General Information Category
My Homecoming Weekend
Oct. 22, 2017—October at Vanderbilt is easily one of my favorite times of the year. October means Halloween, the leaves are changing colors, and most importantly, Homecoming! I truly love Homecoming because of the numerous events on campus and the many alumni reminiscing on their own times at Vanderbilt. Here’s a quick summary of what I did...
What’s an RA?
Oct. 21, 2017—Official definition of RA: Resident Advisor; a student typically responsible for supervising and assisting fellow students in a dorm Better definition of RA: some of the best people you’ll get to interact with, someone to be a friend and mentor Especially this semester, I’ve enjoyed making friends with RA’s in my dorm and realized how cool...
Worried about the Freshman 15?
Oct. 16, 2017—Ah, the notorious freshman 15. We’ve all heard of it, and some of us may have even experienced it. According to human psychology, the freshman 15 can be explained in the sense that humans tend to eat more when given more food options, are placed in a social setting, and are generally happier. However, the...
On Fall Break
Oct. 15, 2017—Fall break holds a special place in my heart. It’s a comma in the middle of a sentence – a pause before the next movement of a symphony. A chance to take a breath, reset, and gain some perspective. Junior year has been, unsurprisingly, pretty hectic. I’d spent the summer down in Charlotte for my...
Discovering the Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden
Sep. 18, 2017—It’s off the beaten path, but well worth the trek. The new Latin American ethnobotanical garden, sponsored by the Vanderbilt Center for Latin American Studies, is like a time machine. Here are 50 species of plants, all except 1 (the banana from Asia) originally from Latin America. Thanks to a class I am taking this...
How I Learned to Stop Worrying about STEM and Love Liberal Arts and AXLE
Sep. 5, 2017—Freshmen moving through the motions of the annual Commons Orientation ceremonies may notice that many of their peers have chosen to pursue some STEM major, perhaps even under a pre-med track. At many universities across the country, especially those specifically catered to STEM fields, students are capable of focusing their entire undergraduate curriculum on these...
The Start of Sophomore Year
Sep. 4, 2017—As the semester is beginning and all the squirrels are welcoming you to campus, I am sure that the questions at the front of your mind are “How is Ashli starting off her sophomore year?” and “What is she up to this semester?” Well, to ease your obvious anxiety, here is an update on me!...
Back in the Swing of Things
Sep. 2, 2017—We’ve only been on campus for 2 weeks, but it feels like forever. I don’t mean that as a bad thing. It’s an awesome thing to feel as if you’ve never quite left somewhere. For me, this means somewhere is like home. And definitely, coming back to Vandy as a sophomore feels like coming home,...
Vandy Meals: A Day in the Life
Aug. 29, 2017—As a junior, a lot has changed since freshman year regarding my meal plan. This year, I decided to go on the 14 meals a week plan, while sophomore year I had 19 meals a week, and freshman year I had 21 meals a week. I mainly decided on this change because I’m living in...
Sophomore Year: some pre-thoughts
Aug. 13, 2017—Preparing to return to campus this fall as a sophomore is kind of a different feeling from how it was last year, as a freshman. This time, I’m flying to Nashville on my own and moving myself in without the help of my parents. Unlike last year’s random roommates, I know exactly who I’ll be...