My Commons Life

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

Mia Flemma

Worth the long line? Honest Review: NEW EBI Smoothies

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Popular dining hall E. Bronson Ingram, located on Vanderbilt’s main campus within its residence hall, has been a hot commodity amongst students. Its sauté bowls, fresh produce, and wide variety of allergy-free foods has students visiting it consistently. But now, EBI has only gotten fresher and increasingly better, with the addition of a new fresh fruit smoothie bar. 

Although you may have to reserve ten minutes of your lush EBI dining experience to stand in line for one of these smoothies, this improvement amongst the Vanderbilt dining experience has shown that they will abide by some of the (many) requests for additions/changes. The appearance of the line of people trailing far behind the actual smoothie station itself may be daunting, but in my opinion, the easy convenience of the process (along with the result, of course) proves to be worth it. 

Upon picking out the specific fruit you would like to be included in your smoothie creation, you grab a cup and circle which liquid base you would like (water, orange juice, pineapple juice, and more), followed by writing down your name for easy pickup. Anytime I am ordering a smoothie from this new station, I feel they have the process down pretty well. The smoothie itself is blended the perfect amount, creating a smoothie that isn’t solely the consistency of water, but doesn’t contain those pesky chunks that clog up the prime sipping experience of a creamy, freshly made smoothie.

The timeliness and quality really shows to me how much Vanderbilt is attempting to make changes in dining to best satisfy the requests of the student body and quality of the food we receive. Overall, if I had to encourage you to try out a new dining hall experience, I would very much vouch for EBI smoothies all day. It is a convenience and (pretty) timely experience, and what better way to pair your meal with a drink to sip on that adds the cherry on top to what you thought was the perfect meal; it clearly just got more perfect!

First Year, Five First Time Encounters

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Vanderbilt’s stunning and lively campus was one of the main incentives for me to attend. Not only was the architecture and landscape striking to me but so was the culture and student life, and the idea that there was always something going on to participate in, makes writing this piece an easy task for me. 

The nicest dining staff

Before coming to Vanderbilt, I wasn’t aware of how kind, energetic, and patient every member of the dining staff would be during those daunting busy rush hours. I have found that everytime I go to get a meal, I am greeted with the warmest welcome and smile. I believe that this characteristic of staff is something that Vanderbilt has done an amazing job at upholding; the attitude of who you encounter can completely change your day!

So many sidewalks.

The criss-crossing sidewalks definitely prove to be a challenge when you face them with google maps, however, I have begun to learn them as the first days on campus close out. Many beautiful buildings on campus can look the same to us, but learning how to utilize the campus shortcuts (which I still need to learn myself through simply practicing..) will be very valuable, especially during this time of what feels like endless construction. 

Everyone meticulously focused in a common room 

When I entered the dorm for the first time and saw the common room area, I didn’t think it would get as much use as it has. I’m not sure if every other house can say the same (Go STAM FAM!), but to me, walking out of my dorm room to consistently see people focused and studying together in the middle ground between sides of the dorm, is satisfying to say the least. It’s nice to know that anytime I would like to focus but perhaps socialize here and there, I can step outside of my room and be surrounded by a collaborative environment and get to know the people on my floor better. 

A lively student section 

The turnout for Vanderbilt’s student section at the football games this year so far has surprised many. With a big upset during the season opener, since I came from a small high school with little to no student section, being surrounded by such high energy and people who genuinely wanted to watch the game, was an exciting first experience for me as a Vanderbilt student. 

Our Police dog

There was no better surprise than walking out of the football game to be greeted by such an adorable furry friend on campus, adding to keeping us safe! If you ever encounter him, his owner is very friendly and will usually let you pet him. I personally love the idea of having a pet around campus, you can’t deny that it doesn’t lighten up the mood when you see him around!

We’ve all collectively only been here for a month, so I know that all together there are so many more encounters to come across on campus. Don’t forget to soak in every last bit of the summer weather as it comes to a close and we transition into fall, and keep an eye out for all of the fall activities, traditions, games, etc that campus will offer! 

Top 5 Items I Would Recommend a Type-A Person to Bring to College

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The piles upon piles of clothing and supplies I had to bring to school that accumulated in my living room looked like a war zone, as I’m sure it did for many others as well. For someone who is usually very organized, it made my mind go wild having unlabeled boxes everywhere I turned.

Packing for college for the first time revealed to me that especially in the packing department, I was very Type A as I compiled my things and immediately felt the burden in front of my eyes, the burden being disorganization. This is the part where you remember the time you said “I’ll pack at the beginning of August”, and now it’s suddenly mid August in the blink of an eye. A “Type A” personality is typically described as someone who is organized, appreciates a plan, has lots of ambition, etc. Therefore, packing for college could be a Type A person’s worst nightmare if not done correctly.

  1. Planner

Apple and Google calendars are reliable, but don’t forget that physically writing things down helps engrave it into your memory even better. This is more of a reason to invest in a cute planner to lay out your obligations that week on paper, and experience the immense satisfaction of crossing things off that you complete.

2. Lint Roller

A lint roller is one of those items that is arguably the least fun to shop for. I know that a lint roller is the last thing you would put on a list, but if you have one it could definitely prove to be useful. The idea that this has to take up space in your suitcase on your journey to school with you is unfortunate, but it will save you from a situation after clothes have been sitting in a dorm closet for months.

3. Tide Stick To-Go (Emphasis on the to-go part!)

There’s nothing more frustrating than planning an outfit just to realize the only thing that’s gonna catch people’s eye is a giant stain. To ensure that you can still wear the outfit you had carefully planned out the night before, a Tide to go stick is a must when packing. I emphasize having the to go one specifically because the small size allows it to fit perfectly into any small bag or compartment- it’s so practical to have! 

4. Pencil case

I personally cannot stand the feeling of my pens and pencils moving around my backpack freely and constantly getting lost, forcing me to keep buying more. Too many pencils and pens are lost or traded daily, and for peace of mind, I recommend keeping them all zipped up in the same place. 

5. Post-it notes for your workspace

I feel like a lot of people have strayed away from the idea of post-it notes since so many things have become digital, but for me the simplistic way of remembering something important can sometimes be the best way to go. I’ve gotten in the habit of keeping a stack of post-it notes at my desk, making it simpler to write something down knowing I would forget if it wasn’t right in front of me when I come back home later and ask myself “what was that I needed to do again?”. Extra tip: the bright, colorful post-it notes catch your attention much quicker! 

Whether you take away something from this list or not, just remember that you never know when an item you packed your freshman year of college will unexpectedly save you in a time of despair. Most times, the packing paranoia some of us obtain proves to be worth it during your first year!