@bernie12 GDI is essentially a student who’s not a frat or a sorority.Growing pains isn’t a bad way to put it. I feel that Vanderbilt is in a transitory phase – the institution recognizes that the obsession with Greek life, impedes the development of Vanderbilt into an intellectual powerhouse. That’s why recently many of the fraternities have been put on probation and there is talk of kicking off several of them. But much of the student body opposes this, because it seems to be defined by smart kids who want to ‘get lit’, prioritizing parties to intellectual development. Once again, don’t get me wrong: statistically speaking, and in my own experiences, there are some brilliant kids here; unfortunately, the ambition of the student body does not align with intellectualism. Recently, I had a conversation with a kid who does really well in his courses, but he seems to really dislike learning; he’s just there for the grade. Whereas I desire a school where students care deeply about their studies, students here are career oriented --do what it takes to get the grade to get to the grad school/job.
Furthermore, I don’t feel school spirit at Vanderbilt, at least not in the sense that I anticipated it or understood what it meant. I don’t see school spirit as just going to sports games, but I view it in the sense of community, something I truly found at my high school. It may be because I’m living on the commons (don’t get me started on what a poor idea I think that is), but I feel like I’m in a stereotypical high school, not an intellectual community.I’m doing my very best to give an unbiased opinion, but obviously I haven’t enjoyed my experience, so take what I say with a grain of salt.