Tufts Blogs

As I searched for colleges during my junior and senior years of high school, I remember admissions officers, tour guides, and student reps alike talking about classic school traditions, favorite hangout spots, daily schedules, and so on. When I got to Tufts, I thought I knew everything there was to know, but even in my sophomore and junior years here, I’ve found myself discovering fun tips and tricks and super cool locations I’d never heard of! To save you the time it took me to discover them, here are some of the perks and places I love at Tufts.

Hamilton Pool

Home to the Tufts Swim Teams, Hamilton Pool is a six-lane, 25-yard indoor pool at the Sports and Fitness Center open to all Tufts students. In addition to the twice-weekly 12-person swim classes offered for credit every semester, Hamilton Pool is open to all Tufts students one to three times daily for lifeguard-monitored free swim. I love going on Sunday afternoons with my friends when it’s typically empty, and we have a blast swimming lazy laps, floating around and chatting, and playing all the pool games we loved playing when we were younger. Hamilton Pool is my little hidden gem at Tufts and it’s always the perfect way to rewind and reset at the beginning or end of a long week.

The ALL9FREE Platform and Gluten-Free and Peanut/Tree Nut-Free Pantry

All students know that Carmichael is gluten-free and peanut/tree nut-free dining hall, but many have been missing out on all of the allergen accommodations at Dewick, where I eat most of my meals. In addition to a special pantry filled with breakfast items, snacks, treats, and frozen meals that are completely gluten-free and peanut/tree nut-free, Dewick also has the ALL9FREE Platform, a hot bar serving complete, well-balanced meals free of the top nine allergens: gluten, milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, shellfish, and soy. All foods are prepared in a separate kitchen and served by staff on clean dishes to prevent cross-contamination. For breakfast, there is a variety of main course and side dish options, and for lunch and dinner, they always include a base, a meat dish, a protein-filled vegan dish, and a couple veggie options. I’m not kidding when I tell you it’s the best, most flavorful food in all of Dewick: the dishes originate from countries all over the world and are seasoned to perfection. My personal favorites are the orange beef stir fry, the barbecue chicken, pretty much any version of lentil stew, and of course the chocolate chip pancakes. 

The Crafts Center

Located on the bottom floor of Lewis Hall, the Tufts Crafts Center is open to all students and has an incredibly broad array of supplies and tools! Want to make a cool poster for class? Paint something for your friend’s birthday? Design your dream Halloween costume with wire, papier-maché, gems, glitter, and spray paint (true story)? Sculpt something beautiful on the pottery wheel? The Crafts Center has your back, and they’re always staffed with volunteers who can brainstorm with you, teach you to use art tools, and help you turn your imaginings into reality!

Free Equipment Rentals

When people think of checking out items from the library, typically they think of books—but what if I told you students can also check out tons of different technology and equipment like record players, cameras, audio recording kits, speakers, projectors, microphones, lighting kits, DVD players, calculators, headphones, and more? Between Tisch Library, the Music Library in Granoff Music Center, and the SMFA Library, you have everything you could need at your fingertips—and all for free. My friends and I have checked out cameras to take fall foliage pictures, film kits to make silly videos, microphones and audio recorders for class projects and interviews, and DVD players to watch movies you can’t find on streaming! Whether it’s for a class, a hobby, or just a fun activity, the Tufts libraries have you covered.

Study Rooms and Virtual Appointment Rooms

While on the topic of libraries, Tisch Library also has lots of study rooms and a virtual appointment room that can be booked at any time. The study rooms are on the first, second, and third floors and range from 3-person to 16-person in size. I have booked many rooms for virtual classes, study sessions with friends or classmates, or just to focus and get work done by myself. There is also a virtual appointment room on the third floor that students can book if they need a private space for telehealth appointments. The room comes with a “Do Not Disturb” door hanger so others know the room is occupied and two white noise machines to ensure your conversation doesn’t leave the room. All rooms can be booked online up to a year in advance for three hours at a time. 

Grab-and-Go Treats at the Campus Center

What better way to start your day than with bagels, açai bowls, and pastries? The Tufts University Social Collective (TUSC), who basically plans and funds most of the all-school events at Tufts, hosts frequent food events in the Campus Center lasting two or three hours from late morning to early afternoon. Students are welcome to grab what they like as they go about their day. Recent events include the Donut Bar, Bagels n’ Brews, Beading + Boba, the Açai Bar, and even Pi(e) Day!