My Commons Life

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

Esme Adotey

MCL Top5: Gen Chem Exam Survival Items

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If you are anything like me and do not prioritize studying till the week of the test, here is the article for you. I’m not the best at chem and I am also taking bio this semester so I wouldn’t say that chem is my priority. I will say that I was having dreams about calculating work functions and kinetic energy (grind time 24/7). Since the first infamous gen chem exam is over and I can finally SLEEP PEACEFULLY…here are some things that I did to make sure I was prepared (sure…) for the test:

5. Coffee:

Yea… no sleep, just calculating de Broglie wavelength and memorizing whatever that guy Aufbau was saying about his principles (just a joke please sleep :). But can you guys stop going to Suzie’s, the lines are getting too long 🙁

4. Aktiv:

I never understood half of the aktiv questions in chem discussion…and I still don’t…but that’s not the point. Going back and actually making sure I knew what I was doing was what took up a majority of my time. 

3. Textbook:

Textbooks just… make sense. Sure they might be lengthy, but the textbook really breaks everything down and it was worth the time. Also all of the practice problems, even though they were time consuming, are WORTH. IT. I finally know who Aufbau is (perhaps a bit too late…but YAYYY!) 

2. Organic Chemistry Tutor:

Taking chem at 8 in the morning was really not the right move on my part (still love Dr.Todd). I thought I was a morning person but ahaha…I was lying to myself. He breaks stuff down and gives more practice problems (you can never have too much practice). The goat for real. Also I didn’t know how to use my calculator till like the day of. Why are we doing calculations

1. Practice Test:

Honestly life saver. Made the mistake of not taking the practice test on my first bio exam and when I saw my score I was like, “ Out of 100?!” In all seriousness though I could really tell my strengths and weaknesses so it did absolutely make a difference. I might even like…chem… a little… like in picometers little.

If I had started studying earlier I probably would not have started my coffee addiction (shoutout to Suzie’s much love). Also a tip from Dr.Clements, “Don’t live crisis to crisis.” Do I still live crisis to crisis? Duhhhhhh now I’m gonna continue to ignore my aktiv learning while I study for my bio exam next week. Until next time Dores, Anchor down and use your time wisely (unlike me hehe)! 

MCL News Minute-September 21, 2022

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Esme has the info on upcoming events on campus this week that every first-year student should know about, including Meditation Fridays to help relieve some stress, a required Commons Cup athletics informational for House VP’s, and an opportunity for lots of laughs at the Tongue ’N Cheek show.

Dore-igami

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Origami is not necessarily a common hobby that the average person chooses to pick up. I mean besides making paper fortune tellers at recess, there wasn’t much talk about origami. At least that is how it was for me, but not for Linda. The first encounter I had with Linda was at media intensive when she revealed her hidden talent as origami. I remember thinking to myself, “man this is LAMEEE,” of course I kept that to myself. But for the short time that I have befriended Linda, I can for sure say do not judge a book by its cover. Speaking of books, fun fact:

  • Her grandmother is actually the one who introduced her to the world of origami. Ever since then, she got an origami book and started to create masterpieces. When I say masterpieces I mean it! Let’s take a look at a few of her creations!

Linda Xu’s Dore-igami

  1. Peacock: 5 minutes

2. Box: 3 minutes

3. Butterflies: 10 minutes

4. Flower: 5 minutes

5. Crane: 5 minutes

BONUS!!! 3D Swan: 5 days (ayo 5 days?!)

As you can see, she doesn’t just dabble in the typical arts and crafts. Can you imagine folding a paper crane for five days?! She is hands DOWN… no amateur, but I wouldn’t have seen the full extent of origami’s coolness if it weren’t for Linda Xu. Who knows, maybe she could teach me how to fold paper…maybe I’ll find something interesting to do in gen chem instead of being lost 25/8. All jokes of course (I’m lying btw). That’s all from me for this week, Esme out. Also, don’t  forget to ANCHOR DOWN BABY!

