My Commons Life

News & features about the Vanderbilt Commons from the students who live here

Archives for November 2019

The Introvert’s Guide to College: Saying No to the Party

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The weekend is a necessity for most of us, a break from the craziness of the work week. And the weekend means different things to all of us. Maybe you get to sleep in more or catch up on a TV show. However, for a lot of people, the end of the work week is the beginning of the party week.

            Now, I think parties are fun, even as an introvert. As long as I have a few friends with me, I can make the large crowds work. But, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel pressured into joining the party when I would rather spend the weekend recharging after a long week. And sometimes that pressure can be hard to ignore.

            While you should push yourself to be a part of social events and go out with friends, don’t be afraid to say no. I’ve been around people who are able to go out every single night on the weekend, and while the idea of it sounds fun, I know I would be exhausted by the end of it. So, I’ve learned to say no to invitations.

Something that’s hard to believe for some people is that though many people attend parties, many people also stay away from them. Throughout our college years, there will be hundreds of parties, but mental health should always come first. It’s okay to say no to the party.

Victorious is on Netflix now, so saying no is the better option anyway. 🙂

MCL Visits Nashville Nightmare

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To celebrate Halloween, the MCL team visited Nashville Nightmare’s haunted houses and escape rooms. It’s a dangerous land teeming with clowns, zombies, aliens, and ghosts—Watch Kerissa, Chioma, Andrei, Lauren, and Shery face the most terrifying monsters in Nashville. 

That is, if you’re brave enough. 
Nashville Nightmare offers a number of haunted attractions that the MCL team highly recommends—and they’re still open for a couple more days! Check them out here: https://www.nashvillenightmare.com/blackout/

CommonsCast Episode 40-November 6, 2019

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On this edition of the official podcast of The Commons, Dean Gresalfi discusses the Visions Seminars, Estelle delivers your weekly calendar of events, and Andrei has a great interview with Dan Morgan, Faculty Head of Memorial House.

MCL Top 5: Things To Do In Nashville Before Winter Break

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Yeah, yeah, we know … right now you are swamped with work, trying to knock out three papers and study for a couple of exams that your loving profs dumped on you between Fall Break and the Thanksgiving Break. But hey, everybody needs a stress reliever from time to time, and, you know, all work and no play, right? So here at MCL we’ve compiled the Top 5 things you should do in Nashville before it gets too late and you’re packing up to head home for the semester break. Here goes …

5. Eat some hot chicken

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If you haven’t already tackled this uniquely Nashville culinary experience (and we don’t mean that KFC hot chicken mess), now is the time. Yes, it’s hot, says so right there in the name. But what better time to eat some hot food than when the weather is turning colder. MCL recommends Party Fowl in The Gulch or Hattie B’s in Midtown, just a short walk from The Commons. And yes, you can get the mild, but you’ve gotta give hot chicken a try just so you can tell everyone at your holiday dinner that “this is good, but it’s not Nashville-hot-chicken good.”

4. Check out the Opryland Hotel

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Yeah, we know, this seems like a total touristy Mom & Dad thing to do. But honestly, this hotel is pretty amazing any time of year. Then add two million holiday lights and you’ll think you’ve fallen asleep on your Chem text and woken up at the North Pole. While you’re there for a few extra bucks you can take a carriage ride, ice skate in an outdoor rink, or even go snow tubing. The holiday festivities are available now through January 1st, and the lights get cranked on at 4 p.m. every day.

3. See a movie at The Belcourt

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So sure, you can go see the latest huge box office superhero/alien/fast car/Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movie at the megaplex if you want, that’s cool. But if you want a slice of Nashville history along with your choice of the best independent, documentary, world, and classic cinema, then The Belcourt Theatre is where you want to be. It’s walkable from The Commons, and they offer a student discount with your ID. Just a glance at current offerings include a documentary about rock legend Linda Ronstadt and the classic film The Outsiders. Check it out, and stay golden Pony Boy!

2. Go Country

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Now you know when you go home for break that everyone is going to ask you about living in Nashville and country music. You know that, right? So even if you think Carrie Underwood is how you properly transport logs (see what we did there?), you should make the effort to get your country on. And lucky you, there are SEVERAL options. If you want to broaden your overall country music horizons and understand the history of the music, you can’t beat a visit to the County Music Hall of Fame and Museum. If live music is more your speed, but you still want a little history lesson, we recommend checking out The Grand Ole Opry. Or if you want to understand what makes Nashville tick, get at the heart of the songs with the songwriters themselves at The Bluebird Cafe. Then when Uncle Bob asks if you’ve met any country stars you can say “yep, saw Jason Aldean at the Opry,” like a boss.

1. Get some Nashville merch

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By now you’ve likely embraced that Nashville is your home for the next four years. But are you really invested in Music City? At MCL we’re encouraging you to live like a local, and that means supporting all things Nashville. Sure, you love your home town teams, I mean who doesn’t? But while it’s cool to rock your Chicago Cubs jersey around campus, it’s every bit as cool to rep your new temporary home with some Titans or Predators gear. And it may not just be an ironically cool purchase, these days the Nashville sports teams are pretty decent (well the Preds are, at least). So jump on that bandwagon now, add powder blue or gold to your color wheel, and tell everyone in your home area code that the 6-1-5 rocks.