Tufts Blogs

One of my favorite parts of the start of a new semester is the corresponding start of new classes. Way before the semester even begins, we have to enroll in classes, either picking by necessity and fulfilling major or foundation requirements, or picking by what sounds exciting. The latter is, of course, my favorite part. I’ve been very lucky to already have fulfilled a decent portion of my required classes, so this semester, I truly focused on signing up for classes that intrigued me during the last course registration. To pass on some of my excitement about these classes to you, I’ll tell you a little about each of them. I’m hoping that they reflect the wide variety of classes offered at Tufts, and show you just a glimpse of how engaging Tufts classes are. 

1) Creative Writing: Fiction → I am so excited about taking a creative writing class because I’ve spent the past 3 semesters of college only writing academic research and analytic papers, so it’s definitely time for a change. I also think that all students can benefit from exploring the depths of their creativity, and what better way for me to do that than challenging myself to write fiction? In all honesty, I do think I may struggle with my first few stories because I haven’t written any creative pieces in a long time. But that’s also what excites me… I get to learn as I go and build on skills throughout the semester.

2) Chaucer → Sticking with the English route, I decided to take a class on the works of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. I was intrigued by the stories told in his Canterbury Tales, but I’d never actually read all of the stories or been able to analyze their contents and significance. I am so excited to be able to do that this semester! Also, I want to highlight how specific the focus of this class is… Very different from a high school English class that covers a wide breadth of literature and poetry, in college you get to deliberately take the classes that interest you. Tufts is especially good about providing the flexibility and room in your schedule to do so.

3) Clinical Methods → This Psychology class focuses on methods that clinicians use to assess their patients, provide diagnoses, and formulate plans for treatment. As I am planning to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and ultimately become a practicing clinician, this class is perfect for me. I am so grateful that Tufts has options like this class because I get early exposure to diagnostic tools and clinical practices, which will be incredibly helpful later in my career.

4) Human-Animal Interaction → I found this class while scrolling through the open courses that I could enroll in (there are hundreds, by the way). I immediately thought it sounded like the cutest class ever because I have loved animals for as long as I can remember. Also, my cat Minnie is the absolute coolest and cutest, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about the interactions between humans and animals; these interactions have been fundamental in my life, and the lives of so many people. I can’t wait to learn more about how these relationships are studied from a scientific point of view!

5) Javanese Gamelan → Lastly, I am taking a music class called Javanese Gamelan, which teaches students the traditional ensemble music from Java. We learn how to play different instruments in the ensemble, and get to learn more about the culture where the music originated. I actually took this class before, during my fall semester of freshman year, and I had so much fun that I simply had to enroll again. As you can probably guess, this class is very, very different from most of my others, which makes it ten times more entertaining and fun. It is one of my favorite class discoveries since coming to Tufts, and I might just have to enroll another semester again. (Also, this blog’s cover photo is actually taken in the Gamelan classroom.)

Clearly, I’m really excited to learn about all of these various topics during the Spring 2021 semester. I am particularly happy that there is such a wide variety in the types of classes I’m enrolled in, and that I had those options of enrollment in the first place. I think Tufts is so great about offering classes that appeal to everyone, and I can’t speak highly enough of the classes that I’ve already had the pleasure of exploring.