My Weekend (Not) at Tufts
There’s a common notion that Friday is the day where people start to wind down for the weekend, and this is generally true. I should know – I don’t have any classes on Friday! However, this weekend is different. My schedule for these next three days isn’t like anyone else’s at Tufts University. My weekend is just getting started, and most of it won’t be spent at Tufts. How is that possible? With a bit of searching and discipline, the opportunities that being a Tufts student brings to the table extend far beyond the physical boundaries of the Medford/Somerville campus.
Friday 9/27
Today’s highlight is Boston College’s Pops in the Heights. Boston College Marching Band has a partner school program that allows students without marching bands in their school to participate in their Division I Marching Band. Roughly 20% of the band consists of these partner school marchers and while Tufts does have an amazing Pep Band (which I look forward to exploring in the future!), it was the performance aspect of marching band that hooked me in high school. Currently, I am BCMB’s only member from Tufts University, and reasonably so – It's an hour and a half commute (via T) one-way! However, instead of wasting that time staring into space (or my phone), I like to use that time to catch up on some studying. Today, I decide I want to brush up on some Introduction to Linguistics, so I rewrite some sloppy notes I had. Once I arrive, it’s showtime! I get dressed in the maroon and white uniform, shine my mellophone, and head on over to the makeshift stage inside the hockey rink. We perform our repertoire – Elvis! (our first show of the year), Olympic Fanfare, and Stars and Stripes Forever -- with the Boston Pops Orchestra in front of thousands of spectators. It’s a surreal experience and makes all the practice (and commute) time beyond worth it.
Saturday 9/28
Normally, I would head back to Chestnut Hill and get ready for one of Boston College’s many home football games. Today, however, is different. Instead of suiting up in maroon and white, I’m in Operational Camouflage Pattern (better known as OCPs), on a bus loaded with other cadets, as we head to Fort Devens. I am also a part of MIT’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, or simply AFROTC. Whether it’s the grit needed to wake up at 6 AM for Physical Training, or the mental fortitude needed to complete Group Leadership Projects, AFROTC challenges cadets across four schools (MIT, Harvard, Wellesley, and Tufts) to be the best version of themselves they can be. Today, we’re off to do more intense GLP’s, as well as to learn some more about procedures we may require to do as Airmen, such as the basic 9-line UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) Report. This day of hard work is topped off with an obstacle course, which acts as both a morale run and a confidence booster.
Sunday 9/29
Today, I wake up at 8 AM, head over to Carmichael (one of our dining halls) for their world-famous pancakes, then catch the T to – you guessed it – Boston College. While I do not normally spend so much time there, this weekend (named “Family Weekend”) at BC is special. The Allston-Brighton Parade is today, and BCMB has been asked to march in it. Again, I suit up, load on the bus, and get to the starting point of the parade. We warm up as an ensemble, get Boo'd at by the Boston University mascot, and eventually line up to kick off the parade. Our repertoire for this event is our fight song, For Boston, and Shipping Up to Boston. We play this as if we march down Brighton Avenue, lighting up the days of all who stop and listen to us. It’s a great community event, and I’m proud of what I do.
At the end of every day, I always return to the E terminal of the green line: Medford/Tufts. Before a marcher and a cadet, I am a student. The reason I can do everything I do is because I plan. I like to write due dates and finish assignments ahead of time in order to have weekends free. While most of my weekends are spent at Tufts, studying and going out with friends, it’s these busy weekends that test my ability to bend without breaking. While I am grateful that these experiences happened, I also cannot wait for next weekend, when I am completely free for the first time since I arrived at Tufts! If a busy lifestyle is up your alley, I strongly encourage you to consider opportunities offered outside of Tufts. They do exist, and taking advantage of these opportunities can be a great way to meet new people, gain new experiences, and find a new version of yourself in college.