Getting Started
Move-in day has come and gone, and the first years are beginning to settle into their new rooms on the Commons. The weather is mild, the meal plan has started (to prevent starvation by hungry upperclassmen), and the first day of classes starts in about 36 hours. Apart from the annual advent of academics, this week plays host to a number of events designed to make the transition to Vanderbilt life easier for new students!
The Vanderbilt Visions program lumps firstlings into groups of 12-20(ish) people, along with an upperclassman VUceptor and a faculty advisor. For the first couple of days at Vandy, these groups spend a lot of time together, doing different icebreaker activities as well as getting to know the campus. Visions groups will continue to meet through the fall semester to discuss the summer reading or just talk about the transition into college life.
Because Vanderbilt is home to over 400 student-founded and student-run organizations, finding something you’re interested in as a new student is practically guaranteed! Unfortunately, due to this same diversity, it can be hard to wrap your head around all of the clubs, teams and groups that the school has to offer, so the Commons hosts a beginning-of-year Student Organization Fair. Registered Student Orgs come to the Commons, where they set up booths and make firstlings sign up for their email lists for more info, as well as advertising interest meetings to gain new members. I will personally be at the Student Org Fair this Friday with one of any of my three affiliations – one of which I found at my own first-year Org Fair!
The Student Org Fair is a great tool for finding clubs that match your interests (or discovering new interests you never knew you had), but some groups are at a disadvantage at a stand-around-and-advertise sort of affair. Performing arts groups deserve the chance to show off, and the Vanderbilt Performing Arts Council allows them to do just that with Spotlight, the VPAC Showcase on the evening of the Org Fair. Firstlings are admitted for free to see each of 20 or so groups perform a single song/dance/thing in order to entice youngsters to their auditions. Spotlight was pretty awesome my freshman year, and I’ve been there for the past two as a part of the Melodores. Hopefully you’ll find yourself there as well!