A Day in My Life at Vanderbilt

After my lunch break, I usually take a nap on the sofa to help me prepare for the last class of my day starting at 1:15 pm. This is an Engineering Introductory Seminar helping first-year engineering students to learn about different fields of engineering. The seminar is divided into three sections and each section has its focus, ranging from Civil Engineering to Computer Science. I chose Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Civil Engineering as my three sections. I learn about 3D printing, Fusion 360, and Arduino throughout these three sections. 

An Introduction to the Author

My name is Kaijia Chen and I am a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt University studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. I enjoy playing basketball and going to the gym during my spare time. 

I took IB (International Baccalaureate) classes in high school and got a 43/45 on my final exams. I also took several AP courses and received a 5 in Microeconomics and Physics C: Mechanics. My High school GPA is 4.20/4.50, and I am in the top 5 among the whole class. I took SAT II Math and got an 800 score. Due to the pandemic, I was unable to take SAT or ACT. 

What Vanderbilt Looks Like in My Eyes

Vanderbilt University attracts me with its unique Engineering Program and welcoming environment - and it didn’t let me down after being here in person! Generally speaking, most faculties at Vanderbilt are nice and the students are friendly. Vanderbilt strives to create a diverse and dynamic student community; thus, many different types of events will be held on campus every year. No matter what your background is, or where you come from, you can always find someone who shares the same interests and something that attracts you. 

The student-faculty ratio at Vanderbilt University is 8:1, and the school has 56.7% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Vanderbilt University include Economics, General; Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other; Social Sciences, General; Computer Science; Mathematics, General; Neuroscience; and Political Science and Government, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 97%.

A Typical Morning at Vanderbilt University

I am a morning person so my day usually starts very early. Before going to my 8:00 am chemistry class, I  eat breakfast at the Commons, which is the dining hall closest to all first-year students live. 

We usually have a wide variety of food choices at the Commons. Scramble eggs, sausage link, bacon, toast, coffee, and fruits. You’ll find delicious food here to help you to start your day!

After getting my breakfast, it’s time to walk to my classroom. Most classes are held at the main campus, which is a little distance from the Commons. You will need to walk across a road to get there, but luckily there’s a bridge connecting the two sides of the campus. It usually takes 10-15 minutes to get to the main campus from the Commons, but if you have a bicycle or skateboard, it will take less than 5 minutes. 

My first class of the day is General Chemistry 1601, which is quite a challenging, but, interesting class. Since all engineering and science students are required to take this class, the class is held in a big lecture hall and more than 100 students take this class with me at the same time. In the first hour of the lecture, the professor covers the topic of the day, and in the second 15 minutes, the professor gives us practice problems. If you have any questions, the teaching assistant will always be available next to you to help. 

At 9:30 am, I have a HOD (Human and Organizational Development) class coming up, so I only have 15 minutes to walk back to the Commons side where most Peabody classes are held. 

In this class, we learn about small group behavior, which is designed to improve our ability to analyze behavioral patterns in groups such as leadership, conflict, and decision making and group roles. A lot of group activities are organized in this class. We are expected to improve our abilities by effective participation in the group as well as in written analyses.

This class takes 2 hours to complete and I am usually starving at this point!

A Typical Afternoon at Vanderbilt 

A lunch break is always essential after two classes in the morning. Many students usually get food at the main campus’s dining halls such as Rand and EBI, so I still prefer to get my lunch at the Commons. However, Rand and EBI offer more options foods such as gluten-free pizza, pho, dumplings, etc. 

After my lunch break, I usually take a nap on the sofa to help me prepare for the last class of my day starting at 1:15 pm. This is an Engineering Introductory Seminar helping first-year engineering students to learn about different fields of engineering. The seminar is divided into three sections and each section has its focus, ranging from Civil Engineering to Computer Science. I chose Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Civil Engineering as my three sections. I learn about 3D printing, Fusion 360, and Arduino throughout these three sections. 

After finishing my engineering class at 2:30 pm, I usually go to the gym to do some exercise. The Rec Center offers full fitness facilities. You can also play many different sports such as basketball, badminton, swimming, bowling, and squash there. The Rec Center is open 7 days a week. 

After working out, I usually go back to my dorm and take a shower. I live in a triple room with two other roommates. We have a different class schedule so the dorm is quite empty during the daytime. 

A Typical Evening at Vanderbilt

I’ll choose to go to the main campus for dinner since most of my friends are there. It’s always relaxing to chit-chat with friends after a full day of classes and activities. You can always find students sitting together to share about their day. Sometimes the school and organizations would hold social activities at night. For example, we had Vandy Night at the beginning of the semester for all first-year students to meet each other and upper-class students. The food trucks will bring the amazing food from local Nashville for us to taste, and you can use your meal money from Vanderbilt to buy them. 

I usually go to sleep before 11:00 pm to get a good quality of sleep. My roommates share a similar schedule as me so we never have conflicts in our dorm. Selecting roommate(s) whom share the same sleeping schedule is also a key part of your campus life. 

A Typical Weekend at Vanderbilt

Students usually face a lot of pressure on weekdays so the weekend is a great time to hang out with friends and explore Nashville. Nashville is famous for its country music and you will always see tourists downtown coming from all over the country. Broadway in Nashville is always the most popular place to go; you can always grab a coffee or drinks and listen to country music coming from every corner of the city. 

There are plenty of food selections downtown and the food assembly is my favorite place to eat. It gathers food from all over the world and you’ll always find something interesting to try. It’s located in the most prosperous part of downtown, so you can enjoy the scene and vibes in Nashville while eating delicious food at the same time.