Tufts Blogs

Once I got to college, I felt immense pressure to “figure out my life.” In my head, the best way to do that was to find an internship, and at first, I didn’t really know where to start. What I needed was a starting line, and I got that, quite literally, here at Tufts.

For the last few years, I have considered going into admissions after college. Something that admissions counselors have told me is that some counselors switch to the consulting side of admissions after they work in the college setting for a few years. I always thought it would be interesting to experience the consulting side of admissions too, so I was thrilled on the first day of my entrepreneurship class last semester, when my professor, Professor Weber, mentioned that she recently co-founded an admissions consulting business called A Starting Line.

After class, I stayed to talk with Professor Weber about A Starting Line, which offers strategic college planning, academic tutoring, and enrichment workshops. A Starting Line is unique in that they focus on finding the best fit school for each student, not necessarily the best school into which they can gain admission. While it may seem like there is little difference, in reality, the difference is vast. A student’s ability to get into the most prestigious school does not dictate whether they will thrive and feel comfortable at that school. A Starting Line’s mission to help everybody find their best fit school resonated with me because I think with Jumbo Talk, we try to do the same thing. While we love Tufts, we want to show you what Tufts is like so that you can decide if it is for you or not.

Right away, I knew I wanted to intern for A Starting Line, so I asked my professor, and she said “yes!” Recently, I started my internship, and so far, I have gotten the opportunity to sit in on meetings and curate a student’s college list, taking into account the student’s and parent’s preferences for distance, size, diversity, location, etc. I have also read over application supplements and lent my advice for edits.

On the marketing side of the business, I have composed blurbs and Facebook ad campaigns to promote A Starting Line’s work. Currently, we are working on planning a free webinar event set for February 25 to help parents of high school students strategize and begin their college admissions journeys. 

I feel fortunate to get the opportunity to learn from one of my professors and gain experience which will help me “figure out my life.” My experiences at A Starting Line are giving me the opportunity to build crucial skills, while also allowing me to decide if I like college planning, marketing, event planning, etc. My Emma’s advice for today is to pursue your interests and jump on any opportunities you see. If a professor mentions something in which you are interested, whether it be a business, research, or travel opportunity, ask if you can be involved. Here at Tufts, it is likely that they will say “yes,” and give you a starting line into your future.