Who Are Tufts Students?
Who are Tufts students? I remember trying to figure this out on my own accepted students day at Tufts. I chose to go to a mock lecture on Russian history, and when I sat down, I quickly started talking to a girl who wore a band jacket. The two of us started talking about the instruments we play, and then, the two students in front of us turned around, excitedly saying that they were in band too! At that moment, I thought that maybe Tufts students were artsy.
Throughout my time here, I’ve definitely found that most of the people I hang out with are involved in the arts in some way. Just this past month, I’ve spent much of my time supporting my sorority sisters and tap dance friends at their various performances.
In March, I went to a performance of Spring Awakening to watch my friend Katelyn. Spring Awakening was the departmental show this semester, which means that students could get credit for their rehearsal time. Some of the actors are theater and performance studies majors, but others, like my friend Katelyn, were in it just for fun. On the tech side of things, one of our other sorority sisters, Tate, did the costume design for the show.
Many of my friends have been in various dance performances as well. Last week, I went to see Sarabande, our group dedicated to contemporary, jazz, and ballet styles of dance. Two of my fellow Tufts Tap members are in Sarabande, and it was great to see them perform. As is common in many dance shows, the event featured various guest groups too, including Tufts Tap. I wasn’t in the number we performed, and it was amazing to get to watch my own group from the audience.
This past Thursday, I attended Spirit of the Creative’s show (a group we abbreviate to SOC). SOC is dedicated to hip-hop style dance, and my sorority sister, Julie, performed in the show. They also had awesome guest groups, one of which is called Harlem Grooves. Harlem Grooves is an organization that is dedicated to Black American dance styles. My friend from tap, James, is in that group, and he danced in a modern dance piece in the SOC show.
Another really cool thing about Tufts is that we have a ton of comedy groups. My friend from tap, Emma G., is in Tufts Funny Ladies (TFL), a gender minority comedy group. I went with three friends from tap to watch her perform in a Ted Talks spoof. The show also included sketch comedy acts, and even a number with singing and dancing, “Mono Mia” (like Mamma Mia).
All Tufts students need to take classes in the arts. In order to fill that requirement, my little, Amelia, took Concert Choir. Her concert was on Sunday, and I went with several of our sorority sisters to watch her sing. Another really popular arts class is Gospel Choir, which often has about 300 students enrolled per semester!
So then, what word characterizes Tufts students? Is it “artsy?” Some students are, but then again, not all of my sorority sisters are artsy. My big, Hannah, is sporty. My little, Naomi, is techy. But I know that both will be at my tap performance next Sunday. After three years, I have finally landed on a word to describe Tufts students–supportive.
My Emma’s advice for you today is to think about the kind of person you are and the kind of people you want to meet in college. I’m an artsy person, and I’m glad I found a great dance community at Tufts. But I also really value my supportive community of friends–my Theta sisters who will be in the audience cheering for me, and my tap friends who will be high-fiving me backstage after each dance number.