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In high school, I was a really big napper. Every day after school, I would take a 2-3 hour nap out of exhaustion; it didn’t matter if I came home at 3pm or at 6pm – the naps were fixed in my weekday schedule. I thought that college would be similar. 

For me, naps in my dorm haven’t been incredibly realistic. With classes, food, and optimal study spaces on main campus, it’s too much work to travel back and forth. So, I found myself taking 20-minute power naps wherever I could to re-energize. Here are the top 5 places I’ve napped on campus: 

1. Rand Booths

Sometimes, snatching a green booth on Rand’s first floor is more competitive than getting into Vanderbilt. When I’m lucky enough to sit on arguably the best location at Rand, I usually end up doing a bit of studying after my meal. More than once, this study session has led to nap time, and the booths are cushioned enough for a twenty-minute recharge. As someone who is shorter than the average person, fetal position in these booths is pretty doable. Although Rand booths earn the fifth position on my list, there are a couple of downsides to note: the lack of privacy (you’ll definitely get some stares, albeit unbothered), lack of space, and lack of silence (!!!).

2. Sarratt Center’s 3nd Floor

Sarratt 3 is a gem, and it is definitely a worthy contender against the Rand booths. Although it only has two longer couches, the real prizes are the cushioned seats. Sometimes, I like to put another seat facing the one I’m on, so I have somewhere to prop my legs. The location has a more controlled volume, so it’s better to nap than it is at Rand. Also, I’ve never been inside the Multicultural Lounge on Sarratt 3, but it does look like a great place to rejuvenate after a long day of writing essays!

3. Kissam Center’s 2nd Floor

I can’t really count how many times I’ve fallen asleep on Kissam’s 2nd floor. In terms of privacy, it’s a hit or miss; you rarely ever see more than two groups of people at each corner of the floor. The couches are fairly comfortable, and the building itself is lovely. It’s usually best to go before the dinner rush, but it’s difficult to tell now that the Kissam Kitchen is open for both lunch and dinner. Win for our stomachs but not for naps. 

4. The Baseball Glove Lounge

Located on 1U of Sarratt, the Baseball Glove Lounge is a severely underrated haven. Yet, it’s honestly one of the best places to nap! You find so many tired students here, that napping on one of their comfortable couches is not uncommon. They’re probably the softest seats on campus, and it’s incredibly quiet. Paired with its library-esque ambiance, its isolation from other parts of the building really develops a sort of calming atmosphere. What more can you ask for?

5. Wilson’s Cushioned Seats

After the two Macroeconomics exams I took these past few months, I immediately passed out on one of the cushioned seats. Maybe it was my exhaustion from studying, but I swear those were the best naps I’ve taken on campus. Wilson is fairly quiet after classes are held, and even then, finding students napping one of the chairs is pretty ingrained in your day-to-day views. 

Honorable mention:

Stevenson Library

Stevenson Library is the only library on campus that is open 24/5, and for a lot of students – especially those in Gen Chem and Calculus – this is an essential asset for a passing grade. If you’re taking a STEM class, chances are you’ve probably napped here – whether it’s at one of the personal booths or among the open seating. Personally, I think the Stevenson Library is really depressing, so I try to avoid it unless I have a really big exam. Nonetheless, it does the trick: it’s quiet, semi-comfortable, private (if you’re in a booth), and reasonably spacious. 

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.

You may be surprised that the Commons Center hosts a wide variety of students. The person sitting across from you in the lounge may even be a master student in disguise. Here lies a randomly-selected group of people who were at Commons. They revealed their plans for Thanksgiving break.

Rhylee, a first-year, is in the College of Arts and Sciences and plans on majoring in Theatre. She is from the Hank house.

“I am going back home to Oklahoma.”

George, a first-year, is in the College of Arts and Sciences and plans on majoring in Medicine, Healthy, and Society. He is from the North house.

