College: Living, Laughing and Learning

At a college like Vanderbilt, you realize that everyone here is sooo absolutely intelligent. They come from all over the United States and all over the world. They bring with them a love of living as well as a drive to do well. I can honestly say how glad I am to have met some of the people I have met. I have seen people here who party hardcore and can study just as hardcore. I have met people who totally defy their stereotype. I have met people who totally blow their first impressions out of the water.

Going to college with so many beautiful and intelligent people is difficult because everyone comes in wanting to succeed. Many come from their schools as valedictorians. Many come as top athletes, but at Vanderbilt they have two jobs: a student and an athlete. Some come knowing they’ll have to pay off their debt, but knowing that their experience will be worth it.

My classes all seemed enjoyable enough. First, my writing seminar has definitely changed my views, my understanding of the world. I now will never eat Ben and Jerry’s ice cream anymore; I will never let my child eat canned fish. I now know how corrupt politicians can be and how each day that we live, we accumulate more and more mutations. Professor LeStourgeon was a pessimist (to say the least) but everything he said was supported with facts- facts you can’t just throw away, facts that stay with you and your gut forever. It was a great class; he wanted us to do well. I put a lot of effort into it, going to the writing studio an average of three times for each paper.

Second, Math 155B with Professor Shami was just one of the greatest classes ever. Professor Shami couldn’t exactly articulate the mathematical concepts very well, but he made the best jokes haha. I made a bond with people in that class. We suffered together. I remember how fun class was even though no one had any idea what was going on. The people in the first two rows I especially made a bond with. Coming into college, I loved math; it had always been extremely easy for me. Not until I got to this class did I realize how spoiled I was with teachers who actually taught math. Here, you had to teach yourself (very difficult), and I literally went to tutoring for two hours every week. It shook my foundations. After the first test, I wanted to ball my eyes out. However, after all the work, sweat, effort, and time that went into this class, I ended up deciding to continue to finish my calculus sequence.

Third, macroeconomics with Buckles (yes, the Buckles experience). This experience for me was a very, very, very positive one. He is definitely one of my absolute favorite professors. I went to see him for office hours every week because the class itself and material was very difficult, but no matter how bad my week had been, Professor Buckles had a funny way of making my day better. Although I only discussed economics with him, I felt like I should be more optimistic about life because of him. He solidified my interest in economics, and I know now that I want to be an economics major. The people whom I studied with for this class were also very awesome- esp. Cynthia (one of my K-scope tentmates).

Fourth, chemistryyy… this class solidified my belief that I was NOT meant to be pre-med. Don’t get me wrong, I did well in the class and lab, but I literally dreaded going to class and lab. I remember one night just crying my eyes out after a horribly long lab. The good thing from this class was that I bonded with across the hall person- Rita! She and I definitely bonded. O! I also LOVED breakfast with my chem homies- Joe (whom I had met through Jacob), Evan (who was also in my writing seminar), and Teresa (one of my MOSAIC buddies).

I thank God everyday that although this semester was rocky, I ended up doing extremely well in all of my classes (ending up with a 4.0 cumulative). God definitely gave me the ability and blessed me with a good grade point average. I’ve seen people here who are geniuses struggle. I’ve seen people break down over an A-/B. I’ve seen people trying to survive. I’ve seen people who handle everything they do with diligence and poise. I’ve seen people here who would rather finish the semester while working as hard as possible to move from a C to a B than drop a hard class that would definitely hurt their grade point average. I’ve seen people here who are quitters, who drop classes they know aren’t going to be easy for them; those people I have lost respect for. I’ve seen people who are absolutely amazing and passionate about what they do, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE meeting and interacting with these people. I have so much respect for everyone, in different paths, with different interests. Each second of my 14- hour semester was filled with knowledge, experiences, and people who have all helped to shape my life.

I think that we’ve got to realize that learning is more than grades. It’s something that many successful people (grade-wise) sometimes don’t realize until something shakes them and makes them ask themselves, “Why am I here? Is getting a B going to ruin my life? Is continuing in this difficult class worth it?” I finally realized that here. Also, for me, deciding on a double major with economics is difficult. I don’t know what to do with economics- so many choices: sociology, communications, math (still an option), MHS (medicine, health, and society)… So which one? On top of that, a minor in financial economics seems to be something I’d be interested in, and what about doing honors (presenting a thesis, etc) in economics? Life is full of questions, possibilities, choices. If there was a major that was called “a taste of everything,” I’d totally major in that. Making choices are difficult especially when you don’t know what you want long term. I know I want to continue school to obtain a Ph. D, but what should I get a Ph. D for? Do I want to get a MBA along with my Ph. D, or do I want to go pre-law? These questions still plague me as I move along and try to decide my classes for next semester, but I know everything will turn out a-ok.