The "repúblicas" system of Ouro Preto is unique in Brazil. No other university city in the country has exactly the same characteristics of the student lodgings found there. It shares traits with the "repúblicas" of the Portuguese University of Coimbra, where the tradition originated. Before universities were founded in Brazil, Coimbra was where most of the rich students who could afford an overseas education went to. Each "república" has its own different history. There are "repúblicas" in which the freshmen, also known as "bixos" (misspelling of "bichos", Portuguese for "animals"), have to undergo a hazing period, called "batalha" (battle), before being accepted permanently as residents of the houses. The final choice of the freshmen, called "escolha", has to be unanimous among the senior students of the house.