In Their Own Words: Why Tufts?
Carly MachlisWestport, CT
School of Arts & Sciences
Tufts ticks. I will grasp its pulsating energy through classes in 20th Century French Theater,Yiddish Culture, and the Art of Salsa Dancing. I will find my stride writing features for the Observer, refining my creative expression with Sarabande, and having passionate discussions with my peers over stir-fry dinner at Carmichael. At Tufts, I will look far beyond my dorm room window to see the Carly of the future: a world traveler, a passionate journalist, a single person who makes a difference.
Marshall Moutenot
Nashville, TN
School of Engineering
I need a hands-on environment — somewhere creation is embraced, not only discussed. During my visit to Tufts last year, I had the opportunity to view some of the students' current projects. These are the kind of projects I dream of making, and the environment I dream of making them in. I am a hands-on person and Tufts is a hands-on school: we are perfect for each other.
Samuel Sittenfield
Gladwyne, PA
School of Arts & Sciences
Like any normal college student, I have a gravitational attraction towards knowledge and free food. Even if Tufts didn't pay for it, I would love to take Daniel Dennett out to lunch and see what evolves; all I've got to lose is my religion.
Andrew Padgett
Silver Spring, MD
School of Arts & Sciences
So many of my peers have told me that my fluency in French won't help me much: "What are you going to do, work in a bakery? Try learning something useful." Little did they know, I'm applying to a school that values knowledge beyond what's "useful" to them. And besides, I like pastries. I chose Tufts because it believes that we live on Earth, not just in the States. I refuse to be restricted by the ignorant notion that studying foreign languages won't benefit me as much as a degree in marketing.
Katherine Lazarski
Bristol, CT
School of Arts & Sciences
Classics at Tufts is not just a study of ancient texts written in an ancient language, but rather a study of these ancient texts with a modern purpose. The epitome of this comes with the Perseus Project. I think that Tufts is a place where majoring in Classics as preparation for law school isn't ridiculous; it just makes sense.
Alexander Berger
Skillman, NJ
School of Engineering
The Computer Science major in Tufts' School of Engineering includes courses in electrical engineering and has enough flexibility for me to study music as well. There's also a Multimedia minor that combines music, visual art, and engineering. With an engineering degree from Tufts, I'll be able to achieve my dream of making technology more accessible to the artistic community.
Andra Searles
Arlington, MA
School of Arts & Sciences
Driven, independent open-mind seeks creative, diverse, intellectual university. Must offer international politics, language, and economics. Peace and Justice Studies? Seals the deal. Looking for proactive, knowledge-seeking community with world-wide goals. Transformation from local citizen to global citizen desired. Economist Arthur Burns said it best: "A passion for learning diffused throughout a society is the surest road to the achievement of its ideals." Definitely sounds like Tufts to me.
Lauren Hollender
Newton, MA
School of Arts & Sciences
I'm not sure what I'll be doing ten years from now. Maybe I'll be teaching, or working with a women's rights organization, or living on an organic farm, or finding sustainable solutions to global issues such as resource distribution and climate control. But, I know that at Tufts, no matter what I choose to major in, I will receive a well rounded, globally oriented education and will also become prepared to use my knowledge to make a difference in the world.
Daniel Chen
Berkeley Heights, NJ
School of Engineering
I want to read classical literature, work with biomedical optics research, and learn about child development at the same time; to express my creativity artistically and scientifically while learning and living principles of community service. Tufts has incredible resources and a unique coherence of these things and I'd love to call it home.
Emily Weiss
Cockeysville, MD
School of Arts & Sciences
I was unfailingly meticulous in my college search and I required much of each school. My college list, once large and abundant, slowly shrunk as I researched schools.When I visited Tufts, however, I was struck not by how nicely the school fit into my preconceived list of requirements, but by how Tufts overachieved in every category. The Tufts spirit is undeniable, the study abroad program unparalleled, and the English department bursting with engaged faculty and curious students.
Seth Hurwitz
Lisle, IL
School of Engineering
My faith values tikkun olam, or repairing the world. According to the information session at Tufts, actively participating to fix local and global issues is highly valued and highly encouraged. As a youth concerned about the direction of the global community, this is an ideal I very closely identify with.
Patrick Clare
New York, NY
School of Arts & Sciences
The feeling I got when visiting Tufts was that it is a place where everyone, whether athletes, artists, or musicians, is respected and treated equally as a student, and where all students respect and support each other in their various extracurricular endeavors.
