Impromptu Interview
For this week’s blog, I decided to conduct an impromptu interview with my suitemates about their experiences during the semester so far; I hope it provides some insight into the fall 2020 highlights of life at Tufts. I won’t name each person who answered, but rather give you an overall idea of the ranges of different activities, classes, and extracurriculars that each person has enjoyed. I asked them the following three questions:
1) What is the highlight of your semester so far?
2) What is your favorite class?
3) What is one activity you enjoy outside of academics?
First, for highlights of the semester, two of my suitemates answered with a story of my suite’s recent adventure to a farm/pumpkin patch in celebration of our suitemate’s birthday this past Saturday. While we were there, we completed a one hour corn maze, which involved lots of twists, turns, and confusion, and even losing one of our suitemates for a few minutes in the process. Both people who mentioned this suite journey to the farm mentioned how it provided a change of scenery from school and change of pace from academics, as well as provided some fresh air (a nice change from being inside on Zoom so often). Another highlight of the semester for another of my suitemates was getting to attend a virtual talk by Van Jones, a famous news commentator and lawyer. My friend actually got to ask him a question about how to bridge/connect a divided world, and he replied by emphasizing the need to have actual interaction with others: something very timely in the era we live in. Lastly, I was told about a trip to Richardson’s Farm to see baby cows, eat ice cream, and play mini golf; this same person was also largely excited by petting donkeys while we visited the pumpkin patch and farm.
For favorite classes, answers ranged from a chemistry lab and physics class to theater and psychology. One friend talked about his lab for organic chemistry, which has an in-person component, so he gets to do hand-on experiments to better understand concepts learned in class. Another friend talked about her experience with the class “Physics for Humanists,” in which she both learns to solve actual physics problems and then gets to apply these concepts to the world around us; she said that she loves how the class “brings people and science together.” Next, I was told about a theater class called “Page to Stage,” in which students get to interview Broadway and theater professionals; though professionals don’t usually do interviews, they now have the time to connect on Zoom and pass along their tips and advice to college students who aspire to have theater careers in the future. Lastly, one suitemate brought up a class that is popular with many students at Tufts: social psychology. She loves how the professor (Prof. Sam Sommers) includes references to media, like the shows Seinfeld and The Office, to demonstrate certain concepts; she also thinks the class is very engaging and applicable to students.
Last but not least, we discussed activities outside of academics. Two suitemates talked about venturing into nature, especially the hiking trails called “The Fells” in Medford, and exploring new places by walking around in the lovely fall weather. One of them is also in a photography class, so she loves taking pictures of the New England scenery, as well as chatting with her friends as she captures photos of the beautiful foliage. One of my friends uses her spare time to make polymer clay earrings with cool designs, like ones for Halloween that include ghosts and pumpkins. My other friend touched upon something I, too, really enjoy doing to unwind: watching TV with our suitemates—namely, watching telenovelas and the Great British Baking Show.
That’s all for today, folks; I hope this impromptu interview has provided a bit of a glimpse into the life of Tufts students, especially the ways we’re all staying busy, and the activities we love to do!