When You Can't Visit Campus: How to Get to Know a College Online
Hello from my bedroom office!
Like you, we are also getting used to change here in the Tufts Admissions office. I'm exhausting my home office supply of mugs, IM'ing coworkers like it's the early 2000s and using every kind of video calling platform you can imagine and trying to learn their features. At the end of the day, I'm finding myself refueling with Netflix and supporting my public library with the Libby app [so many good books available there!!]
So as someone who lives on the internet now, and couldn't visit many colleges back when I was searching in the early 00s, I'm ready to share some of my favorite Tufts resources for getting an idea of a college you can't visit. Don't worry, I'm going to include plenty of my favorite Tufts videos in this post!
Follow us on Instagram (@tuftsadmissions): It's a quick and easy way to learn about a college and keep up with events they have. We post tours, student Q&As, and even a mini ExCollege class on our IGTV channel.
Roam the campus online: Watch our information session and aerial view, join our virtual tour and get to see where you would walk to class, or how you might decorate a dorm room. You can even watch videos of campus life – from class tasters to club sports, this can be a lot of fun!
Explore your interest(s): Browse the list of current student organizations and look up groups you think you might like on Facebook or Instagram, read through the classes of a major or minor that pique your interest, check out Jumbo athletics, check out a TED talk by students or professors. Are there things that stand out about the college?
Listen to student voices: read the current and past editions of Jumbo (our admissions magazine), the student paper, the student magazine, and student blogs. Your fellow students are going to be a very important part of your life when you attend a college, so see what they’re interested in and how they talk about it – do you get a certain vibe or see trends? Students take a lot of time to show how they interact with campus and the local community through these media and you can learn about anything from what a Elysia's typical Thursday looked like last fall, to Bug Feast, career advising, Olivia's advice and reflections and the best Latin food in the area (thanks Daniela!)
"Meet" a student: there are students from all around the world and in the US who would be happy to answer your questions about Tufts. Check out the map and ask them about their experiences. You can also contact your admissions officer to ask if they can put you in touch with a student who is from your state or shares your interest in, say, Film and Media Studies.
You can even meet our tour guides and read a preview of their tours - such as their favorite tour stop and why they picked Tufts - here!
Whew! There are many ways to get to know us, and I hope these were helpful. As always, if you have any specific questions you have and you can't find them online, please feel free to reach out to our office.