Vanderbilt Chapter 2, Part 2
The first (half) week back has been quite eventful. First off, on my way back to Nashville from central North Carolina I got caught in the sizable storm system that dumped snow on the south…more specifically – I40, my path back to school. After an impromptu stay at a hotel for the day (as the roads were not drivable past Asheville, NC), I got back in my car headed toward the start of the second semester.
To preface, in high school I used to dread the start of school. I must say, since beginning Vanderbilt, I have begun to anticipate each semester anxiously. The difference now is that I can select the classes that I want to take. Vanderbilt has such a wide selection of classes that it’s hard not to find what you want.
So far the class that I’m most excited for is Computer Recording with Nashville studio producer, Matthew Wilder. Professor Wilder not only seems like an engaging communicator, but also seems like a really interesting person to get to know outside of class. The great thing about this course, is I will be able to get to know him because we have to privilege of having some classes at his Wilderside Studios. Whoever said that getting a college degree meant you had to take classes that you didn’t want to obviously didn’t attend Vanderbilt. That’s not to say these classes are going to be easy; they all come with their fair amount of work, but the work is stimulating and engaging so I rarely feel like I am trudging through a class just to get through it.
In addition to my recording class, I am very excited about my Fundamentals of Public Speaking course, which is an academic study of rhetoric, delivery and communication, but also a skills course, in that we will be delivering speeches and statements in order to practically apply our knowledge. This is what I have been waiting for. Who doesn’t want to get better at presenting? I know I do. I’m anxious to see how this class will unfold!