A Peek Into The Commons Experience
The most important part of your college experience isn’t getting all A’s on all of your assignments or getting involved in every single club your school has to offer, but is finding your home and feeling comfortable on your campus. Vanderbilt strives to make this process as easy as possible for first-year students, as the university and all of its students and faculty strive to foster a strong sense of community and unity across the campus, and specifically on the Commons.
The Commons is a first-years only living community with ten residential houses and the Commons Center, which houses a dining hall, a workout facility, advisor offices, and many other resources. Only first-year students live on this part of campus, which makes it extremely easy to reach out of one’s comfort zone and make new friends; most everyone you interact with here is in the same boat as you.
However, first-year students are by no means isolated from the rest of campus. It is easy to make your home and feel comfortable all across campus. Between the close-knit communities in clubs and extracurriculars and the variety of students’ backgrounds in classes (you’re not at all stuck in all ‘freshmen classes’), it is easy to meet upperclassmen and solidify strong friendships with them. Don’t worry about feeling connected to your new city either, Vanderbilt makes that easy too! With programs in place such as Vanderbilt Programming Board’s City VU, which offers a variety of opportunities both on and off campus centered on exposing students to all Nashville has to offer, it is easy to explore Music City. No matter if you’re ready to jump in and investigate, or if you need a little help, Vanderbilt makes it so easy to feel comfortable at and embrace your new home.