Tufts Blogs

Some of my most vivid memories from college tours involve the random college students walking around in the background. I would listen to the tour guide’s cheerful narrative, but I was desperate for a truly accurate view into what college life is like. Unfortunately, staring at strangers and trying to piece together clues to create a story was about as close as I could get. I still remember scanning the campus and asking myself the important questions: she’s going really fast- is she late for class? Or sometimes: that food looks really good; which dining hall is it from? And, unfortunately, once: there is an enormous stain on that guy’s crotch, does he know? These are the types of critical questions I needed answered. If this has ever been you, look no further. Get ready for a painfully in-depth view of my last Monday.

8:00 AM: My roommates' default apple alarm goes off, waking us both up with the grace of an air-raid drill. I lie under my covers as he rolls out onto the floor, grabs his towel, and heads to the shower. He has to get ready for his 9:00 class, while my first class is at 10:30. After some wake-up Tiktok time, I head for the showers as well. 

9:00 AM: By 9, I am mostly ready for the day. My shower is complete, I’m dressed, and I had a leftover bagel for breakfast. I plan to leave at 10:15 to make it to my first class: Materials and Manufacturing 1, the standard Mechanical Engineering second year requirement. It’s at the SEC, about a 5 minute walk away, so I should have plenty of time. Before then, I start making some progress on my Mechanics homework due Thursday

11:45 AM: After Materials and Manufacturing, my friend (also a Mechanical Engineer in that class) and I head to the roof of Tisch Library where one of the social groups on campus organized a free Acai bowl buffet. Unfortunately, everybody loves buffets so the line stretches way into the quad, and we don’t have the patience to wait. Defeated, we meet up with some of our other friends and head inside Tisch for some midday productivity.

1:30 PM: After cranking out some homework in Tisch and grabbing a burrito bowl at Hodgdon, I go back to my room to attend my virtual Discrete Math class. I’ve really enjoyed the class so far even though it’s remote, the math is more open-ended than the calculus and differential equations courses I’ve had over the past three years. This class meets one of my Computer Science major requirements, and it is a welcome break from the Mechanical Engineering grind. 

4:15 PM: After the 50 minute Discrete math class and a solid 2 hour Netflix break, I head over to my last class of the day, Data Structures at the SEC. Data Structures is the first big lecture hall type class that I’ve ever had; last year all of the standard huge introductory classes were virtual so this is a very new experience. 

8:00 PM: Class ended at 5:45 and I raced from the SEC to Dewick dining hall to meet up with my friends before the colossal 6:00 dinner rush. Luckily, we made it just in time and hit the buffet hard. After dinner, a group of friends on my floor assembled to solve the daily New York Times crossword puzzle and continue our two-week-long streak. After that, I went back to my room for some miscellaneous work: two Archaeology readings, 3D modeling a LEGO brick for Materials and Manufacturing, and a little editing of my sister's Common App essay. 

11:00 PM: After one final work session with my friends - this time a late night one at Tisch library - I’m back for the day. After some healthy cool down Tik Tok, I launch into my bedtime routine and am in bed by midnight.