My Commons Life

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

Matthew Lu

MCL Top 5 New Years Resolutions

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What’s popping y’all! Welcome back to another fun and fresh semester of our favorite place (totally not sarcastic)—Vanderbilt University! For some of us, last semester might have been a train wreck, and others, not so much. In any cases, we are (probably) still looking to improve! Though you might have some goals and solutions already, here are some other ideas you might want to consider!

Most importantly, don’t try to take on all of these resolutions though. Change isn’t a one-day process but made from consistent mindful habit-making (even if New Years resolutions are made to be broken).

Read more books

This does not mean actually reading your books in your classes (though it may be a good place to start!) Consider picking up books that challenge your thinking or work on self-improvement. Remember when we used to read leisurely? It truly has been a while for some of us.

If reading isn’t your thing, maybe you can look for audiobooks to listen to instead of music when you try to meet that resolution of going to the rec frequently. Maybe listening to that next chapter can be your motivation to go to the rec.

Budget tracking

That five dollar coffee really adds up? Your monthly subscriptions are a lot? There exist plenty of apps that help you track your spending and though many of these are necessities, do consider what apps you really do need. You may recognize that you are dependent on a lot, but you might also be surprised you have some subscriptions you may be able to cut down on.

For example, for my caffeine kick, I’ve been utilizing Panera and their coffee subscription club where you can get “unlimited” free hot coffee, iced coffee, and hot tea (aka every 2 hours) for a month. While Starbucks may be a staple of your life, that money can add up.

Create a schedule

Obviously, we have a schedule around our classes and such. If you haven’t already, putting everything into your Google calendar and such is definitely helpful. Other than classes, you can also add office hours so they are more ready to go instead of trying to refer back to syllabi and such.

However, this can extend into cleaning. Plan for a regular time to do your laundry instead of “when you really need to.” Make this a consistent time every week. Shower at similar times. Most importantly: work on that sleep schedule!

Become a parent (of plants)

Even if being here still seems like a dream, it is undeniable that we are growing as people. Why not adopt a cute succulent to mark your growth? A cute decoration and a friend that will always be there for you in the form a plant. Next time you go out, maybe you can keep your eyes peeled for a new friend and source of life in your room.

The funds? Maybe you were mindful about your budget and cancelled a subscription :p

Listen to happy music

Obviously, we have our sad days and we just need music to hit differently. But maybe, you can schedule some time once a week as you work to listen to happy positive music. Be productive, and feel good about all that you have accomplished.

Good luck on this semester! You are going to do so well 🙂

Thoughts on a Thanksgiving Break Spent on Campus

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Alternatively titled: I had overnight oats for breakfast for a week.

I spent Thanksgiving break on campus—so here are some of the not very exciting “highlights.”

Making decisions

To do work, or not to do work, that is the question.

When faced with difficult decisions such as these (or other life-changing questions!) I was given the perfect tool to assist me in such predicaments.

Everyone say thank you to TikTok.

(how it works is that you ask a yes/no question before throwing a pen into the bottle/cup and if it makes it in that means yes)

By the way, for the ones curious, the answer is always to not do work. You’re welcome for the resource/fortune telling/horoscope/obscure reading from whatever gods. My screen time may or may not have doubled over break 😀

Overnight oats

My abundance of oatmeal from the Sunday night Munchie Mart sprees was finally seeing some progress this week. The thought of having oatmeal every breakfast made me feel like I was speeding up my inevitable doom towards becoming a boring old man. Obviously, that was not what we wanted.

Instead, I had overnight oats (made simply with two things of oatmeal, (almond) milk, packets of sugar and honey finessed from our favorite dining halls). Surprisingly, they were filling and I have yet to get bored of them. Additionally, the need to prepare them the night before made me feel more obligated to make sure I had breakfast consistently—couldn’t let me hard work go to waste after all. Even if it seemed repetitive, I tried to spice it up as much as I could: chocolate milk, to-go peanut butter packs (all from our local Munchie Mart!) that made the overnight oats different every morning.

Even after break, making overnight oats might be something I’ll continue to do. Low effort, tastes good, and versatile—what more could you ask for?

Doing laundry

To the endless people fighting over to do laundry on the Friday before break, I hope you did find yourself a washer to do your laundry before you left for Thanksgiving.

I however, enjoyed my very empty laundry room all to myself over break.

The joys of being able to use four washers (out of five!) at once while not having to feel guilty about being inconsiderate at all? Wow, that’s tough to beat.

