I don’t think I’m a brilliant writer. As a brand new blogger, that’s a bit of an inconvenience. Two years ago, as a prospective student applying to Tufts in the early decision round, that was terrifying. Since I have a sibling in the high school class of 2016 who is currently in the process of preparing his college applications, I figured that I would try to calm down the hysteria regarding the supplemental portion a bit. So J (and all applicants like J), this one’s for you.
When I told my friends that I was applying ED1 to Tufts two years ago, I kept hearing the same annoying phrase; "oh wow you must be so quirky".
I really do hate how that word is used to describe this school. It seems to imply that you MUST have some obscure or unorthodox hobby or talent that makes you stand out from the general population. When pressed about their working definition of quirky, the response was “weird, but in a nice sort of way”. Thanks guys. It didn’t help that when I glanced through posts admissions officers made about essays that stuck with them (including an argument for why the mechanical pencil is inferior to the regular one), my supplements just didn’t seem interesting enough in comparison, no matter how many times I edited it or re-edited it. And in the months leading up to the ED deadline, my friends kept insisting that I “just wasn’t quirky enough for Tufts”.
But I applied anyway. And here I am. If anyone is curious, this is my response to “Why Tufts?”
I’m the type of person who learns by doing. I believe Tufts offers me the opportunity to do just that. Their focus on undergraduate research provides the chance to apply a classroom education to real-life problems without having to compete with graduate students for spots. I’m also interested in working in medicine in the future. The student-run TEMS would give me hands on experience in emergency medicine would be hard to replicate in a classroom. I’m looking for a place where I can get my hands dirty and I think I’ve found it.
That’s it. Ninety three words jammed into one statement about what I wanted to do during my time on the Hill. (To any admissions officers who read my application, I just want to state for the record that I’m currently doing everything I promised I’d do). Besides a bit of attitude, it’s a fairly straightforward statement of purpose. AND IT WORKED. It’s ok that I didn’t get referenced by Dean Coffin in his blog post about my class or during his speech during matriculation but then again, neither did roughly 98% of my classmates.
Look, I’m starting to get a bit long winded but my point is that for at least one application in the past two years, a bit of conventionalism worked. If you’re passionate about something that’s slightly more mainstream than Quidditch or Cheese Club or the underground music scene, just be yourself and show it. Don’t waste your time worrying about presenting yourself as something you aren’t. I did for a long time and it sucked.
So, to all of you out there who worry about not being quirky enough…don’t*.
*I’m not an admissions officer and can do nothing to affect the status of your application. Feel free to ignore me. But do what makes you happy.