Self-Discovery Category
Double-Majoring in Blair
May. 2, 2017—The start of my college experience was far from glamorous. I was enrolled in 16 hours but had class for twice that amount of time. Being a part of a campus that felt off the beaten path and practicing hours a day isolated me and skewed The Commons experience I hoped I would have. I...
Get Connected: The Many Faces of Vanderbilt
Apr. 27, 2017—Henry Bristol, ’19 School of Engineering When I got to Vanderbilt my freshman year, I had no idea what to expect. Frankly, I had set foot on campus just once before, and made the decision to come here because I couldn’t convince myself out of it. I was hesitant. I still vividly remember that first day...
Finding Purpose at Vanderbilt
Apr. 27, 2017—Krystal Clark Director, Office of Student Leadership Development Purpose is central to intentional action and it is one of the hardest but most fulfilling things to uncover. I say “uncover” because I believe that it is already inside of us, but it’s buried underneath a need to learn, grow, experience, fail, resist, laugh, compare, trust,...
Over-Involvement
Apr. 27, 2017—Do you know that feeling when your hands aren’t doing anything? You know, the one that they should be doing something? That’s how I felt on August 22, 2014, which was the date of the Student Organization Fair on The Commons. It was intense and overwhelming, but wonderful and exciting at the same time, and I...
LOSING A LOVED ONE
Mar. 29, 2017—Jackson Vaught, ’16, College of Arts and Science The first year of college can be difficult for anyone—moving away from home, finding new friends, adjusting to class…the list can get quite lengthy in terms of what can complicate the transition. During the spring semester of my first year at Vanderbilt, I experienced something unexpected that...
FAILURES IN A BOTTLE
Mar. 29, 2017—Andrew Brodsky, ’18, Peabody College, Student VUceptor At times, it seems the problem on our campus is that everyone is just too talented. There is someone here who is better than you at everything, and without any effort at all. They’re double majoring in chemical and biomedical engineering, studying abroad, and feeding 2,000 starving children...
ALMOST TRANSFERRING
Mar. 29, 2017—Anonymous I could not have been more excited to come to Vanderbilt. My brother, cousins, and older friends loved their experiences, and this was MY TIME. Everyone seemed certain I was going to love everything about school, so it never occurred to me that this might not be the case. Unfortunately, my first semester at...
PRIVILEGE
Mar. 29, 2017—Nick Sparkman, ’17, School of Engineering “So… what are you?” This question, asked by a white student, was posed to a person in my house who identifies as biracial. I watched my friend hesitantly fielding the question. I cannot truly understand what he felt as he was (under social pressure) forced to explain his racial...
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Mar. 29, 2017—Julian Sun, ’17, College of Arts and Science One night last semester, I went to Kissam’s Munchie Mart to get my routine midnight swipe: blue Powerade, a bag of chips (barbeque flavor), and the best red apple I could dig out of the remaining bruised ones. This was so automatic for me that I didn’t notice there...
STEPPING OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE
Mar. 29, 2017—Ben Taylor, ’15, School of Engineering Looking at my journey through four years at Vanderbilt, the graduating senior who I am now would barely recognize the homeschooled high school senior who came here in fall 2011. While it may seem as though I now have it “all figured out,” I was quite the opposite when...