7:30 AM. Thursday, April 25
I really don't know why I set my alarm when I knew that the adrenaline and anxiousness that had been circulating throughout my mind would be more than enough to make sure I woke up on time. After hours of packing (and re-packing after realizing that my wardrobe is in some serious need of a refresher before the Fall) and making sure everything was ready, I embarked on my weekend getaway to my soon-to-be-home.
To be honest, I originally didn't plan on going to Jumbo Days. The airline tickets were way out of my price range. Last Tuesday at around 3:30 AM, a commercial for Priceline came on. While I had already heard of Priceline, I assumed it was too good to be true. When I went on their site and gave a bid for a ticket to Boston for the weekend that was less than half the original price, I didn't expect to get it. To my luck, the airline accepted my offer; I was going to Boston (Medford) for the weekend! (The point of this paragraph: buy your tickets on Priceline if you wanna save some serious cash!!)
10:30 AM
I'm on the flight to Houston, Texas. From here, I'll be connecting to Boston.
6 PM
My flight to Boston went smoothly. I get off my plane and start making my way to the bus stop outside the airport. Today, I, a small-town kid whose familiarity with public transportation is basically nonexistent, am going to ride the T by myself!! A friend texts me the play-by-play, and 30 minutes later I'm in Davis Square!
8 AM Friday, April 26
After getting some dinner and meeting some fellow 2017ers last night, I attended a really awesome dance show called Spirit of Color. I fell asleep early and woke up so that I could so register for Jumbo Days in time. Dean Coffin's amazing introductury speech had everyone pumped up to experience the day, and it was a thrilling start to a great day.
10:30 AM
The Jumbo Days staff arranged to have classes available for us to sit in on to get the grasp of what the average class at Tufts felt like. The first class I sat in on was an archeology class, and the second one was a class on political thought. I loved how engaging and personal the classes felt; the small class sizes and casual yet informative style assured me that I was going to have an amazing educational experience these next four years.
12:30 PM
I ate lunch at a dining hall on campus. Having one of the top rated dining halls in the United States, I knew that I was going to be eating a great meal. The diverse array of available meals that were being served made me realize that I'm definitely not going to be going hungry at college.
2:30 PM
On Facebook, I had seen close to half a dozen posts telling people to go play Quidditch on the quad in front of the admissions office; it would be a pick-up game played alongside the current team members. Being the Harry Potter enthusiast that I am, I knew that I couldn't miss this. A friend of mine who is a current member of the team explained each position to me. I entered the game as a chaser and proceeded to run around the quad with a broom in between my legs trying to throw a volleyball between a hoop. It was the funnest sport I've ever played, by far.
3:00 PM
As the day was coming to a close, the admissions staff gave us some (amazing) cupcakes with lemonade and gave us time to socialize. After all this time, all of us finally got to meet some of those Facebook friends we added back when we got accepted to Tufts. Semi-recognizable faces led to awkward "Hey, are you XXX?" which in turn led to great conversations with people who we had already talked to back-and-forth from behind a computer.
This weekend was honestly one of the best ones I've ever had--but, then again, I've said that every time that I've given Tufts a visit. The people, classes, and environment were reassurance that I had chosen the perfect university. For anyone that wasn't able to attend Jumbo Days, I recommend checking out the Virtual Jumbo Days; the videos are very helpful and answer some important questions.
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By the end of today, most students have to make their final choice on what university they'll be attending. I can tell you a hundred different reasons why you should pick Tufts--seriously, if you want me to, send me an email--, but, at the end of the day, this is your decision. Don't pick the university that's known more at the average household or the one that's more likely to get you rich. Pick the university that feels like it was made just for you. Pick the university that you know you'll get a great education at while still having the freedom and encouragement to develop as a person at the same time. For about a thousand of us, that ideal university is Tufts. I cannot wait to get on the Hill and start my life in the beautiful city of Medford, and I hope to meet each and every one of you as well.