Counselor Conference

Frequently Asked Questions

Hotel Accommodations

Hotel accommodations are paid for by the Vanderbilt Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The Counselor Conference team will make all reservations for participants. Participants will be required to put down a personal credit card for incidentals. The host hotel is the Homewood Suites by Hilton Nashville Vanderbilt, which is located at 2400 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37203. Individuals that wish to arrive early or stay later after the conference will be able to book that through a separate registration link provided by the hotel.

Flight Process

Vanderbilt has two options to consider for booking flights, with one preferred method:

1. Preferred: Book through World Travel, Vanderbilt’s Travel Agency – Complete the form emailed to you and return it to CounselorConference@Vanderbilt.edu. From there, World Travel will email you with the best flight options regarding cost, travel time, arrival/departure time, and preferred airline. You can also earn points through your frequent flyer program. There are two big benefits of using our travel agency: 1) You will not need to worry about reimbursement because ticket prices are charged directly to Vanderbilt. 2) If you have any problems whatsoever (canceled flight, missed connection due to rescheduling, etc.), World Travel can assist. They do an excellent job at this!
2. Reimbursement from Vanderbilt/book your own tickets – We can reimburse the cost of roundtrip coach airfare up to $350. Vanderbilt will mail a reimbursement check approximately three weeks after the conference. If you decide to go this route, please email us at CounselorConference@Vanderbilt.edu, and we will provide additional details. 

Driving Process

Vanderbilt will reimburse $0.70 per mile within a 600-mile radius up to a $350 reimbursement maximum for drivers. Vanderbilt will pay for self-parking at the host hotel. If you plan to drive, please indicate this on your registration form and follow the provided instructions for reimbursement. After the program, email us with the address from which you will depart and return, as well as the total mileage for your trip. 

Asking for Time Off from School

The Vanderbilt Counselor Conference Fly-In program is an excellent opportunity to acquaint or reacquaint yourself with all that Vanderbilt University has to offer undergraduate students. It is a learning and networking program for high school counselors and community-based organization (CBO) representatives. If participants need a letter of school absence, please email CounselorConference@Vanderbilt.edu. Your supervisor is also welcome to reach out to us to inquire. 

Meals/Dietary Restrictions

Vanderbilt University believes in making all our guests feel at home, especially when it comes to food. On the registration form, please note any food or dietary restrictions so we can prepare and accommodate accordingly. 

Packing 

Please dress casually during the day throughout the conference so that you are comfortable engaging in our many sessions and walking to and from events throughout the program. Comfortable shoes are a must! November presents unpredictable weather in Tennessee, but we expect to have temperatures anywhere from the low 50’s to the mid 70’s (roughly 10–24 degrees Celsius) with the possibility of intermittent rain throughout your visit, so please continue to monitor the forecast. 

After Monday’s programming, we will travel downtown for a Nashville cultural immersion. We will dine at Assembly Food Hall where many staple Nashville restaurants have booths. The dress for this event will be elevated casual. After dinner, you will have the option to explore the Nashville nightlife. If you intend to visit the “honky tonks” of downtown for a night out afterward, any attire goes! 

After Tuesday’s programming, we will have neighborhood dinners, where you get to explore and dine in one of Nashville’s signature restaurants and neighborhoods. Attire for this event is business casual for a slightly more elevated experience!  

We will provide you with a water bottle, so you can mark that item off of your list. Please plan to bring a notepad if you want to take written notes or a laptop/tablet if you prefer to take notes electronically.   

We recommend bringing a sweater or a light jacket and an umbrella, and business cards to share with your new friends. 

Nashville Attractions  

For your downtime, there are over 20,000 live musical performances that occur in Nashville every year, so check out Nashville Scene’s music calendar if you want to attend a show. For a taste of music history, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium, National Museum of African American Music, or the Grand Ole Opry. For a truly unique music experience, make a reservation for dinner at The Bluebird Cafe. And of course, don’t forget about the award-winning Nashville Symphony! While music is Nashville’s most famous attraction, you should definitely explore some of our wonderful, locally-owned restaurants. Many Nashville Originals are in Vanderbilt’s neighborhood or within shuttle distance. Our Vanderbilt Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center also has a list of many Black-owned restaurants in town. There are also many post-secondary institutions within driving distance of campus: Fisk University, Belmont University, Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University, Trevecca Nazarene University and more.