Tufts Blogs

As a rising sophomore or junior entering Tufts for the first time, you may have some nerves around adjusting academically and socially, but also around career planning. Not only are you acclimating to a new campus with new students and professors, but you simultaneously must consider post-graduate plans as you no longer have four years of college ahead of you. This is exactly how I felt during my first year at Tufts. I was exhilarated to be on such a warm and tight-knit campus, but at the same time I felt the stress of ‘figuring it out’ before graduation. The turbulence I felt from an uncertain future was mediated by Tufts’s academic and career resources: the Student Accessibility and Academic Resources Center (StAAR Center) and the Career Center. 

I was first introduced to these resources during the mandatory transfer student seminar. During your first semester as a transfer student at Tufts, regardless of what class year you are, it is required to enroll in this comprehensive seminar designed to familiarize new students with academic, social, and professional life at Tufts. Through the seminar, I learned that the StAAR Center provides academic support to students through peer tutoring, academic success coaching, and writing support. After one or two transfer seminar lectures, I quickly realized that asking for help was not a sign that I was struggling to keep up; rather, it was one of the best ways to make sure I wouldn’t fall behind. 

During my second semester at Tufts, I found myself using the tutoring services weekly. As a newly declared biology major, I took a general chemistry lecture. At the beginning of the semester, I immediately booked weekly appointments with a tutor to ensure I wouldn’t fall behind. At Tufts, students can attend as many or as little tutoring sessions as they would like at no extra cost. Throughout my tutoring sessions, I not only enhanced my skills in chemistry, but I also became friendly with my tutor, opening a network of other students I soon began to call my friends. Having resources like the StAAR Center made the academic side of my transition feel much less overwhelming, and it even introduced me to new people!

The Career Center became another resource that helped me find my footing at Tufts. As a transfer student, I was not only figuring out how to navigate a new environment, but my post-graduate plans also loomed over me. At the beginning of my junior year, I set up an appointment with a staff member from the Career Center. At Tufts, the Career Center offers many different career advisors to choose from; whether you are interested in pursuing medicine, entrepreneurship, or law after graduation, there is a staff member trained to advise you. As a biopsychology student interested in research and healthcare, I set up an appointment with an advisor trained in healthcare and life sciences. After a brief introduction, my advisor recommended specific professionals at local hospitals with lab availability and professors at Tufts with mental health research opportunities. Having a personal conversation with a professional trained to help students with my interests provided lots of comfort for me as I began thinking about my post-graduate plans. 

Aside from one-on-one advising, the Career Center also offers resume review, cover letter revisions, and access to Handshake. As I applied for summer internships, I set up an appointment with the Career Center to have my cover letter reviewed. After a brief meeting with a Career Center member, I made revisions to my cover letter that I had not previously considered. Additionally, you may be wondering how I discovered the internships that I applied to; the answer to that is a website known as "Handshake." Tufts students use Handshake to connect with Tufts Alumni that work in fields the student may be interested in. Not only can you speak with alumni about their journeys, but you can also search for internship openings at any location, whether that is Boston, London, New York, or any major city. My favorite filter ensures students only access internship applications from companies that leave positions available for Tufts students. That being said, Tufts provides plentiful resources for students interested in building their network and planning for prospective careers and internships. 

On my tours, I always say that you do not need to wait until you are struggling to use these resources. The StAAR Center is available even if you are simply keeping yourself in check, so you don’t fall behind, and the Career Center is not only for seniors who are frantically applying to jobs months before graduation. These are resources that can help you at any point in your Tufts experience; they certainly helped me throughout my time here. 

Transferring to a new university often is accompanied with a bit of uneasiness about many different things, but it does not entail navigating your new lifestyle on your own. I am incredibly grateful for how easy Tufts made this academic transition for me. From one-on-one tutoring–at no extra cost–to academic advising and career advising, I doubt my transition would have been as smooth without Tufts’s invariable ability at providing a strong backbone for students to fall on.