Life as a Freshman
So I’m pretty new here – I’m finishing up the first semester in the Blair School at Vanderbilt. I have to say, from the get go this place was a blast. I was delighted that as soon as I got here everybody was so welcoming and kind. Being a new student anywhere can be nerve-wracking; throw in the dynamic of being away from home for at least four years and it could make for a very distressful situation. Like I said faculty, staff and students were exceptionally helpful in easing the anxiety when we all got there. Vanderbilt is known to have a very polite and genteel student body, but in the first couple of weeks students were especially friendly, knowing that the freshmen would be on edge with all the new adjustments being made. Everyone was open to meeting new people and hanging out when we had free time in the first few weeks. Shortly after the few weeks, everybody pretty much had a solid group of friends that they began hanging out with.
I had preconceptions that I would be that freshman thrown in a trashcan or what not…but I got it all wrong. I got here and I felt like I was an important part of the Vanderbilt student body, not just a freshie that needs to learn his place.
That brings me to another point I wanted to talk about – feeling socially comfortable and safe on campus. As soon as I got to Vanderbilt I felt very secure. To give you an idea, there aren’t two minutes that go by when I don’t see a VPD Officer patrolling. As time has gone by, I have met more and more people (a lot of which upperclassmen) and all of them treat me as an equal. It’s so nice to feel like your personality and talents really matter in such a huge environment. Some students feel like they would get lost socially or academically in such a large private school, but it’s the opposite. The class sizes and teaching styles are conducive to open discussion and socially everybody has a group of friends to hang out with. Personally I’ve always had many groups of friends that I essentially float to and from and that’s the way it is here too. I’m never alone if I don’t want to be. At the same time…if I want to be alone the people here are respectful of it.
What has been relieving about my first semester at Vanderbilt is that all of my negative preconceived notions about Vanderbilt and college in general have been refuted. It’s a safe and nurturing environment to be in and around. So far I’ve had plenty of opportunities to work hard and plenty to play hard too!