Skip to main content

Engineering Category

Classes End, Fun and Finals Begin

Apr. 20, 2015—As classes end, finals can be a really fun time. I promise.

Read more


Monday Monday so Good to Me

Dec. 19, 2014—Mondays: you either hate them or you really hate them. Just like gender and sexuality, I don’t believe in such a polarizing angsty Monday-themed binary. For me and “The Mamas and the Papas”, Monday is “so good to me” and “all I hoped it would be”. To redeem Monday’s status, let’s go on a journey chronicling a (Mon)day in the life of one Jose Palmer.

Read more


Freshman Engineering: ES140 Modules

Dec. 16, 2014—Hey guys! Having just finished my first semester as a Vandy engineering major, I think this is the perfect time to talk a bit more about the School of Engineering and freshman engineering at Vanderbilt. I’ve received emails from some of y’all asking about my experiences so far so I hope that this blog post...

Read more


Marathon Summer: Unconventional Engineering

May. 2, 2014—*Guest blog by my roommate and fellow burger-enthusiast, Mary Kate Hardy Last semester I discovered one of the hidden gems of engineering in the form of a Biomedical Engineering elective course, titled Service Learning in Guatemala. This course included a trip to Guatemala over Spring Break to repair and service medical equipment. Never have I had more fun in an engineering class. The hands-on learning experience was incredible, and fine dining and zip lining with your professors was a blast too.

Read more


Out of My Comfort Zone…

Apr. 29, 2014—…and into the School of Engineering! This semester, as I’ve mentioned before, I took Computer Science 101: Programming and Problem Solving, with Victoria and our friend Shilpa.  This introductory course is based in the Java programming language–so we’ve learned a whole lot about that, as well as general problem solving skills that could be put...

Read more


Is Vanderbilt more stressful than the average university?

Apr. 28, 2014—Vanderbilt was recently ranked by CollegeXpress as one of the top ten most stressful undergraduate institutions in the U.S. This ranking takes into account data about the cost of tuition, academic rigor, acceptance rate, rigor of the school's graduate engineering program, and crime on campus, using data from the U.S. News & World Report and the National Center on Education Statistics. At face value, this ranking does not seem like something to brag about. Why would anyone choose to spend four years of their life here if it was possible to earn a degree from a less stressful environment? But when you take a closer look at the ranking system, you see that the only true negative factor is crime.

Read more


“‘t let schooling interfere with your education”- Mark Twain

Dec. 9, 2013—This happened quite a while ago but I feel compelled to speak about it because of the thoughts it evoked from me. I am talking about choosing next semester’s classes. It is actually difficult to fathom that an entire semester at this beautiful school has come and gone just like that. It literally feels like...

Read more


No-Nathan November

Dec. 2, 2013—That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. William Shakespeare wrote fondly of autumn, as did many other very accomplished and eloquent poets. None, however, described autumn with...

Read more


Midterm Madness

Feb. 25, 2013—Midterms are upon us! In the coming week, I’m sure you’ll hear a great (and valid) amount about the trials and tribulations of midterm examinations, pontifications and dissertations on Westernization, and other such things. I’m beating the rest of Inside ‘Dores to the punch, however – my midterm week came early, and it was a...

Read more


A Hike Through Humanities

Jan. 15, 2013—Readers, I am afloat on a sea of weirdness. I am taking a break from “homework” to write this blog, and my confusion stems from the nature of this work. I’m…reading a book. Just reading it. Not taking notes on the equations or reading a chapter in preparation for a problem set, just reading it...

Read more


Checking Boxes

Dec. 16, 2012—As you may or may not have heard, Vanderbilt is in finals mode, the campus a seething mass of caffeinated 20-somethings attempting to re-learn (or simply learn) content from wildly disparate courses. As this drama unfolds around me, threatening to engulf countless students, I will be acting as Inside ‘Dores’ Jim Cantore, reporting live from...

Read more


Catch-Up With Victoria and Nathan: Chapter VII

Dec. 8, 2012—Loyal lovers of literature, delightful ‘Dore devotees, faithful followers of fuh-this blog, you have done well. Our whirlwind time-travel tour of this semester is progressing nicely, and we’re drawing nearer to the present with each update. For my past editions of the Catch-Up Chronicles, as well as those written by my dear friend Victoria, get...

Read more