What are the most popular groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus? The community service organization (Leonard Carmichael Society) is number one, and also a lot of people are involved in Tufts Dance Collective, which is a fun activity for people who aren't even serious or particularly talented dancers.
Tell us about a group you’re involved with. I'm co-director of the energy club. Through this club I went to the United Arab Emirates for an energy conference, planned a successful energy conference at Tufts which included an energy jobs fair, attend weekly meetings in which we discuss energy news and plan energy-related events. Some events include inviting speakers to campus for talks and debates, watching energy-related movies, going on field trips to nearby energy plants, demonstrating new energy technologies, planning other research trips (this winter break some members are going to South Africa to look at their energy crisis, while others are headed to Israel to look into their electric cars). Many members go on to work in energy fields, including a bunch of guys who started a wind consulting company. Really fun atmosphere, and we don't espouse any kind of cause, like green energy for example - that's the environmental group's job. We just like to promote the dialogue on energy issues.
Do students in dorms leave their doors open? Yes. But many lock, or at least close them, when they leave for class.
How popular are athletic events? Not very. Homecoming is.
Guest speakers? Too many! I always see someone amazing on the schedule and then curse myself for having class during that time period.
Theater? Very popular, and the musical theater community is very self-guided and close-knit.
Tell us about the dating scene. Freshman year has its fair share of random hookups, but by junior year many people find long-term relationships.
How did you meet your closest friends? Half lived in my dorm, a couple I knew before college, and a bunch from my classes and clubs.
If you’re awake at 2am on a Tuesday, what are you doing? watching my guy friends play Super Smash Bros/Guitar Hero, or maybe watching whatever's on Bravo or Comedy Central.
What traditions/events happen each year? Naked Quad Run takes place on the last day of classes in fall semester - students are encouraged to strip naked in the snow and run laps around the academic quad. The administration actually sponsors it, and they set up a tent with performances and hot chocolate. Most people get drunk, but some do it sober. Spring Fling is a huge concert where the entire student body basically starts drinking at 10 AM. Fall Ball and Winter Bash are DJ-ed dance parties, thousands go. We also have a tradition of painting our cannon - students paint it to raise publicity about events they're sponsoring, or just personal messages like happy birthdays or even marriage proposals. Senior Pub Nights are also really popular - they happen throughout the year, in which Tufts runs buses for seniors to all go to a bar/club together.
How often do people party? Most people, at least once a week.
How important are fraternities/sororities? Well, I don't know about "important," but they dominate the freshman social scene. But the brothers and sisters are still the same smart kids in your classes, in most cases.
What did you do last weekend? Well it's summer, so I went to visit my boyfriend up in Boston. Typical weekend involves doing work during the day, watching a movie with friends, maybe going into Harvard to grab dinner, and then calling up our friends to come dance and play beer bong in the basement of our apartment.
What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn’t involve drinking? ...A lot. Boston is a subway ride away, so food and entertainment and your friends at other schools are always an option. Or you could maybe attend one of the FIFTY BILLION events that the various organizations are putting on. Do you want to see a play? A Thai culture night? The male step team's show? Live music at the campus center or Brown and Brew? Rap battle? A free movie courtesy of Film Series? And hey, when it's snowing out, ain't nothing wrong with staying in and watching a pirated movie.
What do you do off campus? Well, most juniors and seniors live off campus. "off-campus" includes the restaurants and bars in the Somerville area, and also Boston. Boston is awesome for entertainment - in one weekend I went to a production of the Nutcracker, a Cake concert, and ice skating in the park. Lots of good food. Off-campus people go to grocery stores to buy food, from Whole Foods to Shaws to Foodmaster. A lot of clubs sponsor various trips away from Tufts, whether it's the mountain club heading up to hike at the Loj in New Hampshire, cleaning up the mystic river, or the Chinese Students' Club leading a trip to Boston's Chinatown for a dim sum lunch.