A bunch of us Jumbo Talk bloggers are answering the question “Why Tufts?” with a slight modification – why Tufts now? In other words, how have your original reasons for applying changed/evolved as a consequence of all of the new and awesome things you now know about Tufts?
You may be thinking “This kid’s not even at Tufts yet! How could his answer to ‘why Tufts?’ possibly have changed?” – and you’d be right to ask that. I am, after all, a high school senior in Hawaii as of this entry’s writing. Nevertheless, thanks to the amazingness of the Internet, I’ve been able to meet dozens of my 2020 classmates; I’ve even made contact with a few current Jumbos, because hey, why not?
To understand how mere social interaction could positively influence my view of a school significantly enough to compose an entire blog entry about it, you have to understand what I consider my one true “talent.” It’s in quotation marks because my “talent” is finding people with actual talent, putting them in a room together, and making them do things. Seriously! Everywhere I go, I always seem to run into brilliantly creative people who struggle to get their ideas and projects off the ground. This happens with uncanny frequency, as if by some divine providence – and as a result, I’ve been responsible for organizing a myriad of creative projects with the talents I’ve found in my friends and peers. It’s a very unusual talent, insofar as that it is simply to bring other talents to realization, but I enjoy it nonetheless.
So, to finally answer the question – “Why Tufts now?” The answer is the people. When I applied to Tufts, I knew that Jumbos were generally friendly (and quirky, in the best possible way), but I didn’t give it much thought beyond that. I was mainly influenced by the academic programs, the location, and the stories I’d heard from my father. Interacting with all of my new classmates, however, has significantly changed my answer; in no other environment have I encountered so many clever creators and passionate proposals – and this is all just online!
In my classmates I have found an excellent union of intellect and charisma – without academic rigor, their ideas wouldn’t be very interesting, nor would they have the mastery to pursue them. And without classic Jumbo friendliness, their ideas would never be shared, critiqued, and improved. It takes, therefore, the special “Jumbo ratio” to create such a perfect environment for the discourse of ideas and the beginnings of projects.
“Why Tufts now?” Because of the ratio. Also, if that doesn’t sway you, the food is literally legendary – as in, I’ve heard legends about how amazing it is from current Jumbos and alumni alike. Yes, this is my conclusion – because I have a really bad problem of repeating myself for emphasis and because everyone loves food.