“[I am] flying back home to Atlanta. I am looking forward to this Thanksgiving and will visit [some] friends from high school.”

Andres is a sophomore in the Next Steps program.

“I can’t wait to spend time with [my] family.”

Vicki McMillen is also a sophomore here at Vanderbilt. She looks forward to connecting with her family.

Madonna, a first-year, is still considering what to major in. She is from the Sutherland house.

“I will definitely spend time with my family and friends. I want to relax and not focus too much on coursework.”

Sonia, a first-year, is in the College of Arts and Sciences and plans on majoring in Neuroscience. She is from the Sutherland house.

“I’m going home to see my family. I am going to try to get ahead in my courses [over the break].”

Sally is a front desk associate at the Commons Center.

“I am going back home and spending time with family.”

Lauren is also a front desk associate at the Commons Center.

“I will also be going back home and Black Friday shopping.”

Julia is part of the Commons Center dining staff.

“I will be cooking dinner for my two daughters and four grandkids.”

Andre is a senior majoring in Communications.

“I am going to be working at Woodard Brothers in downtown Nashville. I also plan on [dedicating more time] towards community service.”

Joy is a first-year masters student in quantitative methods.

“I’m going home to Texas. I might make a pie; I normally bake a lot of deserts.”

Tiffany is also a first-year masters student in quantitative methods.

“I am going to be in California with my family. This year, I am the one making the Thanksgiving dinner.”

Carol is an Ambassador of the Commons.

“I’m going to go to my son’s [house] for dinner here in Nashville. He’s actually cooking for me this year. All the other years, I was the one cooking for him.”

Conclusion

Well, it looks like this Thanksgiving will not lack family get-togethers. Many students and staff have mentioned utilizing this break as a time to relax and destress. Though you may want to get ahead to prepare for finals soon after the break, be sure to enjoy your time off and dedicate some time for yourself.

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, we constantly hear the term “Holiday Season” circulating through our conversations. But there are holidays year-round — each one offering something special and unique. From all different cultures across all different corners of the world, holidays, celebrations, and traditions all serve to bring us together.

Based on your personality, which holiday would be your soulmate? Take this brief quiz to find out…

Happy Quizzing, and (of course) Happy Holidays!

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So tomorrow is the CHEM 1601 Exam.

The final “test” of the semester before the final. 

It’s hard to feel ready for these exams – so instead of asking if you’re ready, I want to ask, “Are you okay?” 

It’s okay if you’re not. (shoot! me too! – I’m writing this article for y’all but this is self-help for me as well :3) 

No matter how you feel, I’m glad you’re here reading this article – because I want to help you. I did extensive research on Google Scholar to write this article. I’ve got tips, some of my own notes, and I’ve got some caring advice. 

I’ll keep it short because I know you (and I) need to get back to studying, but by the end of this article, you should have a plan to feel more prepared and confident about this exam.

1. Positively Affirm Yourself

You’re reading this article, I can tell you care about your work and are trying your best. Even if you know you are nowhere near prepared to take this exam, you can say a couple of positive words even if they’re not true yet. Even feigned confidence is confidence, and studies show that confidence alone can improve your test scores (This article, this one, and even this one too)

Here are some of my affirmations that I’ll be saying today and tomorrow. (One of the articles I linked suggests adding hand and body motions to really make it stick)

• C’s get degrees! (And B’s, C’s, D’s, and even a couple F’s)
• I’m manifesting a passing grade (get creative, conjure that grade like witchcraft, evoke a 70+)
• chemistry is fun! totally like solving a puzzle! yay women in STEM!
• It’s 2025 and I’m sitting in a lawn chair graduating with my *insert major* degree.
• Oh Yes. I certainly, unquestionably, and undeniably Can. (feel free to add more adjectives or expressive curses to make it more real for you)
• I can and I will do this. I am capable. I am channeling nervous energy as a positive force
• Literally, just smile – stare at the screen and smile, I read somewhere that just the act of smiling can improve your mood. (Bonus points if you pretend to laugh at the article right now)

2. Study Smart (TAKE. THE. PRACTICE. EXAM. NOW) 

I’ll say it now and I’ll say it again for the people in the back. Don’t cram, just don’t do it. I am not telling you to stop studying, but please, be smart about it. Here are some ACTUAL tips on how to study.

