<p>More precisely, when is move in day?</p>
<p>August 17th</p>
<p>thanks, I saw on the website that classes start on August 20th for undergrads,so that’s the “orientation” you guys mentioned…</p>
<p>Sorry – I believe it’s that Saturday, so August 16th.</p>
<p>orientation at many colleges became more compacted and less costly after the recession, although I think the Commons itself is a big long Valentine for freshmen and their first year of college. Most of the campus organization leadership and athletes will be on campus when the freshman class arrives. Students interested in being trained on Vandy’s media service equipment in the freshman class used to have to submit a resume to be selected to arrive even a bit earlier. (Your student will get emails about things like this later on) Our son had minimal high school experience in media, applied to come early for training and was not selected in 09. Not surprisingly…they selected students who had served with distinction in high school media programs. Not sure how insidevandy does this now but every year the college loses 1600 plus students and they stand ready to let the new class get going! On the positive side, our son did begin submitting things for publication and had no problem becoming part of things at the Hustler etc. Vandy is great that way. There are conservative and liberal political papers, the main newspaper, a humor publication, TV studios, etc.
If you want to contribute and you can deliver on deadline, you will find a niche. Places like UVA…bigger places than Vandy…becoming part of the publications on campus is a huge deal with an even larger pool of journalistically experienced students on campus.</p>
<p>I just booked Loew’s Vanderbilt on Priceline for $155 for move in weekend. Thought others might be interested. </p>
<p>We are actually going to stay across town by Opryland for move in weekend … I think it might be easier to be farther away. (We are going to leave early Sat. morning to drive down to Nashville and just stay one night.) </p>
<p>But I booked the Holiday Inn by the stadium for Parent’s Weekend two months ago! :)</p>
<p>I booked the Hyatt Place near the airport for Family weekend, had points so it was free which was amazing considering the incredible prices that weekend, along with most hotels already being booked.</p>
<p>Hi! First post after almost a year of lurking 
DD was just accepted EDII and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Vandy offered us an amazing financial aid package as well, so it’s a dream come true.</p>
<p>Today, we got a call from financial aid wanting to clarify a minor issue. She said she was already working on the updated offer. I took the opportunity to thank her and the entire University for their generosity, to which she responded, “Well, I think you’re really going to love the new offer.” About an hour ago, I had my DD log onto her MyappVU account, and I noticed that the award had already been revised (with even more need based aid!). BUT, here’s the weird part–the part I hope you can clear up for me. The award also had “Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship” listed below the financial aid award with $0 as the award amount. </p>
<p>First, does anyone else also see this as part of their award statement? Second, do you think this means that DD did or did not receive the CV scholarship? I guess I wonder why they would even list the CV if DD will not receive it. Perhaps it’s just standard practice for all CV applicants, though.</p>
<p>Hoping to meet some of you amazing parents at move-in day. Thanks so much for all your help to date.</p>
<p>@Belle315, congratulations on your DDs acceptance and financial aid award. My DS applied RD so we will not get any information until later. Good luck with the CV scholarship!</p>
<p>It is a couple of weeks early for the CV scholarship email offers based on past late winter/early springs. However, sounds like your daughter has been moved into the CV category. Best have her call Financial Aid tomorrow or have her send Financial aid an inquiry email. If she is awarded a CV, she will still be eligible for need aid beyond tuition if she is determined to have further need. Congrats! Whether or not she has the CV, nailing a great financial need package at Vandy is a feat to be thankful for indeed. </p>
<p>@JRMAMA, thank you. Best of luck to your DS, as well!</p>
<p>@Faline, thank you for your insights. Yes, I thought the timing seemed too early, which confused me. We will try to get an answer from Financial Aid directly. We are tremendously thankful for Vanderbilt’s generosity. Also, thank you for all the pearls of wisdom you’ve shared through CC. You have definitely been a great help to us!</p>
