Tufts Blogs

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Tufts’ interdisciplinary focus was the main factor that drew me to this university (although the beautiful campus and views of Boston came in at a close second!). Throughout high school, I was involved in a range of activities and enjoyed exploring different academic subjects, so I was reluctant at the thought of giving many of them up for one major in college. From my very first campus tour of Tufts, I saw that students here are not willing to compromise any of their academic and extracurricular passions, and that unwavering dedication is what makes this campus so vibrant.

I have met a computer science major with a music minor; a biology and International Relations double major; and a pre-med student who is pursuing art history on the side. These combinations speak to the academic freedom that Tufts encourages and I love. It is this boundless mindset that made me never once doubt adding a German minor to my biology and Spanish majors. I chose biology and Spanish simply because they are the two subjects I most enjoyed in high school, but it was the encouragement of the Tufts German department that convinced me to convert my self-taught German into a more serious academic endeavor in the form of a minor.

I pursue each major and minor because of my love for the topics individually, but a common vein runs through them: all three have enabled me to access new communities and traverse worlds, both on campus and beyond. I bounce between the Spanish and German Language House events; I am (more or less) able to follow the Spanish commentary on German soccer games only shown on Spanish channels; most recently, I’ve been listening to the Frozen 2 soundtrack in all three languages. My biology major is often separate from the languages I study, but every now and then, something will pop up that connects them like a tiny Easter egg, giving me a tiny thrill over unlocking another portion, no matter how small, of the course content. My professors have always encouraged everyone in the class to share connections to what they’ve learned in other courses, and I delight in hearing what they have to say.

After Tufts, I hope to infuse my career with the knowledge I’ve gained from my studies. But even if the content doesn’t match, the interdisciplinary mindset Tufts has fostered within me and the perspectives I have gained will be of use in any endeavor. At Tufts, you will find the beautiful concert of many—many people, many interests, many goals—coming together to form our eclectic, harmonious community.