I can’t believe that my sophomore year is nearly over. The first day of freshman year seems like it happened yesterday: I vividly remember trying to find the Student Life Center with my dad before DoreWays, meeting my first hall mate when camp ended (I love you Vandy 2!!!), and feeling cool because I didn’t get lost on the first day of classes. I had no idea that I had just hopped on the crazy roller coaster that is my college career and that it would be one heck of a ride.
Initially, I absolutely loved Vanderbilt. The campus was breathtaking, the professors were so scholarly, and I could eat all the strawberries my heart desired at weekend brunch. I made friends quickly and easily, and there was always something to do. But after a couple weeks, culture shock set in and I started to hate the school. I felt as though Vandy had a certain “type” of student, and I definitely wasn’t it. I abstained from buying college logo memorabilia for weeks and resorted to wrinkling my nose and mumbling “it’s ok” whenever little old ladies back home asked me how I liked school.
But this year, something strange happened. It was barely detectable at first, but this little bud of school spirit started manifesting itself at football games. And then in conversations with friends and even off campus. Before I knew it, it had blossomed into an overt sense of pride in my alma mater. I found myself inadvertently referring to my dorm as “home” and wearing black or gold at least three times a week. I love randomly shouting “conquer and prevail” at the basketball games. I am Public Commodore #1.
I admit it: Vandy certainly isn’t without its problems. Several stereotypes still cling to the Vanderbilt name, but there is so much more here if you simply open your eyes and recognize it. My opinion of Vanderbilt may waver a bit from day to day, but one thing is certain: I’m glad I chose to come here. Here are the top ten reasons why:
10. Prestige
I’ll be the first to say that I get a kick out of telling people that I attend “Vanderbilt University.” The name commands attention (at least in the South). And it rolls off the tongue nicely. Especially if you tilt your head up slightly with an air of importance and pronounce it as “VAHN-der-bilt.”
9. Comfortable Living (Housing and Dining)
Complain all you want, but I’m loving it. Lots of friends back home don’t have half of the options that I do. Carpeted dorm rooms, wireless internet, 24-hour Varsity Markets, over a dozen restaurants within walking distance, and access to the Bravo channel are not inherently a part of American higher education. Vanderbilt is just special.
8. Beautiful Campus
Go outside and took a look. Ignore the construction; I’m referring to main campus. Vanderbilt’s arboretum represents nature in all its glory. I love the trees, the flowers, the greenness of the grass, and (on a good day) even all those darn squirrels. Nothing is more breathtaking than God’s creation, especially if your school employs an army of workers dedicated to maintaining the grounds.
7. Campus Life
Never a dull moment. I doubt I can get even a taste of it all in four years. Famous musicians always performing at Blair, great plays from VU Theatre and Vandy Off-Broadway, Café con Leche, Asian New Year Festival, Commodore Quake, Rites of Spring, Impact Symposium, Lambda Drag Show, Juggleville, A Capella concerts, formals/semiformals, random lectures, movie screenings, field trips, random reasons to stage a student protest, Dance Marathon…Need I say more?
6. SEC
This seriously factored into my college decision process. And with good reason: Did you know that Vanderbilt students are the only creatures in the universe who can (truthfully) claim to attend a top 20 US school in the incredibly amazing Southeastern Conference? I couldn’t resist becoming one of the lucky few. And so far, Vandy’s sports teams haven’t let me down. Not even football. I am ‘ye of great faith,’ and I’m proclaiming that a bowl game is comin’ soon!
5. Diversity
This word gets thrown around a lot these days, but even Vandy’s worst critics can’t deny that we’ve got it. Forget the dull statistics: I know firsthand that Vanderbilt is full of cool (and hot) people with varied interests who will totally rock your world…if you give them a chance.
4. Great Administration
They’re great. Really. I love to complain about ‘the establishment’ as much as the next wanna-be free spirited young adult, but I can’t think of any legitimate issues here. The administrators listen to us students and seem to genuinely care. When we complained about Vanderbilt Visions, they formed think tanks for us to voice opinions and made some major changes to the program. Super Tuesday’s tornados revealed some huge gaps in our emergency systems, and now we’ve got an upgrade. They’re patient with our overprotective parents, there’s no condescension towards undergrads, and they don’t shy away from the campus’s tougher issues. The dudes in Kirkland, Sarratt, and any clandestine administrative locales get two thumbs way up in my book.
3. Nashville
I’ll take Music City USA over some dinky little college town any day. (I never understood the concept of spending four years on a patch of grass surrounded only by a single strip of cafes, an antique bookstore, a Wal-Mart, Bank of America, and farmland as far as the eye can see. No, thanks.) And I don’t need a bigger city either. (During my college search, I discovered that Boston’s cost of living is 51% higher than in my hometown! It’s only 7% here in Nashville. Low enough to sustain my discount-shopping addiction.) Nashville has more than enough to explore without big-city problems such smog and hearty rat populations. Southern charm and country music are just icing on the cake.
2. World-Class Education
Duh.
1. It’s “Vanderbilt”!
On the city’s western border, you’ll find a bad*ss institution of higher learning like no other. From Memorial Magic to Nobel Laureates, it’s got it all. Plus, black and gold are attractive colors that can be edgy, feminine, or menacing, depending on the occasion.
There you have it: an unsolicited, glowing description of what this university has to offer. Send this to any undecided high school senior, and he or she will immediately long to be a Dore. And if you current students are not insanely happy to be here after reading this, perhaps nothing in life will ever satisfy you. ;-)