Even better, I fell asleep and left my laundry in the washers for maybe a little while after they finished and there were no messages in the house GroupMe telling me to get my laundry. Truly, what a dream to live.

When will I experience such bliss again? Only time will tell.

Doing literally anything else

One of the few things I wanted to do over break: get a haircut.

Haircut? Not got.

Final thoughts

Was this the mental health break I needed? Definitely. Now we gear up for one last stretch—we are somehow very close to finals which is ᵘⁿˢᵉᵗᵗˡᶦⁿᵍ.

It was surprisingly not lonely and also really nice to be a little less considerate. There’s no one to look mildly presentable to, it was fine to have the room messier without a roommate, lectures to feel obligated to attend. Honestly, the lack of people being energetic and lively did make this just feel like a break. As people return to campus, it already feels like this happy land of peace and quiet has slipped between my fingers and away.

Simply, maybe I am really just an introvert—and this was just my dream.

MCL Top 5: Halloween Fun Facts

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Happy Halloween!

Enjoy some fun facts about Halloween!

1.

Halloween originated from the Gaelic festival Samhain (which is why the fear of Halloween is samhainophobia!) from over 2000 years ago. It marks the “darker half” of the year, and the end of the harvest season. As such, the Celtics believed that the spirits of the dead returned on the eve of the new year, and therefore used costumes to ward them off.

2.

Jack o’ lanterns originate from a Irish tale about a man named Stingy Jack. His ghost was named “Jack of the Lantern” which was shortened to “Jack O’Lantern.”

3.

Before the 1950s, candy actually wasn’t typically given out for trick-or-treating. Previously, popular items that were given out were fruits, nuts, and cake. In the 1950s, candy was once promoted for as treats for trick-or treating (which has existed since medieval times!) and became a staple ever since.

4.

Candy corn, the supposed king of all Halloween candy, was previously known as “chicken feed” when it was first marketed in the late 19th century. More recently, other candies such as Skittles, Reese’s, and Starburst have risen as the most popular candy.

5.

Haunted houses in America were first created during the Great Depression, with their original purpose being keeping kids off their lawns. However, this slowly became an entertainment attraction once people realized that they could charge money for entering.

MCL Top 5: Things to (Probably) Do Over Fall Break

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It’s fall break (finally)! Congrats on being halfway done with your first semester here! Here are a few reminders for things you should probably do over fall break.

Alternatively, if you are making a to-do list for fall break (include both fun and work-related), use this to make sure you get write down some of the things you might have forgotten.

Also make sure to plan accordingly to the adjusted dining hall hours, which you can find here.

1. Clean your room

Is your room a mess? This is a great time to do a thorough cleaning of your room, and maybe wash some of the things you don’t wash as frequently (aka your sheets). Your roommate will appreciate it, and who knows, you might find some lost treasure.

2. Hang out

This is the mental health break we all needed. Don’t spend it all holed up in the Stevenson library. There are plenty of places to eat (go use that meal money!) and parties to be at. Or do some face masks and watch Netflix with your besties, whichever is your vibe.

3. Get groceries

Tired of Commons dining? Go somewhere further with a few friends to stock up some Shin ramen and snacks. Build your food stash now, for the tiresome reality of classes again.

4. Check out classes for next semester

The courses available for next semester were released this Monday. Start looking for classes you want to take next semester and make note of any questions you have for your advisors. Depending on your advisor, you probably have an email with further instructions to touch base on your classes for next semester.

5. Study (think about the week after!)

Even if we have a few days off, your responsibilities as a student will unfortunately come back. One of my professors told me that fall break isn’t really a break, and judging by the three midterms I have the week after, I might have to agree.

Enjoy your fall break y’all!

MCL Top 5: Student Discounts You MUST Take Advantage Of

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You’ve probably heard of a few of these already, but do you know about all of these? Here, we’ve compiled reasons for you to spend money right now, but you can do so without the unnecessary guilt because you are a student SAVING money. 

The Obvious: Amazon Prime Student

Amazon | Amazing numbers from Amazon from the 2012 holiday s… | Flickr

The list of benefits along with Amazon Prime seem endless. First, you have 6 free months for a trial, and then Amazon Prime for half price. Most notably you have Prime delivery, or free one-day delivery. I’m sure we’ve all been heavily relying on Amazon for any forgotten essentials, books, or room decor to live your lavish life. 

Specifically with Amazon Prime Student, you also have a free membership with Grubhub Plus Student, a free month of Course Hero, and three free months of usage for the Calm app. 

Otherwise, you also have access to all the regular benefits as an Amazon Prime member. To learn more, you can read everything here. Do make note of any listed terms and conditions. 

