What's the best thing about Tufts? The people, the professors, the opportunities, and the way these all collide to give you an exemplary undergraduate experience. People are interesting, funny, intelligent, passionate and driven. The professors go out of their way to help you, clarify things and give you advice. The opportunities to go and do more than you ever thought you were capable of are everywhere, just waiting to be snapped up. You just have to seek them out. It's a truly incredible environment for learning, about academics, people, and the way the world works.
Name one thing you'd change. Some of the dorms could be more aesthetically pleasing. The people in the dorms tend to make up for this, though.
Is your school too large, too small, or just right? Just right: walking around campus, you see people you know, so you have a sense of community and connectedness; but there always people you don't know, so you always have the feeling that you might meet another new awesome person tomorrow.
How do people react when you tell them you go to Tufts? I generally answer the "where are you at school?" question with "Tufts? Up in Boston?" Those who have heard of it so "Oh wow, of course, great school!" Those who don't know what it is smile politely and say, that's great.
Where do you spend most of your time on campus? Wherever I'm living, campus center, library, Brown and Brew, dining halls.
College town, or "what college town?" Great college town, in that Boston is super-accessible. I object to the way that Tufts students get asked their opinions of Medford and Somerville, but not of Boston. It's a great dynamic atmosphere for college students, especially with all the other colleges nearby. And really, there are definitely some great places to check out in Somerville, from Davis to Teele to Union Squares.
What's your opinion of Tufts's administration? I like it. I haven't had red tape problems, and at times when something was going wrong, I was able to meet with my dean immediately, who set it straight within moments. I've gotten good advice from various deans, and hey, they've even served me pancakes during finals. People in the admissions office and the Provost all recognize me, remember my name and say hi even though I met them as a high school senior and haven't had much contact with them since then.
What was the biggest recent controversy on campus? Depends what you call "recent". The Primary Source debacle was a big ongoing thing last year that made national news stations - someone in the conservative magazine wrote a satirical Christmas carol that was interpreted as racist by many. There was a huge backlash among the student body, and the administration had to come out and say that they support free speech but that the comments were objectionable. They even created a new office to promote diversity. It ended up being prosecuted by Tufts judiciary. But a lot of kids also mocked the overly-political-correct nature of the whole thing.
Is there a lot of school pride? I think there's pride in Tufts as an academic institution, but not in the sense of support for athletics. People go to homecoming, but no one really attends sports games just to go and support the athletes. The athletes are generally smart kids in your classes, who play sports for their own personal enjoyment. But usually Tufts students prioritize other things over sports games, like homework, club events and trips into Boston. It's funny, because you'll often see kids walking around wearing sweatshirts from other schools - but these are the same kids who run for Tufts offices because they love it and think it can be made even better. We show our pride in more subtle ways. Every once in a while I'll hear someone say, "Dude - I love Tufts." and then rush into an explanation of the latest cool opportunity they stumbled upon.
Is there anything unusual about Tufts? I think what sets us apart is this theme of global focus and active citizenship. We're not just learning, we're often learning in order to put our knowledge to use for the good of others. The community service organization is the most popular extracurricular activity, and International Relations is the most popular major. Even my friends who are premed and comp sci majors spent a semester in China and Australia. It's great to be part of a student body that cares about the world and wants to do more to change it.
What's one experience you'll always remember? Attending the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, courtesy of four amazing Tufts organizations' funding. He was confirming all the ideas I had had about energy and poverty alleviation. We eight students were the only undergraduates at the conference, and President Larry Bacow himself met with us in the Tisch Library Tower Cafe to discuss our trip. I left the trip with a meaningful research topic, a fistful of business cards from the likes of the CEO of BP-Alternative Energy, the UN Environment Programme's Energy Director, CEO of Masdar, and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. Not to mention seven really great friends!
What are the most frequent student complaints? Many tend to whine about the hill, which gets tiresome to trudge up every day, especially in bad weather. Others target the dorms in their complaints. Some say that the campus is cliquish, but I have found no problem making new friends if I seek them out, especially since new freshmen are always entering, and juniors are always returning from abroad.