when you see your grades

Hop on the longship for the adventure

Moodle: The site where you'll find all your courses in the "parchemin" format—and by the way, you should already have some math multiple-choice quizzes to do over the break!

Neel: Lecture and tutorial building

No look: I'm shooting at the moon (Wewe Bilal)

Olivier: 1. A place where you can get delicious pizza for lunch for the same price as a meal at the cafeteria (with an appetizer AND dessert—I mean, what more could you ask for?)

2. A friend of ours who’s really, really not sure if he’ll make it—check in with us to see how he’s doing during the interview (hang in there, Olivier)

Oula Jean: You can't choose between your dad and your mom

Mentor: Based on your mentoring questionnaire, they’ll be chosen to guide you through the jungle that is orientation week—be sure to check out the page on the families! P.S.: If you’re in the international track, in addition to your “regular” mentor, you’ll have a mentor who’s part of your track—you can turn to this person if you have specific questions!

PC: 1. Central Lawn. A large lawn in the middle of the FIMI buildings, a popular gathering spot. Example: “The weather’s nice—let’s hang out on the PC.”

2. PC Security: INSA’s Security Headquarters

3. Personal computer: desktop computer

Pelo: A guy—a word to use as often as you like

Journey: Your Education

Plouc: A fun scavenger hunt set on campus. During orientation, there’s a little afternoon of fierce competition to see who’ll be the best freshman.

Pogo: A traditional dance that you can try out to rap music (LINK?)

Point A: The spot where you pick up your supplies in the morning at the bottom of Building A. You’ll see, it’s nice (as long as you’re motivated enough to get up)

Poly: Lecture notes—you'll see, even though they come in all colors, they're a little intimidating.

Prévert: Right below the RI, you can also spend your balance there, but it’s more of a snack spot (fries, paninis, burgers, muffins… and the famous cookies)

Nothing but zombies at the bat A-A-A-A-A

Mentorship Questionnaire: Fill it out now! It helps us find a mentor who’s a good fit for you! Don’t forget to send it to us! Seriously!!

Transfer: This is when you switch to a different group that’s a better fit for you (and change sponsors as a result)

Raid: A three-day intensive sports expedition featuring mountain biking, running, rock climbing, and much more!

Rally: A game in Lyon where all the girls compete against each other—the goal is to earn the most points by completing all kinds of challenges…

Rap: Songs you’ll have to make at INSA—for all sorts of reasons—and that you’ll hear a lot (list raps, intro raps, etc.)

Resp from Miff: They're here to throw you an amazing party!

Rhino: INSA Lyon’s (often wet) mascot, whose statue can be found in several locations across campus

RI: The INSA Restaurant is INSA’s main dining hall. It’ll save you a lot of time and money and let you have a great time with your friends!

Common rooms: Well, they’re currently closed… but these rooms are located in Buildings A and B, where there are tables for working, and in some of them you’ll find a sofa, a TV, a microwave, and if you’re lucky, a foosball table! They’re open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

SCAN: An international program where all courses are taught in English; after using Askip, the translations come up in English, but this needs to be verified

Security: This is INSA’s security office. Be sure to write down their number in case of an emergency: (04.72.43.85.85). They’re kind of like INSA’s fire department and police.

Six: Seven

Sports-Academic Program or SHN: A Pathway for Top Athletes

Turne: Your home, your 17-square-meter palace

Lab: Through hands-on experiments, you'll become real little scientists (or not)

TD: Tutorials—classes with your group of about 25 students where you do a ton of exercises

EU: Course Unit—the major subject areas you need to complete so you don’t get stuck in the FIMI maze

VA: Community Life—for when you're in the mood for side quests!

Vacation: “Don’t worry, I’ll make up for it during the next vacation.”

Velo’v: Lyon’s bike-sharing system—you can sign up for a subscription (check out the page about Lyon if you’re interested)

WEI: Orientation Weekend!!!! Follow the orientation team on Instagram to be the first to grab your tickets at the end of August—it’s going to be a blast!

Xylophone: A musical instrument—rumor has it that one in two Zikets plays it??

"There's a good chance that: Used to describe an event that is likely to happen. Example: "There's a good chance I'll go through the Parcoursup process again in 2027."

Ziket ’: A group of our talented musicians, ready to perform around the campfire