Wrapping Up Freshman Year
Hello everybody!
As April has begun and May is fast approaching, so is the end of this year. Soon I’ll become a sophomore and next fall I will arrive to help move in and orient new freshman to Vanderbilt as a VUceptor. Time has absolutely flown. While I could tell you all about my possible plans for the upcoming year, I thought I would look back at my freshman year here at Vandy as well as introduce you all to me as a student and member of this awesome community at the same time.
College is a big transition into a world of independence, growth, and personal responsibility. Coming from a boarding school which I attended in high school, I was used to living alone and had grown accustomed to taking care of myself as an individual- however, my high school was all girls, and I graduated with a class of only twenty eight other people. Needless to say, coming to Vanderbilt really did have the effect of making me feel like a little fish in a big pond.
My first semester was full of ups and downs, as is any college freshman’s. I initially struggled to balance classwork, attend extracurricular activities, and maintain a network of friends both here at Vanderbilt and at home. General chemistry was a challenge, but with the help of several other STEM majors, my hope of pursuing a Neuroscience major on the pre-medical track was revived. I was able to secure a research position in a Diet Core in the medical center here at Vanderbilt and, through clubs such as the Vanderbilt Programming Board and ‘Dore for a Day was able to connect with upperclassman who provide me with both academic and life advice on a daily basis.
Second semester, I found my friendships, routines, and life here at Vanderbilt becoming far more consistent, which was a welcome change. Second semester, I began to find my home here. I joined a sorority, which has allowed me to meet a number of awesome, inspirational women. I began to come out of my shell and reach out to more people in my classes and clubs, expanding my network of friends even further.
This year has been a wild, crazy, fast ride, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I have learned so much from not just the classes I have taken, but the people- faculty, students, and members of the Nashville community- I have met. Next year will be filled with Organic Chemistry and Biology problem sets, further event planning with the Programming Board, showing new students why I love Vanderbilt, and even more laughs, adventures, and stories at this school.
I am still exploring everything Vanderbilt has to offer. I do not have it all together (nor do I ever really plan to), but I have already gained so much here and have been able to learn all about my passions, from community service to research to programming to my hopeful career in psychiatry someday. Though there is much to be done and experienced before May 3rd, when I will leave for my home in Kentucky, the school year is coming to a close, and what I have gained here at Vanderbilt is hard to put into words.
But that’s me, and that’s my freshman year.
