Tufts Blogs

Prior to college, I never thought of myself as a “writer.” I was not the student who loved drafting essays late into the night or one who agonized over word choice for fun. I enjoyed creative writing, writing stories or other forms of fiction, but that was it. Writing, to me, was something you did for a class, not something you did simply because you loved it. And yet, some of the most formative experiences I have had at Tufts came from writing for student publications outside of class time. 

That is precisely why I now encourage students like me not to think of student publications as spaces reserved for prodigies or future novelists– I certainly am not either of those things. At Tufts, writing for publications such as the Tufts Undergraduate Law Review and Hemispheres: The Tufts Undergraduate Journal of International Relations has been less about being a “natural writer” and far more about learning how to think, research, and engage seriously with topics you care about. As someone who has been quite actively participating in these two clubs for years now, what surprised me the most was how much my research skills developed. 

Writing for publications develops a level of rigor that goes beyond the classroom. I learned how to locate credible sources, synthesize complex arguments, and defend my claims under editorial scrutiny. These are skills that translate seamlessly to law, public policy, academia, journalism, and beyond, which have been especially helpful for me as an aspiring lawyer. There is also something uniquely empowering about seeing your work taken seriously, published in fine print for your peers to read. Submitting to a journal means entering a world of collaborative intellectual processes. Editors challenge your assumptions, ask hard questions, and push you to produce your best work. This process has been deeply validating for me: my ideas matter enough to be debated, refined, and improved.

Beyond building skills, student publications are an underestimated networking resource. Through Hemispheres and the Law Review, I have met students and faculty with vastly different academic backgrounds, career goals, and perspectives, people who have shaped my experience at Tufts and the trajectory of my future. And yes, there is the practical side. Publications stand out on a résumé. To employers, they signal intellectual curiosity, discipline, and the culmination of skills discussed above. Importantly, they give you something concrete to talk about in interviews.

Perhaps the most important lesson these clubs taught me is that you do not need to arrive at Tufts fully formed. In fact, it is in your best interest if you don’t. You are not expected to be an expert writer, researcher, or scholar because student publications exist precisely to help you on your journey to becoming one. You may not start out a confident writer, but through your exploration of various publications, you will become far more confident in your ability to think critically and put your thoughts on paper in a professional manner. And maybe writing for a student publication will help you discover, as I did, that you are actually beginning to enjoy writing essays into the night.