Sarah Davis
Erie, PA
School of Arts & Sciences
Senior female seeks four-year home. Must encourage travel and study abroad with a strong international focus and extensive math and physics classes to quench her love of simplistic equations. Requires opportunities to interact with diverse students and to attend dance classes. Desires a city accessible campus with four seasons. Looking for acceptance to the sole school which fits her qualifications, Tufts.
Vivien Lim
Singapore
School of Arts & Sciences
Three months ago, I was flipping through a pile of admissions booklets when I saw, under the list of programs at Tufts, Engineering Psychology. It was a novel combination, promising both the practical training of engineering and the fascinating study of human minds, and it caught my attention immediately. The more I read up on this, the more fascinated I became, and so Tufts, as one of the few colleges to offer this degree at undergraduate level, became a major choice of university.
James Lockwood
Burlington, VT
School of Engineering
On my recent campus visit to Tufts, I couldn't help but wonder if the tour was some cruel trick played on unsuspecting and nervous high school seniors. Really, my tour guide was so serious about how much he loved it at Tufts, it kind of freaked me out. Then I looked again and saw what he saw. Opportunity. Blending. No walls or boundaries. Research projects. Caring professors. Mixed up classroom placement. I not only feel like it's the ideal place for me, I know it.
When Asked: "Let Your Life Speak"
“If I allowed my life to speak it would scream.”
“I know it may not seem normal for a young girl like me to dream of building robots prepared to withstand battle, but normal’s not really my thing.”
“I know which restaurants in Istanbul have the best filet mignon but I’m really a chickpeas and rice kind of guy.”
“I am an agent of peace, a pacifist guerilla who moves about the streets undetected, helping those in need and seeing the potential of man.”
“I am Indian by birth, Singaporean by residency with a British & American education. I campaigned for Obama, help underprivileged Filipino children and celebrate Persian & Chinese New Year.’
“I am a skinny, green-eyed Caucasian male who likes politics because it’s vital to stay informed about the world.”
“I am considered the most eligible bachelorette in my Lebanese village but my parents want me to have a college diploma in my hand before I have a baby on my arm.”
“Like Frost, I can sum up my life in three words: books, adventure & music.”
“I wage a war against not knowing.”
“If human personality can be classified as three states of matter then I am liquid. I take the shape of the container but never lose my density.”
“The only unifying theme in my life is a concerted effort to avoid unifying themes.”
When Asked: "Who are you?"
“My life tells a happy tale.”
“Church on Sunday mornings is a way of life for me. Certainly no one else in my class reads the Bible every morning.”
“My dad is the man who must be asked politely to leave the museum because it’s closing time; he has been reading every caption in the exhibit with his daughter in tow.”
“Our freezer was packed to maximum capacity with bags labeled venison 2008.”
“I rise at dawn, milk cows, make breakfast, clean house, weed cabbage, water & feed cows, make dinner, sleep, and repeat.”
“We always leave the stereo playing when we leave the house so we can arrive home to the Stones sliding out of the speakers in our empty house.”
“Every year, high school prom night begins with a processional through the middle of town, complete with cheering residents and local TV coverage.”
“Due to my mother I know the difference between a Phillips and a flathead screwdriver.”
“Born in East LA, the sound of helicopters and drive-by shootings are as familiar (to me) as the chirps of crickets.”
“I was raised on a tobacco farm in Bourbon County, KY by a liberal Quaker and a slightly less –liberal father who has been on the farm for seven generations”
“Every morning it was my job to feed the rabbits and count the cows to make sure no one escaped during the night.”
Optional Musings
The only unifying theme in my life is a concerted effort to avoid unifying themes.”
“Hate is just fear and insecurity wrapped in hostility.”
“I wage a war against not knowing.”
“The world would be a better place if everyone adopted a more ‘we’ than ‘I’ orientation.”
“I realized there is value in different perspectives and finding new ways to think about beauty. Beauty lies far within the heart where truth is found.”
“If human personality can be classified as three states of matter then I am liquid. I take the shape of the container but never lose my density.”
“Being Latina means embracing your culture, resisting the stereotypes, and bringing about a positive image to the world about Hispanics.”
“My Jeep Wrangler is always backed into its parking spot because I don’t like starting my day in reverse.”
“I push the envelope. I even run with scissors.”
“I don’t want my generation to be remembered as the one that let the country crumble because everyone was too busy texting each other.”
“Protecting people’s dignity is more important than maintaining security.”