Confucius, Regina George, and Kung Fu Panda
These past few weeks, as I sat in committee discussing applications, I began to truly appreciate what my time in school has taught me (I know, Dad, took me long enough, right?) The revelation hit me as we were seven days in. I was sitting next to Dan, who had been stealing my Goldfish all day, and Laura, who had been with me so long that we had begun to finish each other’s… (“sentences,” says Laura). As we made our way from Massachusetts to South Carolina to Tanzania to Singapore, I slowly accumulated piles upon piles of notes. Yes, notes!
Apparently, 16 years of lectures, presentations, and class discussions have taught me more than just history, English, science, and math (well, not math, who are we kidding?) In the classroom I learned that to listen, I must write. And over the past couple of weeks, we covered so many students that taking notes wasn’t just helpful, it was necessary!
Now, reflecting on these notes leaves me feeling a bit conflicted. On the one hand, I’m so excited for...
Page One
In a little over a month, it will have been a full year since I graduated from Tufts. Woof. What a depressing realization! I said it out loud the other night (just call me Debbie) and my friends are taking it pretty hard. There’s been a lot of crying to the Beelzebubs soundtrack and clutching of stuffed animal elephants (JK, kind of.) Despite the initial shock-factor of saying it aloud, however, I’ve actually been feeling OK about this new reality. And when I think about it, I have all of you (Tufts applicants) to thank for that! In reading your applications, I have been able to live vicariously through you, unhealthy as that may sound. Soon, approximately 1,300 of you will be starting the journey that I have recently ended. I can tell that you’re ready, and as I know what’s in store for you, I’m as impatient as you are for the start! It’s almost like finishing a book – sometimes it’s even more exciting to watch your friend open up to page one. “What part are you at?! Ooohh it’s about to...
Getting to Know You
Earlier this week, I walked in to my very first day of Committee with a fair bit of anxiousness, terrifying images of the proverbial bloodbath that must be a 22% acceptance rate, and a veggie platter. Eight hours later, I left the room a bit wiser about the process, and, yes, few pounds heavier (let’s just say not everyone’s snacks were healthy. Did you know that cake can come in ball form?!) I learned one very important thing in this first Committee, and I thought I’d share it with you.
Now, this may seem intuitive, I suppose, so bear with me. My jaw-dropping discovery was that a diverse class must come from a diverse admissions office. It is imperative, when bringing together a group of individuals to decide on a class of 1300 students, to ensure that those individuals are as diverse in interests as you wish the class to be. This may seem impossible, as there are only 22 officers in the Tufts Undergraduate Admissions Office, but even when we split into three separate committees, as we...