<p>lindz126, you should be over in the Parent Cafe posting under the Good Deal of the Day thread if you got the Loew’s for that price during move-in weekend. I suppose they aren’t quite as popular as they were in pre-Commons days when many freshman were housed in Kissam Quad (forerunner to the new College Halls) and Vandy/Branscomb dorms. It was not uncommon to see the bell staff pushing the carts across the street laden with freshman possessions for those families staying at the Loew’s. It would be a bit too far to push all the way to Commons, so I suppose that particular site is a lot less frequent now </p>
<p>Congratulations, Belle315! We are still, several times a day, recalling the moment DD saw the “Congratulations!” on her cell phone last week. Enjoy the fantastic news, and good luck with CV!</p>
<p>@lindz126 – nice deal! We are also at the Loews (though not with such a great deal, unfortunately). Tried your tip, but they were sold out of the types of rooms we wanted. I guess it is still a popular place!</p>
<p>@2VU0609 – are there better places to stay for closer access to the Commons?</p>
<p>And to all of you: I feel very stalker-ish, having read so many old posts . . . about everything from stick vacuums to the Pharmacy to Radnor Lake to where your Vandy grads are working now. Thank you for all those posts – they definitely got us even more excited about this amazing school (if that was even possible). Hopefully, we 2018ers will be almost as helpful to others in the future.</p>
<p>And, finally, a question: when do you retrieve things you have sent to the Vandy address (tent)? Is that just anytime on move-in day?</p>
<p>Sorrento,
Congratulations to your D and best wishes for a wonderful VU experience for your family. My kids were pre-Commons kids, although they were touting the concept big time when S did his campus visit 3 days before 9/11. I am not an expert on anything Commons related, but I think you might be a bit closer at the Courtyard Vanderbilt or at the Embassy Suites. Move-in is such a smooth experience with all the upperclassmen who volunteer that your should have an excellent welcome to Vandy. One of my work colleagues sent her D to VU last fall and said they barely touched any of the boxes, suitcases, etc. during the process.</p>
<p>There is a Residence Inn under construction on West End and I think another new hotel going up in the neighborhood as well. More competition should help all the VU parents with the room rates for prime times like move-in, parents weekend, and commencement. </p>
<p>We live just 2 hours away, but when I did stay overnight, I typically stayed at either the Courtyard Vanderbilt or the Courtyard Downtown. I’m a Marriott Rewards person, so I’ve also stayed at the Marriott that adjoins VU for D’s sorority mother-daughter weekends and I’ve stayed at Union Station once recently when visiting D who now lives in Nashville. Union Station is a real treat and is next door to the Frist Center for Visual Arts. It’s also walking distance to downtown if the weather is good. I loved to stay at the Marriott when I could get a good room rate because it is such an easy walk to Greek Row and to Memorial Gym. Both kids lived in Towers as upperclassmen and they were just a short walk from the Marriott. </p>
<p>I think KaMaMom is correct in her assessment that it will be more important to be located close by for Parents Weekend and for Commencement when that time rolls around. </p>
<p>One more comment for those who are eagerly anticipating their Nashville experiences. One of my Christmas gifts from D was a new cookbook, Nashville Chef’s Table, that showcases many of the local dining establishments and includes a recipe or two from each chef. I so enjoyed reading the book, although I will likely never tackle more than 2 or 3 of the recipes. Many are far outside my comfort zone with specialized ingredients. However, the real pleasure for me was the opportunity to make a list of new places to eat when I visit D. Nashville is quite the place to enjoy a good meal and it just keeps getting better and better!</p>
<p>The Homewood Suites at Vanderbilt is new (many nearby hotels need to be updated). If you are on a tight budget and want to relive your college dorm experience check out the Scarritt Bennett Center. It’s next to the Commons. The rooms are old college dorm rooms but the price is right and parking is free (other area hotels charge $36/day to park your car).</p>
<p>@2VU0609 - We are a family of foodies so have just ordered the cookbook you recommended! And we will be at the Marriott for Family Weekend-- far from Commons but close to the stadium at least.</p>
<p>For those of you who have brought younger siblings along for Family Weekend – were you glad you did??? It might mean missing a day of school for him, so just curious.</p>
<p>We will be at the Marriott for Family weekend as well! We are bringing two younger siblings. Loews for move in weekend, but not a great price. </p>
<p>So excited for DS! He cannot wait to get back to Nashville!</p>
<p>^capfam – “back to Nashville?” Did you live there before?</p>