This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Vanderbilt chapter.
Access to Nashville is one of Vandy’s biggest draws, but once you get here, it can seem a bit overwhelming. Here’s a checklist of everywhere a first-year collegiette will check out before she makes it over to the big leagues in Branscomb next year.
1. Fido: You’ll probably hear a rumor from someone that Fido is Taylor Swift’s favorite coffeeshop to hang out and write music in. Then, you’ll hike down to Hillsboro Village and hang out there, surrounded by hipsters from Belmont. While you probably won’t see T Swift, Fido is a great place to get work done and they have pretty good food and drinks too. Pro tip: you can get avocado added to any of the sandwiches.
2. Cabana: It’s on the card and one of your new friends has a birthday, so you will inevitably end up at Cabana for dinner sometime. It’s better than Commons food (to say the least) and you get to close yourselves off and listen to whatever you want. Pro tip: I’ve never actually had them enforce the $250 minimum for big groups
3. Your Faculty Head of House’s apartment: At the beginning of the year, it’s definitely exciting to meet a professor and your housemates and get some free food. Your FHOH is equally excited to meet you, so make sure to introduce yourself and make some small talk. Pro tip: Hank Hangout is on Sunday nights and my favorite Commons House event (I didn’t even live in Hank!) Past free food offerings have included Chik-Fil-A, a Qdoba nacho bar, and cake.
4. Grins: For the first few months of my freshman year, I thought walking to Grins was ridiculously far and I missed out. Embrace your basicness and head over to mix it up from eating Commons for every meal. Pro tip: if you have a nut allergy, tell them and they will make your food separately to avoid cross-contamination.
5. CVS: I was unaware that a simple CVS would contain everything I could possibly need to survive. From shampoo to snacks to socks, CVS has it. You will spend more money at the CVS on 21st than you ever thought possible. Pro tip: use the coupon machine when you walk in the front door. It will give you a coupon for free paper towels.
Live it up freshmen!