VanderBabies (Part 3 of 3)
Janine and Pranjal, VanderBabies 1 and 2, have already been exposed to the world of the Vanderbilt Admissions website. Now meet the final Class of 2016 student that I am interviewing, Justin Yeh! Justin graduated from Auburn High School as an IB Diploma Candidate. He is attending Vanderbilt as a Cornelius Scholar (are you seeing a trend here… ALL THREE of these students received the same scholarship- they rock!). Justin is a College of Arts and Science student planning to major in Biological Sciences with a minor in Astronomy. He also plans to pursue a career in medicine. In his spare time, Justin enjoys playing tennis, hanging out with friends, browsing reddit, and eating (Indian food is one of his favorites). I asked Justin a few questions about this summer and the upcoming fall:
- Justin Yeh, Class of 2016.
1. What do you feel will be the most difficult adjustment from high school to college?
Getting used to the college workload will probably be the biggest adjustment for me. I was somewhat affected by senioritis towards the end of high school, so I procrastinated and crammed more than I should have. Luckily, my classes weren’t too difficult and didn’t require extensive effort, but that won’t be the case at Vandy, so I will need to regain better study habits.
2. What do you think you are going to miss the most?
I see myself craving home-cooked meals after a month or two on the meal plan. More than just food, I’ll miss having my parents’ company. I’m used to having them in the next room over and having conversations about everything at the dinner table.
3. On a brighter note, what are you looking forward to the most?
I’m definitely looking forward to meeting new people. With all the different clubs and organizations, I know I’ll meet a lot of exciting people who share the same interests as me but who are also very different as well.
4. What factors contributed to your decision to attend Vandy?
The main reason why I chose Vandy was the Cornelius Scholarship. Because of the scholarship, the cost of attending Vandy was lower than that of the other colleges I was considering, and it was an easy decision. Another reason I chose Vandy was for their premed resources and advising.
5. So, you have a summer between high school and college. No intense summer work (well, except for reading Half the Sky of course)! What have you been up to this summer?
My summer began with a road trip with my family up the east coast. We went to my sister’s college graduation, and we visited NYC while we were there. After her graduation, we helped my sister move her stuff to Baltimore, where she will be attending medical school this fall. We also hit King of Prussia outside of Philly. I’ve been reading a bit (mostly nonfiction). I’ve also been doing some major house cleaning in preparation for my family’s move to Georgia this summer. Turns out, the cleaning didn’t stop once we moved, either. Towards the end of summer, I shadowed a physician at the local hospital. Overall, nothing particularly noteworthy or exciting, but it has been a relaxing summer.
6. As you’ll soon find out, Vanderbilt has a ton of extracurricular activities that cater to a wide range of interests. What clubs/ organizations do you plan to get involved in?
I want to continue playing tennis, maybe at the club level if I’m good enough. I want to pick up a new sport as well – maybe Ultimate or badminton. I definitely want to volunteer, so I’ll look for a service organization that I like. I might give tutoring a try; I’ve always been mediocre at explaining concepts to people, so maybe this will help me improve while helping others too. I don’t see myself participating in Greek life, but who knows. One of my goals is to keep an open mind to new experiences and activities, so I’ll probably take a look at anything that seems fun or interesting.
Well, that’s a wrap! A big thanks to Janine, Pranjal, and Justin for letting me interview them. I can’t wait to see you three on Move-in Day!