The Helpful: Office 365 Education

MS OFFICE 365 | MS OFFICE 365 | Aaron Yoo | Flickr

All students are able to sign up for Office 365 Education. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and more. This can be helpful with organization, whether it is making it easy to share information/documents with others or syncing information across devices. To sign up, you can start here. 

The Necessity: Spotify + Hulu + SHOWTIME

Spotify Internet Streaming - Free image on Pixabay

This is obviously the superior choice for only $4.99/month. There do exist alternatives such as Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Prime Music—the list goes on forever. I guess you can check these out but just know Spotify is superior *rolling eyes emoji*. Not to mention you also get access to Hulu and SHOWTIME.

Personally, having music readily available to stream has been super useful to me, whether it is helping me get into the studying mindset or making the walk to main campus a little less boring and tiring. 

The Expensive: Technology Discounts

Technology 2020 Free Stock Photo - Public Domain Pictures

We live in an age of technology, but unfortunately technology can be pretty expensive. However, as these are essentially necessities at this point, plenty of companies have discounts to make your bank account a little less depressing. 

Apple currently has free AirPods along with discounted AppleCare when you buy a Mac or iPad. Best Buy has a student discount program that can help lead you to discounted products. Samsung also has their Education Discount Program that can help you save up to 30%.

Literally… just show your student ID…

File:Money saving growth.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Or use the power of that .edu email. Whenever you make a purchase, just ask to see if they have a student discount. Plenty of clothing brands such as Aeropostale, Banana Republic, H&M etc. offer up to 15% off any purchase. Certain places such as Chipotle or Chik-Fil-A  also offer a free drink with your purchase.

Worst case, there’s no discount, but if successful, you will be rewarded with some savings and a feeling of victory that triumphs the guilt of buying something you might’ve not needed anyways. 

And those are all your reasons to spend money this week. 

Which MCL Staff Member Should You Be Friends With

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Get to know your MCL Staff a little more!

Need a friend? Take this quiz to figure out which staff member you would be best friends with! All our Instagrams are in the quiz results, so feel free to reach out to us and let’s be friends! 🙂 

MCL Top 5: Tactics to Combat Homesickness

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hold on tightly

Because this is a new start. 

Because these next four years are going to be different. Life-changing. 

Yet, we can’t forget about everything else that has led up to this point. Of course we won’t. Inevitably, we’ll all eventually feel just an eensy-teensy bit homesick. But you need not fear, for there are ways to combat your homesickness. 

5. Go for a run

You don’t have to know where you’re going, but sometimes a run is all you’ll need. As you tire yourself a bit, your mind will drift away. The most important thing is to do something to take your mind off of home.

4. Relax!

Homesickness for some people may stem from stress, whether it’s from expectations you feel like you have to meet, or adjusting to college life. Taking a power nap, or readjusting your schedule for a little extra sleep can definitely help. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge that college is a new and different experience, because, well, it is. Even when classes have started, remember that it is important to take care of yourself. Take a hot shower, drink some hot water, make yourself a cup of tea, slow down, and recognize that you are doing great. 

3. Explore Nashville and take photos

There’s so much to explore in Nashville, ranging from vibey music or delicious food (check out our feature on the newest additions to Taste of Nashville). It might be hard to call this place home right now, but remember that this place is where you’ll be for the next 4 years. And for those next 4 years, you’ll be filling yourself with memories of Nashville. As you’re on your way, remember to take photos and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to call this place home one day with confidence. 

2. Have your parents send you a care package

Sometimes, things don’t just feel like home without certain things. Ask your parents to send you a care package of snacks, self-care products and maybe topped off with a hand-written letter. And yes, it is okay to occasionally indulge in a love for materialistic things. For an extra fun time, have them send it at a random time without letting you know. Then, the package will be a nice surprise and it might come just when you need it most. 

1. Call home

There really isn’t much that can top talking to your parents again. With all the technology we have these days, calling your parents is only a few taps away. It’s nice to know that someone is always behind you ready to support you if needed. Be proud that you are here at Vanderbilt, because your parents are. 

Matthew’s Honorable Mention

When everything seems to not be going right, it might sometimes be hard to believe that things will get better. To remind myself that everything will be fine, I tell myself “Matthew Lu is fine!” If I yell to myself “Matthew Lu is fine!” enough, I believe that everything might turn out to be okay. Maybe this is just me, but getting that extra energy and worry out reminds me that things will be fine, and if they aren’t, I can make things better. 

We’re moving on to craft our own futures, but for our pasts we can

let go lightly