Tufts Blogs

After my pre-orientation trip at Tufts, I can proudly say I’ve hiked part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) — and I did it with ten strangers! These strangers were transfer students in my pre-orientation group. Our program was part of TWO, Tufts’ Wilderness Orientation program. I arrived at Tufts a week before classes started in August, excited and nervous to start over at a new school. I moved into my dorm room, said goodbye to my mom, and headed over to meet my future transfer community.

I was nervous, of course, but my nerves quickly dissipated once another transfer student, Lila, came up to me with a welcoming smile. She asked where I was transferring from and we talked about our shared experience of coming from big state schools to Tufts. I felt comforted by the fact that someone else was going through the transition from a big school to a much smaller one. We would become close friends after spending five days backpacking along the AT — we had plenty of time to talk!

An additional layer to this story: I’ve never backpacked in my life. It was reassuring that one of our leaders was also a transfer student who knew the nerves that come along with starting your college experience all over again and who knew how to lead a backpacking trip. We were able to talk openly and honestly about our experiences at our previous schools — the good and the bad — and what we were hoping to find at Tufts. I learned about Tufts while also learning how to pitch a tent and hike all day wearing a heavy pack.

Something I’ve found in the transfer students I’ve met is they have a strong knowledge of themselves. Knowing that the school you're attending isn't fulfilling anymore is a brave and hard thing to do. We all left behind something safe and familiar in search of something else and we were all in that search together. Throughout our first semester at Tufts, the other transfer students and I saw each other frequently and offered support to one another. 

I’m thankful I chose to do a pre-orientation trip and love that Tufts chose to have an affinity space specifically for transfer students, because this helped me begin to build my transfer community at Tufts. I was able to come in with friends before classes even started, which helped build my confidence in making friends at Tufts — plus I have some backpacking experience now!

A majority of incoming Tufts students participate in pre-orientation programs and every student I’ve talked to so far is thankful they made the decision to do a “pre-o” program, as we call them. It’s really helpful to know some people as you enter a new school — people to eat with at the dining halls, study with, or just walk around campus with. I think it’s amazing that Tufts offers pre-o programs and I really recommend taking advantage of this opportunity if you’re an incoming student!