Vanderbilt University

by Amanda Grillo


I had the opportunity to attend Vanderbilt's Counselor fly in program last week in Nashville. Vanderbilt is a medium sized university that has a small liberal arts college feel with a focus on research. The campus is gorgeous and students have access to downtown Nashville where they can enjoy live music any day of the week. During the program I was able to go to informational sessions in all four schools within Vanderbilt: Blair School of Music, Peabody School of Education, The College of Arts and Science, and The School of Engineering. Something that stood out to me in all of the schools is the importance of putting what students are learning in the classroom into practice. By the Fall of 2018 there will be what is called an Immersion Requirement where every student will need to work with a faculty member on some kind of "hands on" project or experience. These opportunities can range from studying abroad, service learning or research. I heard from students about how supportive the faculty are at Vanderbilt. During freshman year students live in an area of campus called the commons and a professor has an apartment attached to each freshman dorm. He or she will offer homemade meals to students and help them to find their academic path. Vanderbilt is a highly selective university admitting 11% of their applicants each year. However, they meet full financial need for students without loans. I got the sense that the students are happy and enthusiastic about the school. I believe this is because of the level of faulty support, the close knit community, and all of the amazing activities that Vanderbilt and the city of Nashville has to offer. If you are interested in learning more about Vanderbilt feel free to contact me.