Tufts Blogs

Almost exactly seven years ago, I was writing my Early Decision 2 application to Tufts halfway across the world in Shanghai, China. Outside of being the de facto guinea pig as the oldest of three children, I was applying to university from a competitive high school, where prestige and the pressure to perform was front and centre. Despite mainly speaking English and growing up in an American education system, the idea of studying in America was a foreign concept, even though it was the most popular destination to pursue higher education. In theory, I should have been excited for the new opportunities that lay ahead, especially given that I had already lived in three different countries with a variety of different cultures and norms ranging from the okadas on the streets of Nigeria to the Cha chaan tengs of Hong Kong. Yet, when I first arrived in Medford, Massachusetts, I never felt more concerned about fitting in or whether I was up to the challenge of a Tufts curriculum.

Fortunately for me, many international students have an ace in the hole when it comes to acclimating to college: the connection of a friend of a friend of a friend. During Orientation, I was meeting many amazing people from all over the United States. They usually introduced themselves as “Justin from North Carolina” or “Marissa from Providence.” On the other hand, whenever I met a fellow international student, the conversation usually evolved into learning what secondary school they went to and if they knew of my friend Paul who played volleyball against them. A huge advantage that international students have, especially those who studied in international schools, is that we have tons of mutual friends and connections that soften an awkward first meeting. Events like the International Centre’s Fall Picnic or the many events hosted by all the culture clubs and Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion centres were fantastic ways of meeting many other first-year students, both domestic and international.

If I was ever feeling homesick or felt lonely being 10,000 kilometres from home (or 6,200 miles), I always knew that the international community at Tufts had similar feelings and that we were all in it together through talking at events hosted by the International Centre. While international students are very fortunate to have the advantage of being able to fall back on their international community, a large reason why many of us choose to study in the United States is to truly experience all the unique offerings America has to offer in terms of perspective and culture. It is great to have my international friends to critique tipping culture and to go get Chinese food (...still not comparable to home) in Chinatown, but they ended up not being my closest friends in university. In reality, my closest communities were in the classrooms debating about US foreign policy in my International Relations recitations or while I coach our esports teams (which I still do to this day as a staff member)!

Weirdly enough, another big benefit to studying abroad is the increased appreciation for your home country. As I have fallen in love with the vibes of the Boston area and New England, my love for all my other homes have also increased tenfold. Being away from home allows you to have a macro perspective on the world as you leave the bubble of your home country, thus letting you also figure out where you see yourself beyond university. For many of my fellow internationals, being away from home allowed them to realize where they wanted to live in the future. Additionally, I found that my own perspective on the world drastically changed once I entered the classrooms of Tufts because I was now facing different perspectives that may not have had the experiences I had growing up in a different society. I found myself learning a lot from new and American-centric perspectives, while also providing a more nuanced perspective in discussions because I knew what it was like to live in countries that do things differently. A huge benefit to coming to a school like Tufts is that people want to have discussions to learn, rather than to simply disagree. While my classmates might fundamentally disagree with me on certain topics, at least they could see where I was coming from. Additionally, I learned from hearing different perspectives from other international students who were providing their own unique takes on certain topics and domestic students who also provided viewpoints that I would not have even considered if I had not been studying away from home. 

The beauty of being international is that “home” is a fluid concept. I have had the great fortune of living in four different countries that I still call home. Rather than creating a “home away from home,” you can simply create multiple homes that will always stick with you. Seven years ago, I chose to apply to Tufts despite never physically touring the campus (side note: you should if you can and we also have so many virtual offerings now) but felt it was the right place for me after learning about it through my college research. Now, I proudly call Medford and Somerville another home. If you are fortunate to have the opportunity, why not take the chance to do something different when you are young and still trying to figure it out? To me, Tufts is not just the place I graduated from. It is not even just the place I now work. To me, Tufts is currently where I call home!