Tufts Blogs

With finals upon us, I thought it quite time to reflect on my first year at Tufts. The ups, the downs, and just about everything in between. 

Starting off the year was a blur of activity. From pre-orientation to starting school to joining a sports team, everything happened quickly and all at once. The beginning of the school year can be quite daunting. Not only because first years will be starting life off in a whole new location with new people, but there is the opportunity to dictate what you will do with that year. Do you want to join new sports? Become more involved with clubs or organizations? Regardless of your year, the beginning of the semester provides the perfect opportunity to explore something new or dive deeper into an old passion.

After the initial shock of college began to slow down, I realized how much time management went into being a student-athlete and an engineer. From the 5:30 am workouts to the long nights spent finishing problem sets, there were many a night where not enough sleep was found. But once again, I made it through. Although rigorous, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Participating in a sport I love with a group of strong, intelligent women, makes the early morning wakeups worth it. And then came finals…and they…happened. Yes, let’s put it that way.

Going home for break hit just at the right time because I had never been so far from home for so long. I missed my west-coast city with dogs and family, but soon realized that Tufts had also become my home. The beginning of break felt perfect, yet eventually I realized that the bonds I had made during my first semester at school were ones I craved just as readily as many from Seattle.

Looking back at the second semester, I truly do not know where the time has gone. Spring season has raced by (excuse the pun), and my carefully chosen classes are coming to an end. Although I would have thought that fall semester would have gone by quicker with the entrenchment in so many new things, I believe this semester has felt far shorter. Perhaps it is because I enjoyed my classes more or maybe even that I found an even tighter-knit group of friends that I continuously fall back on. Or maybe, it’s because Tufts no longer just feels like a second home, but instead a first one, sitting alongside my abode over on the other coast.

I’ve reflected many a time on my happiness with my choice to attend Tufts and reflecting on the first year really hits that home. I have found a new home, and while it may be a home that I’m already a quarter of the way through living in, I know it will be one I cherish for far longer.