Tufts Blogs

Have you ever been asked a simple yet mind bending question? Well, that’s what transpired last week when a friend asked me to be a panelist for his college access organization. Here is the question from his email: “In lieu of a biography from each panelist, I am asking that you answer this simple question in one sentence, “College is…?” Is that *really* a “simple” question??? College, just like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I began to wonder how Tufts people would answer this question, so I went about asking a bunch of people. Here are some results:

College is…

“College is opportunity.” –Lee Coffin, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions

“College is a time to grow and learn about yourself by trying new things, overcoming challenges, and opening your mind.” –Tufts Student ‘16

“College is the transformative period where you figure out what parts of yourself you will always keep, what parts you will cultivate, and what’s out there that you’ll integrate.” –Tufts Admissions Officer

“College is a place to make a lot of mistakes, and consequently grow immensely because of each of them.” –Tufts Student ‘14

“College is the opportunity for education, self-discovery, adventure, an expanding comfort zone, and is a place where friendship blends with family, and where the concept of home is recreated.” –Tufts Student ‘14

“College is a place to make personal and professional connections that will help you throughout the rest of your life.” –Tufts Admissions Officer

“College is where autonomy and character are built during a never ending cycle of work, stress, triumph, and relief.” –Tufts Student ‘15

Or my personal favorite for so many glorious reasons:

“College is whatever you want it to be.” –Tufts Student ‘15

That was just a sampling of the answers I received, but you can see they all carry important themes of growth, development, and change. So interwebs, how would you finish the sentence “College is...?”