Why SMFA at Tufts
Finding the best university for you is not easy.
When I was looking for a school, I had many things that I wanted my “perfect” university to have. It needed to be in a city filled with diversity, but it couldn’t be too big or too small. I wanted to have a large studio space for my personal art practice and be able to take a variety of courses so I could learn about different mediums. And most importantly, the community needed to be welcoming and friendly.
Even though there were a lot of places to choose from, SMFA at Tufts stood out. I first found out about the school through a National Portfolio Day event. I enjoyed speaking to the admissions counselor, Julia. She was so kind, helpful, and full of information—she actually cared about my personal ideas and the stories I wanted to develop through my art, not just the technical sides of my portfolio. When I learned that SMFA at Tufts partnered with QuestBridge, I started to research the school even more. I fell in love with the location quickly. Two famous art museums being in walking distance in a city is CRAZY! I was really excited at the possibility of getting my education from such an artistically developed area of Boston. SMFA at Tufts checked all of my boxes.
Now that I am here, I am having a great time. One of my favorite classes is an intermediate studio seminar with Eva Lundsager. It’s a yearlong course where you make a body of work which will be exhibited at a local gallery at the end of the year. I love this class because it gives me an opportunity to really dive into themes I truly wanted to explore with my paintings. I also get an individual studio space, which I always dreamed about! The class size is really small (limited to 10 people a year), so it provides an intimate artist community as well as amazing critique sessions.
On a great day, I work at the art store in the morning (I love working here since I can easily interact with customers and learn more about different art materials) and then I’ll have a quick lunch break with my friends at the café before my studio class. After my studio class, I will either go to a nearby restaurant to get some food and boba, or stay in my studio with some friends, eating dinner and doing some work. SMFA is special to me because it feels like home. I always worried that art school would be very competitive, but SMFA has a very warm and welcoming vibe. Everyone is so collaborative and friendly, from your classmates in your studio class to the dining hall staff. To me, SMFA at Tufts is an interesting and diverse community where you can explore multiple mediums with good people.