Author
Come as You Are
Sep. 23, 2019—Ellie Miller, ’22, Arts and Science I didn’t quite know what to expect coming to Vanderbilt. I was from a small town in Kansas, with endless fields that outlined the city and buildings no higher than Sarratt. College seemed like such an extreme adjustment and I didn’t know if I would meet the expectations of...
If Music Be the Food of Love
Sep. 5, 2019—Ben Donohoe, ’22, Arts and Sciences It’s a Sunday afternoon. I swing open the door and enter a chilly, almost eerily quiet space with black walls and rows of empty chairs, striding up onto the stage until I stand in front of two reassuringly smiling faces. I introduce myself and take a deep breath.“If music...
North 6
Mar. 22, 2019—Marguerite Manning, ’21, A&S In the weeks leading up to Move-In Day for my first year at Vanderbilt, I anxiously awaited the arrival of my housing assignment in the mail. From what I had heard from older friends who were already in college, your floor can make or break your college...
My First Jack-O’-Lantern
Feb. 11, 2019—Alex Jin, ‘21, Arts and Sciences It had been two and a half months since I first arrived on the Commons, and I was about to carve a pumpkin. It was my first time carving pumpkins – even though I’d lived in the American south my entire life – and I was so excited to...
Equilibrium
Feb. 1, 2019—Shruti Anant,’21, Arts & Sciences At one point in my second semester at Vanderbilt, I was surrounded by equilibrium. In general chemistry, we learned about chemical equilibrium, describing the balance of reactants and products in a chemical reaction with the equilibrium constant ‘K’. In neuroscience, Dr. Smith gave a lecture on the equilibrium potential of...
A Musical Journey
Jan. 28, 2019—Jordan Couceyro, ’20, Arts & Sciences Even though I’ve played piano since I was a kid, I’ve never really considered myself a musician. I’m not sure exactly why – I was fairly decent, and I really liked playing. I loved learning about and playing a wide variety of different styles, from classical to jazz to...
Panic Attacks? Definitely Possible
Jan. 22, 2019—Somto Dimobi,’19, Egineering Before college, I thought I knew how to study perfectly, and I had never experienced anything close to a panic attack, especially not in an exam hall. In my head, exams, academics and I were a trio of best friends. Until my sophomore year, I had no clue about the concept of mental health...
Balancing Work, School, and Life
Jan. 14, 2019—Alex Rains, ’20, Arts & Sciences For me, coming to Vanderbilt as a first-year meant making new friends, taking classes in interesting subjects, trying out extracurricular activities, and one non-negotiable: finding a job. My family does not suffer as a result of our financial situation, but the cost of my attending Vanderbilt definitely made money tight...
In This Together
Jan. 8, 2019—Riya Patel, ’21, College of Arts and Sciences Growing up in a small rural town in Tennessee, I was never exposed to the multitude of backgrounds and experiences that exist across the world. I assumed that life was simply lived in one way in all corners of the world, that my experiences in my town were...
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Dec. 14, 2018—Ana T. Dao, ’21 Vanderbilt is like a lottery. You need to take risks all the time – whether it is applying to a school you only know from pictures and brochures or sitting down with a stranger in the dining hall. There is always a possibility of everything failing, but you take the leap...