As a senior intern, I’ve been planning Jumbo Days ever since January and the big day is approaching quickly! It's been a wild ride but I've had a lot of fun too. The day is full of fanfare and excitement, and I hope you all get to experience it!
I want to give you all a few tips about Jumbo Days so that you can make the most of your time at Tufts.
- Download the Jumbo Days app! It was made by a Tufts club called JumboCode, which works with local non-profit clients to do a comp sci project for them. In this case, they concentrated all the Jumbo Days info onto an app just for you.
- Think of some conversation starters. Particularly during orientation, you’ll find yourself having the same conversation over and over again (where you’re from, what dorm you’re in, what your major might be). This happens at Jumbo Days too, so be proactive by diverting the conversation to something else! It is so much better to ask someone what their favorite part of Jumbo Days was, something interesting you found on the Tufts admissions website.
- Ice breaker questions – Maybe it’s a Tufts thing, or maybe other colleges are big on it too, but ice breaker questions have happened throughout my entire college career. Ice breaker questions happen at the beginning of all my SWE meetings, Senior Intern meetings, dance practices, EVERYTHING. There is the standard Rose/Bud/Thorn question, where every person says their favorite part of the day (Rose), something they are looking forward to (Bud), and their least favorite part (Thorn). At a Jumbo Days planning meeting, one of the ice breaker questions was what piece of furniture we would be if we had to choose. One prospective student once asked me on a tour what spice I would be.
- Split up from your parents – We break up students from their parents starting with the mock classes, and you can meet up again for lunch. This is very intentional, because we want you to break out of your shell and meet your potential classmates! Don’t hesitate – just ask someone to lunch.
- Make Lunch a Priority – There will be two hours for students to wander campus, attend open houses, and get lunch. Don’t forget lunch! Honestly, it’s one of the most important parts of the day because A) Jumbo Days isn’t fun if you’re hangry B) you will spend a ton of time in the dining halls as a student C) you’ll observe Tufts students in their natural habitat. Some of my favorite experiences at Tufts have been in the dining halls. It is the perfect excuse to procrastinate homework and it was something I looked forward to every day.
We’ve got a lot of fun activities planned for Jumbo Days and we are so excited for you all to come visit campus! If you can't visit campus on Jumbo Days, you can still visit mock classes and eat in the dining hall any other day during the semester. Here is a schedule for Jumbo Days to get you psyched!
Feature Image: Admissions officers and interns who have been working so hard to pull off Jumbo Days