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 get SO CRAZY! Would you prefer that I not watch you read? Too bad… what’s happening now?”
Now, I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, but I feel that after a long period of waiting, it might be nice to hear about what you have to look forward to! And if your Tufts experience is anything like mine, there’s a whole lot...
If your experience is anything like mine, you’ll be able take a class on Latin American Film with the “father of new Latin American cinema,” Fernando Birri (you know, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ good friend… what?!) You’ll have the opportunity to hike between five tiny towns in the North of Italy on a weekend trip of your time abroad… and you’ll only fall down twice (you’re not much of a hiker in this scenario.) You might do an internship in Los Angeles as part of your Communications and Media Studies minor, and meet Legacy from So You Think You Can Dance while you’re there (you heard me. I’ll pause a moment to let the jealousy set in…)
If your experience is anything like mine, your roommate will teach you how to make Hamantaschen for the Jewish holiday of Purim before you go off to Gospel Choir class (OK, that didn’t happen in the same day, I’m using artistic license, work with me here.) One night, the power in your dorm will go out and your friend will use it as an opportunity to recount The Shining from beginning to end. Luckily for you, she is taking Joseph Litvak’s English class, Horror Stories, so the plot is fresh in her mind. You’ll try to paint the cannon only to be stormed at 3am by kids with water guns – needless to say another coat will be necessary. Your friends will create a basketball team for your sorority’s charity event, name themselves the Dunkaroos, and lose in the first round (your friends aren’t really the varsity basketball team, in this scenario.)
If your experience is anything like mine, kickball will be a completely acceptable way to spend a Tuesday afternoon. You’ll be awoken on Spring Fling morning at the crack of dawn by your roommate’s vuvuzela (well, not just Spring Fling. Also Homecoming, St. Patrick’s Day, and, you know… Wednesdays.) You and your freshman year roommate will learn Ross and Monica’s “routine” from Friends season 6 and clear out all the furniture for a suite-wide performance. You’ll semi-stalk a reality TV star while spending the night in Boston (no, I won’t tell you which one, mostly because I use the word “star” rather loosely. I also use the prefix “semi” loosely, but whatever.)
Now, chances are your experience won’t be anything like mine. Everyone finds different activities they enjoy, has their own ways to bond with their freshman roommates, and pursues any number of academic interests. But Tufts kids are Tufts kids, and my guess is that by the end of your four years here, you’ll be able see my dancing, scary-story telling, kickball-playing friends in your own Tufts group. My advice to you, for when you meet these kids? Great question! Hide the vuvuzela.