• Set up your active recall: You should NOT just read your notes. The textbook is nice but JUST reading it is not okay. You need to be able to conjure the facts quickly so here are 5 methods:
  1. Make Notecards
  2. Chew flavored gum while you use your notecards or study. Chew the same flavor again during the test.
  3. The practice test is a good cue to show how well you recall. Don’t wait to take it until you feel confident, take it now and know EXACTLY what you need to work on, instead of what you think you need to work on.
  4. If you learn something new, set it up to make it stick. Make a mnemonic device, sing a song, or write it 3 times. 
  5. Do the last Chem101 without Googling the Answers

• Space Out Your Studying into Blocks – Studies show that the effects of studying decrease the longer you are studying the same thing. To combat this:
  1. Study for different classes in between Chem studying (It’s called interleaving!) (take 2 hours chem, 1 hour a humanities course paper)
  2. Memories are built while you sleep. Study before a nap or sleep, and study it again when you wake up, you will see the difference.

• Know what you need to study
  • Make a sheet for all the equations you need to know and the things to memorize. (I’ll attach my equation sheet, but you should make your own.)
  • (7 Common Strong Acids, Common Strong Bases, Solubility Rules, OXIDATION RULES, Gas Evolutions, Various Thermochemistry Equations.) PLEASE!

 3. Treat Yo-self

If you cram so hard that you are miserable the day of the test – something is up. You shouldn’t hate your life to feel prepared. Take exactly 1 hour. (Yeah, don’t just collapse into Netflix for hours, that might not make you feel better) for the time you will set aside to do something that makes you happy.

Here are 6 examples:

1. Go to a loud common room. Rant to others who are also in chem. Theraputic.
2. Get a Cookie with your Chem Buddies and Savor every bite.
3. Watch 1 episode of your favorite show, or your comfort show (avoid cliffhangers)
4. Sit down and curl up with a cup of tea and MyCommons.Life Articles (or a book i guess, when’s the last time you read a book for fun?)
5. Speedrun the Wednesday Night Commons Signature Events (West Fest, Sutherland Socials, Snorthgasborg, StamSweets, Hankerings, Murray Munchies, and Crawford’s thing are all Wednesday Night)
6. Call your parents, your siblings, or your friends from back home (make sure they know you have a time limit!)

 4. Attend to Your Basic Needs – Don’t Put So Much Pressure on Yourself

I’m gonna keep this one short, but I knew I had to say it. I know you’ve heard it before. Sleeping and eating well will lead to better exam results. Your time is much better spent sleeping to improve your whole mood than memorizing 1 tiny fact worth 1 point. You need food to function, please make it healthy.

5. Make a Plan

Finally, don’t just read this article. Guarantee you will put it into action. Go into your NOTES app right now, and make a detailed to-do list. When I’m feeling particularly lost, I like to even add time to my to-do list. You have 24 hours in a day, ask, “How long will memorization take me (2 hours?)”, “How can I fit it in around my sleep (7 hours?)” Set timers to make sure you do it in the time you set out, don’t waste these precious minutes! Run through the course of your day in your head or physically and set yourself up to do them. Put out your clothes now, decide your Suzie’s order,  Pick your route to class, and how early you will arrive. Here’s an example of what my Tuesday looked like if you want a template!

That’s all the advice I have for now! You got this (Just Saying, I’d go up and re-read the study smarter section if I were you though)! I wish you the best of luck, and remember, even if it doesn’t go well – chem class is canceled on Friday and we have Thanksgiving break. Bye Now!

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