Ocean Lab Extraordinaire

I usually have my Oceanography lab on Monday afternoons. Today was a special lab day, however, because we went on a field trip!!! To Percy Priest Lake. It was awesome. The objective was to collect water samples from the lake and then use those samples to generate information about pH level, temperature, etc., but overall the trip was just fun. My lab class and lab T.A. got on this big boat that fit all 20 of us and sailed out into the middle of the lake. It was beautiful! And the actual work part (my task was to collect water samples) only took about two minutes. Literally. What a great day :)

Annnnd the rest of my day was spent hanging with my friends and eating dinner at The Commons. They serve really good vegetables there. It makes me feel good about myself when I eat vegetables.
Now I have to knock out some homework.

peace.

Hmmm

So. Apparently I'm going to be a regular blogger for VU admissions now. Yayyyy! Well I would post something more about myself, but for now, I think my "audition blog" will suffice. I wrote this about two weeks ago, I think. Have a look.

So it’s two in the morning and I have my first anthropology quiz tomorrow, but I haven’t studied for it. Actually, I haven’t even completed a quarter of the reading I was supposed to have done for this quiz. So I’m probably going to fail it. Well, actually, no…I won’t fail it, because I’ll study at lunch tomorrow and maybe I’ll get a just-passing sort of grade. Do I care, though? Not really. Last year at this time I probably would have freaked out about this little mess I’ve gotten myself into, but this year, not so much. And why is that?

It’s amazing what one year can teach you. First of all, there’s the beauty of that one promise from the professor: “I will drop your lowest quiz grade.” Can we all take a moment to appreciate the awesomeness of this gift? It’s like your professors know that LIFE gets in the way of college. Who knew. And so I’m banking on this get-out-of-jail-free card and promising myself that I will complete all future readings before subsequent quizzes.

Aside from that, though, it’s the realization that college is about more than class. Okay, yeah, classes are the main reason why we go to college. Our parents shell out 50 grand a year so we can go to a great university, learn from some truly inspiring and caring professors, and leave four years later knowing a hell of a lot more than we did as freshmen. But I’ve finally understood lately what people mean when they talk about learning in a holistic sense. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE SCHOOLWORK! Can I truly say that I’ve learned a lot from my classes and professors? The answer to that is an emphatic “yes.” But I can also say that I have learned so, so, so much more about myself and people and life in general just by being here at Vanderbilt.

“Being here at Vanderbilt.” What exactly does that entail? I think it’s about putting yourself out there. I got here last year and immersed myself in all sorts of activities. I had no idea what I was doing. I just kinda jumped right into that huge Extracurriculars swimming pool and somehow I didn’t drown. I trained at the school radio station, even though I know nothing about independent music. I applied to be a tour guide and I thought my interview went horribly, but I was accepted and now I’ve been giving tours for about six months. I tried out some writing for the school magazine, ended up interviewing a dean, and now he’s my faculty partner for VUcept.

All of these activities, all of the people I’ve met, all of those times I put myself outside my comfort zone: They have to count for something. And they do. Those are the kinds of things you learn from. Really learn from. And the great thing about being at Vandy is…people here realize this fact! Are we all smart kids? Yes. But more importantly, we are all smart kids who realize that life is about much more than books, class, and studying. It’s about stretching yourself, doing something new, getting involved with activities that you aren’t necessarily graded on. Consider my roommate, who is now teaching bible school at a local church, or my friend across the hall, who’s not going to be here for Family Weekend because she’s going on a trip with Vandy Model UN, or my best guy friend, who just landed a spot in a research lab because he loves biology and wants to learn more about it. And how about one of my VUceptees, who just got a part in the school musical? Those sorts of things are just as important as grades…at least in my book.

It’s two in the morning and I feel great.

Yep, so, that was my audition blog. Cheesy? Yes. Truthful? Yes. Did I pass the Anthro quiz? Yes.

I'll post more later!