10 Places (at Tufts) to go before you die (or graduate)
To me, Tufts is a place of amazement. Fifteen minutes outside of one of America’s greatest cities lies a quaint, hill filled campus where magic happens. It’s a pretty campus with a number of places to get food, exercise, quiet study time, or whatever it is you are looking for. But Tufts is much more than the physical location in which it is found. Tufts is really about the people. Walking around campus, I find myself surrounded by some of the most intelligent, talented, compassionate, diverse, creative people I have ever met. There is so much to do in this place, so much to see, so many people to meet, so much to learn! So now, à la cliché travel books found in the soon to be extinct Barnes and Nobles travel section and websites like http://www.bootsnall.com/, I shall proceed to count down 10 places that you must go before you graduate from Tufts.
- Your dorm. This may seem like a foolish suggestion. Because you are required to live in a dorm your first two years, you will obviously be spending time in your dorm. Some people, however, only use their dorm to sleep and stash all their stuff. While I by no means encourage you to stay holed up in your room all day long, I do encourage you to experience your hall, your dorm, and your new home. Take me for example. Just in my side of the hall there is a jazz singer who is learning Arabic, an engineer on the crew team, a mime who is in my psych class, and a computer science major who salsa dances on the weekends, to name a few. It’s amazing to walk down the hall at any time and come across a jam session in one room, a study session in another, and a goofing off session in a third. So, it is my advice to you that you get to know the people who live around you because you might find out that they are seriously awesome kids.
- Any place that isn’t Tufts. Another strange one, but hear me out. Study abroad is a HUGE thing at Tufts. The programs the Tufts Study Abroad office has listed on its website sit in countries near and far: Bolivia, China, Cameroon, Ecuador, Tanzania, Spain, Nepal, Greece, Israel, Germany, Denmark, Morocco, Japan, Russia, Niger, Australia, New Zealand, England, Costa Rica. Basically, if you want to go (and you should since it's on this list), you go.
- The Library. Let’s be honest here. We are a college. Studying is important. While you don’t actually have to leave your room to do your comp sci homework or pour over your Swahili book or finish your peace and justice paper, the library is a good place to go for several reasons. Reason number one: when in your room, it is 7000 times more likely that you will end up being distracted by your hallmates or fiddling around in your itunes library or doing whatever it is you usually end up doing to avoid doing work (don’t quote me on that number). In the library, not only do you not have as many distractions present, but you are surrounded by other students that are concentrating and working hard, and it sort of influences you to do the same. Reason number two: studies have shown that studying in two separate locations actually increases the amount of information you retain. At least some point in your career at Tufts, check out the library, because it is very nice and you might find you get a lot done.
- Boston. One of the greatest things about Tufts is, well, not Tufts. It’s Boston. Filled with rich historical treasures as well as cutting edge intellectual and artistic scenes, Boston is definitely one of the most intriguing cities in America. Anytime you are going a little crazy cooped up on campus, a 30 minute trip can get you right into the heart of Boston. And the greatest thing is, you could live here for ten years and still find new and exciting places to see and things to do. My personal goal, in my five plus years here, is to know Boston like the back of my hand, and I encourage you to develop a similar goal. Be the person who can recommend that fantastic, obscure (but not hipster) Ethiopian restaurant to visitors, or can tell someone exactly what stop on the red line gets you closest to the museum of fine arts.
- A class or club you are passionate about. You will be sure to find people with similar passions! One of the most exciting feelings is getting into a discussion about something you are obsessed with, with someone who is equally as obsessed. The fantastic thing about Tufts is, no matter what it is, you are bound to find someone who shares that passion, or even a whole group of people. One excellent place to find such classes is the ex college. With topics ranging from food systems to fairy tales, and every semester offering something new, you are bound to find some wonderful classes, and in them, very interesting people. The same goes for the clubs. There are so many to choose from, and if you can’t find the right one, get a group of friends together and start your own!
- A class or club you know nothing about. This is something many people do not think they want to do. A class about climate change? Who cares? Well, just try it. It may change your entire perspective on the world, and your entire perception of yourself and your future career. Alternatively, it may confirm your hatred of terms like thermohaline circulation, but you won’t know until you try! Once again, the same goes for clubs. From ballroom to sketch comedy, there are a million things to try, and therefore a million hobbies and passions to discover.
- Granoff. The Granoff music center is a place of pure aural bliss. I’ve found quite a hobby in walking around the practice rooms slowly, just listening to the glorious sounds floating out of the surrounding rooms. There is an amazingly high percentage of the Tufts community that is musical, and it is clearly displayed in the number of student filled music groups we have here. Unless you know nothing at all about Tufts, then you know that a cappella is huge. The Bubs are practically local celebrities, and the members of any of the 7 other a cappella groups are easily identified by students around campus. We have many instrumental ensembles as well for your listening pleasure. From pep band to wind ensemble, you can easily find one you like, and if not, start one! Whatever the case, whether you are an oboe prodigy or rarely listen to music at all, there is no way you can attend Tufts and not get strong exposure to the music world!
- President’s lawn. Let me tell you, there is nothing like napping in the sun on the lawn. A warm summer afternoon, the soft green grass, a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the many trees. If you don’t want to nap, then feel free to just sit with some friends and do homework or fiddle around on the internet (yes, there is internet on the lawn!). Rolling down it is equally as amazing, they are the perfect hills for rolling. Snow stories to come, but I have heard of some epic times in the snow on the lawn.
- Roof of Tisch. The inside of Tisch may be important, but equally as important is visiting the roof of Tisch. For one thing, it has the most beautiful view overlooking Boston. Quite a sight to see on a crisp fall morning, the red brick buildings mixed with skyscrapers. Even more of a sight to see on a midsummer’s night, the lights aglow in the distance. That is only one aspect of the roof of Tisch though. At any time during the day, it is once again the people you find there that are the most interesting. One Thursday afternoon you may find the ballroom dance team giving free lessons, and a menagerie of random students, from bros to nerds, participating. Then the next Tuesday you’ll find skater dudes rolling about listening to the guitar music of another random student. And quite frequently you can witness a number of sunny day study groups or a cute couple just enjoying each others company and the greenery found on the roof. Don’t miss it!
- Fletcher. For those of you that live under a rock, let me tell you a little bit about Fletcher. The Fletcher School is the graduate school of international affairs here at Tufts, and the oldest such school in the USA. Besides being at the top in its field, Fletcher is just a generally cool place. Wandering around the area near and in Fletcher, you are bound to hear the most interesting conversations, often in foreign languages, often about the state of the world at that very moment. Not only is it a perfect place for eavesdropping, but it is the perfect place for absolute silence. Head to the library in Fletcher and you will be startled by the sound of a pen dropping. If you are the type of person who needs ultimate silence in order to concentrate, there is no better place. If you aren’t, it is still pretty fascinating to hear (or rather not hear) how quiet a place can actually be.