The campus is stunning, and the students take full advantage. At the first hints of spring, students can be seen lying on the lawns and playing Frisbee. Last year, students set up a giant slip-and-slide on the hill of Peabody campus. It’s all straight out of one of those movies about college.
An unusual amount of pastels can be seen on campus; the boys in pastel polos, and the girls often wearing pink.
There is somewhat of an overemphasis on fraternities for nighttime entertainment, particularly when one is under 21 and cannot go to the downtown bars.
There are surprisingly rigid social lines, as dictated by sororities and fraternities. A definite hierarchy exists amongst the 10 sororities.
The student population is small enough that it is possible to feel like you know everyone, at least by face.
When I tell people I go to Vanderbilt, I receive mixed reactions. Some people are impressed; while others ask me, “Where is that again?” and proceed to ask me why I would choose to go to school in Tennessee.
Most of my time on campus is spent in my dormitory in my suite (with 4 other girls). Friends are usually popping in and out at all times of the day.
The area directly surrounding Vanderbilt is decent, but limited. There are some good casual eateries such as Panera and Bread and Company. There are also multiple Starbucks and several nice restaurants in the area. However, in order to get downtown, to the heart of Nashville, it is necessary to drive about 10 minutes. The community feeling is most predominant on campus, and most find that this is sufficient.
Our previous Chancellor, Gordon Gee, was quite beloved. He could often be seen amongst drunken students at fraternities parties. He recently left, and was replaced by a new chancellor, Nicholas Zeppos. No news to report on this yet.
Juicy Campus has created a school-wide controversy. This website provides an anonymous forum in which students have the opportunity to gossip (over-honestly) about other students and occurrences on campus. Sororities have been doing their best to encourage students to refrain from using this website, but little progress has been made.
There is definitely a lot of school pride at Vanderbilt. We refer to it affectionately as “Vandy.” Students wear Vanderbilt logos with pride. Stadiums are usually packed at sporting events, particularly football and basketball games.
Our Housing department is known to be a hassle, and the director is widely disliked. The department is known to be rigid and apathetic to individual needs.
Students also complain that there is not enough on-campus parking.