Tufts Blogs

This time last year, I was sitting in the passenger seat of a sweltering hot U-Haul, helping my brother pack up his dorm room at a university across the country. I was anxiously refreshing the Tufts transfer admissions portal, waiting for that ever-elusive status update. 

I was admitted. I started screaming out of the window for my mom to come join me. She already knew I was crying happy tears. There was confetti flashing across my screen and I was already pulling up the deposit page to confirm my spot. 

At the time, I figured that an earlier enrollment might mean being higher on the list for on-campus housing. I might have been right about that - I was placed in Lewis Hall, alongside fellow Tufts sophomores.

Now, as I pack up my dorm room, I keep getting distracted by the wonderful momentos I picked up from my first year at Tufts. My candle from the illumination ceremony by the Goddard Chapel. My receipt from Hodge - inscribed with a Turkish “afiyet olsun!” (similar to bon appetit!) by one of the student dining staff members who assembled my pita plate. A massive origami Jumbo head that I picked up from another student who was moving out. The box of freezer pops from the barbecue my friends hosted for Marathon Monday. The bracelet my dearly beloved friend (and fellow transfer student!) made during our shift together at the Crafts Center. The flowers someone had gotten me from Michaels in Porter Square because they couldn’t find my favorite type at the grocery store. 

I have felt so much love and joy in my first year at Tufts. The community has welcomed me with wide-open arms. My professors have sat with me through tear-stained office hours and helped me figure out a plan to push through the toughest parts of the Boston winters. My friends have brought me snacks and embraced me into a puddle of hugs when the world gets scary. My fellow club leaders have helped take things off my plate and celebrated me for the work I eventually accomplished. 

A year ago, I felt the magic of being admitted to Tufts and imagining a new beginning. Today, I feel the pride of checking off the things I said I was going to do in my admissions essay (no, seriously, I talked about writing an advice column in the Tufts Daily and I made that a reality this semester. It all started with my questions getting featured in a former transfer student, Natalie Bricker’s Dear Natalie, on JumboTalk. She mentioned that she was involved in the Daily during our back-and-forth and I fell in love with the group once I got to campus.) 

I can’t wait to get back in the fall and unpack all my Tufts and SMFA merch. Ever since getting here, I haven’t looked back once. I’m looking forward to meeting you in the fall!