Tufts Blogs

I first heard about Tufts when they visited my old high school back home in Zimbabwe for an information session. Unfortunately, I had a very important exam the next day so I begged my dad to go in my place. Visits from admissions officers were rare, and I tried to make the most of every opportunity to learn about colleges, even if this time I couldn’t be there myself.

My dad wasn’t exactly thrilled about spending his evening after work at a university presentation, so he left home with a fair amount of reluctance. But when he came back, his enthusiasm caught me completely off guard. He was genuinely eager to tell me everything he had learned. This complete shift in his mood was a pretty good indication for me that the university was worth looking into. So naturally, I did what any prospective student does: I opened the website and fell down a rabbit hole.

I was deep into researching classes, clubs, traditions, and before I knew it, I was writing my Why Tufts essay. So here it goes my Why Tufts: Then vs Now.

Then 

One thing that really stuck with me during my research was a short video on the School of Engineering website titled (Making) My Tufts Story by Emai Lai . I loved the idea of making an experience that was unique to me through the plethora of opportunities that Tufts presented. At the time, I knew I wanted to study engineering, but what excited me most was that Tufts didn't expect me to fit into one neat little box. I could take classes across different schools, explore interests outside engineering, get involved with student organizations, and spend time in the DSDI centers. With this opportunity to explore my passions, it was so clear to me that there was no single way of being a Tufts student and that this would be a place I could make my 4 years worthwhile. 

Now 

Fast forward a year and I can honestly say Tufts has lived up to that expectation. Some of my favorite experiences have been opportunities I never could have planned for when I was writing that essay. It’s that spontaneity that has made every day worth getting up for, knowing there’s always something new awaiting me. Those unexpected opportunities have taken so many different forms. Earlier this year, I had the chance to attend the Yale Black Solidarity Conference with the Africana Center. It was an incredible experience to meet people from different schools and also just broaden my perspective. 

Just as meaningful have been the people I've met along the way. Some of my closest friends are people I never would have expected to cross paths with, coming from different backgrounds and different walks of life. Community seems to form in the most unexpected places here: sharing a table with someone in the dining hall, chatting with the person sitting next to you before class starts, or running into a familiar face on campus on your walk to class. It's those everyday interactions, more than anything else, that have really made Tufts feel like home.