Tufts Blogs

Dear Natalie: How do I demonstrate interest to Tufts?

Welcome back to the “Dear Natalie” segment of my blog, where I answer your questions! To write in your questions about anything transfer student or Tufts-related, send an email to: natalie.bricker@tufts.edu. For this blog, I’ll be addressing some nerves around applying and thoughts about the Tufts students' personalities, as well as talking about a question that several people have asked: How do I demonstrate/emphasize my interest in Tufts after I’ve submitted my application? Here’s the email that asked these questions:

Dear Natalie,

First of all, can I just say how much I love your Jumbo Talk blog posts — they’ve been super insightful, and I couldn't agree more with your positive sentiments about Tufts.

My thoughts on Tufts: I've found myself really connecting with people there, I absolutely love all the unique interests and perspectives and the curiosity. I love the Boston environment (I couldn't agree more about your perspective on the Boston winter, it's really not that bad!?) and the tranquility of Medford paired with the easy access to downtown with the T and all the Blue Bike stations.

Over the course of the year, I've talked to my friends and family about all the benefits and drawbacks of transferring, and in March, I submitted my transfer application.

Ok so with that being said, I would LOVE to get in and I've called the Tufts admissions people numerous times with different questions about the process and all the logistics; I've also done a guided tour. My question is: What can I do to demonstrate more interest? Are there people that I can email or talk to? If there's anything I can do to demonstrate more interest, I would love to do it! This whole waiting process is stressful!

Thank you so much for your time!

All the best,
Prospective transfer student

Dear prospective transfer student,

Thank you for reaching out! I'm so happy you’ve found my blogs helpful — the whole reason I started writing them was to share what I wanted to know as an incoming transfer student, so it’s always amazing to hear that I’m potentially helping some new transfer students. We have to stick together! :)

Okay, now regarding your email: I totally agree with every part of your reasons for loving Tufts and it makes me happy to hear someone share my enthusiasm for the community, people, and surrounding Boston area here! This one line you said really resonated with my experience of the students at Tufts: “I absolutely love all the unique interests and perspectives and the curiosity.” This is maybe the best way to describe a Tufts student I’ve ever heard! Everyone truly is curious here and excited to explore new parts of themselves, college life, classes, interests, etc. It sounds like you’re a curious person, too, so I think you’d absolutely fit in great here!

Next… CONGRATULATIONS on submitting your transfer application! Regardless of any decisions you’ll receive, applying is still such a big deal and I hope you’re applauding yourself for all the hard work that goes into applying to college (let alone twice…).

For demonstrated interest, it sounds like you’ve already done many of the things I would recommend, including going on a guided tour. The only other thing I can think of would be emailing the transfer admissions team and emphasizing your excitement about Tufts — everyone in Admissions always loves hearing that. :) I can’t guarantee this will impact your decision but it’s worth a shot and definitely won’t hurt! Overall, my best advice might be a little annoying because it’s truly: Trust yourself and your application. You’ve already done the hard work to show your interest and it will truly come across in your essays.

Your thoughts on the waiting process being stressful really resonates. I get it — believe me, I get it — the college decision process really tests your patience. You should hopefully be hearing back from Tufts and any other schools you’ve applied to transfer to soon (I wish I could tell you exact dates but I sadly don’t have that info). Keep trying to breathe, focus on the fun things going on in your life right now, and trust that you can handle whatever the decisions may be.

Thank you again so much for writing in! I look forward to answering more emails soon,
Natalie :)