My Top 5 Disney Princess Movies

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If you are anything like me, growing up I was very picky with what I liked to watch. I was also a troubled child so that could possibly be a contributing factor, but that’s beside the point. I vividly remember my childhood being surrounded by Disney Princess makeup kits and Cinderella shoes that my mom would always refuse to buy me. I miss when times used to be much simpler, so that being said, this week’s Top 5 will be my favorite Disney Princess movies, but the 2d versions. Keep in mind that these are based off of how many times I have watched each and they are all good! (Please don’t send me hate emails 🙂

5. Beauty and the Beast 

To start us off we have none other than Belle herself. I never really watched this movie growing up, but I watched the musical this past spring and grew a crush on Gustan so… Need I say more? Just kidding, the entire story is beautiful. You shouldn’t judge people so harshly over what you have heard. I mean the beast kind of lived up to his name in the beginning, but as the story went on we saw his character development. (He definitely needed that)

4. Princess and the Frog

BEFORE you say anything, hear me out first. It made me extremely sad to see Ray pass away. I am a cry baby when it comes to stuff like that. The soundtrack was amazing, so it helped me pull through the end of the movie a couple times, but it’s hard to do the more I watch it. 

3. Aladdin

Okay but.. Aladdin is my guy. All time crush for real. There’s just something about him being a thief I don’t know… But in all seriousness, I love Aladdin with all my heart because of the singinggg. The soundtrack is chef’s kiss. Which brings me to the top two…

2. Mulan

LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

TO DEFEAT (HUH HUH), THE HUNSSS

That’s all I have to say on this. 

1.Hercules

I have watched this singular movie at least a million times. Hercules’ and I are married at this point. I was so invested with my fake relationship with Hercules to the point where I was like, “Who is Meg?” It’s all about me babyyyy! 

That’s about all I have to say, I just really love Hercules! The rest are kind of tied for 2nd in my heart. 

MCL Top 5: Embarrassing Things To Do as a First-Year

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Since we all experienced the whole move in process just recently, what would be a better Top 5 than embarrassing things we all did or are afraid to do. So to kick off the second week, let’s all dive into this week’s top 5!

5. Getting lost on campus: I mean I understand that campus is huge…but being that guy is terrifying. Also, google maps tends to load very slowly and fails people every time. My parents and I were literally driving around campus for like 20 minutes and we passed my dorm like 10 times. Honestly, I blame the fact that most buildings don’t have names on them, it’s just…bricks y’know. 

4. Forget someone’s name over and over again: I literally met so many people it’s not even funny. What’s also not funny is me forgetting that I had already met one person or forgot their name. That’s that early onset alzheimers like I just do not understand. 

3. Using a fake id: You’re so silly. Most places don’t even take it anyways. Please save your bread. It’s even more embarrassing to get caught with it. I’d laugh. 

2. Going down the elevator without your phone: AHAHAHAHA! This one right here, oh my goodness. The elevators will only allow you to go down NOT up (at least I am about 75% sure). Don’t even bother trying to use the stairs because you will get trapped lol. I mean just keep knocking on the door and pray that someone walks past. Literally your phone is your life source. You need it for meal swipes, to enter your building, elevators, stair access, etc. Just do yourself a favor and handle it with care. 

1. Losing your key: Everyone’s worst fear. Imagine having to pay $75…could not be me. Worst feeling ever, adding onto your 80k debt. Personally I wouldn’t be able to sleep…I mean you wouldn’t be able to get into your dorm anyways. Also your RA’s will probably highly dislike you. 

Well that’s all that I have for this week. Enjoy, make friends, go lay in the green grass! Try to stay safe and not homeless, hang on to your keys. Lastly, congrats class of 2026!!! Anchor Down baby! ;D

CommonsCast Episode 105-August 24, 2022

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It’s a new season of the CommonsCast, the official podcast of the Ingram Commons at Vanderbilt University.  This episode features Q&A with Dean Melissa Gresalfi and first-year student Anya, the weekly events Commons Calendar presented by new student Alice, and Esme interviewing her fellow Human of the Commons Santana.