Many of the columns on “Jumbo Talk” feature some page-popping element or experience, ranging from tales of time spent studying abroad in Thailand to epic adventures in Boston. I will preface this blog by saying that I’ll be discussing something that pales in its glamour when compared to those exploits. Nonetheless, I feel that this experience will be one that defines my time at Tufts. When I recall my days as a Jumbo in a few years, I will think of the chilly nights spent wandering Boston with my friends after dinner, the Sunday mornings I woke up early to play club baseball games, and, despite its seeming innocuousness, the Thursdays I schlepped around campus to deliver The Tufts Daily. 

As I’ve covered in previous columns, I’ve been a member of the Daily since the fall of my freshman year. I’ve covered Tufts athletics bi-weekly for the Sports section, written a dining column for the Features section, and served as a Features Assistant Editor, a Features Editor, the Deputy Executive…

Monday:

This is my least busy day of the week. I wake up at around 8 a.m. and prepare to head to my 9 a.m. Microeconomics class. If I have some time, I grab breakfast before class, but if not, I just walk to class by 8:50 a.m., since the class is in JCC and I live in Haskell Hall. It is a rather fast walk. After the class, I have a Residential Life Advisor (RLA) shift from 11 a.m. to noon, so I try grabbing breakfast with a friend before I start the shift.

After the shift, I am free for the rest of the day, so I head back to my room and do some assignments, after which I take a nap for about an hour. I then head to Hodge to grab a bowl for dinner, watch my “Suits” show on Netflix, and then to work out at the Tisch Fitness Center from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. I come back, shower, jump on a call with my family and my significant other, and then head to bed.

Tuesday:

I wake up at 8 a.m., and since I have three back-to-back classes on this day, I prepare all the materials I need and pack them…

Hi readers! People enter the School of Engineering with all kinds of experience. Some students arrive with backgrounds in robotics, coding, and fabrication, while others come in with no experience at all but are eager to learn. If you’re like me, someone who had zero robotics experience but wanted to dive in, I have a crazy story for you.

The time had finally come for me to take my first electronics and controls class, typically your third year of your mechanical engineering journey. I had never even heard of resistors, breadboards, or circuits before. Looking back, though, it has been my favorite class so far. The course was extremely beginner-friendly, and my professor did an amazing job making the content digestible and hands-on.

On the first day of class, we were given these adorable orange boxes filled with all the electronic hardware we would need. We were required to bring it to every class so we could practice building different types of circuits. The course was entirely project-based…

As someone from a suburban, car-centric town I was both excited and overwhelmed by Boston’s subway system, which is lovingly referred to as the T. The first time I went on the T by myself, I only rode one stop from Davis to Porter Square. By the end of my first semester at Tufts, I felt confident enough to change to a different subway line and move across the city completely alone. Now, I love using the T to explore different parts of Boston!

There are conveniently two different subway lines that are accessible from Tufts: the green line and the red line. The green line stop is located right on Tufts’ campus next to the Joyce Cummings Center. From Tufts, the train travels above-ground through Medford and Somerville and over the Charles River. After about twenty minutes, it arrives at North Station, where the train moves underground and continues further into Boston. The red line is a 10-15 minute walk or a quick Tufts shuttle ride away from campus, located in Davis Square. It crosses…

Friday

Imagine you’re a Tufts student for the weekend. It’s Friday morning, and since you don’t have any classes (many students don’t), you get to sleep in. To start your slow morning, you grab a bagel sandwich from Hodgdon-on-the-Run that you ordered ahead, and a chai latte from The Sink, the student-run cafe in the Campus Center. You join a few friends on Prez Lawn and settle into a sunny spot with your laptop, pretending to do work, but mostly chatting about weekend plans. Someone mentions catching a new exhibit at the MFA; others suggest going to Harvard Square for lunch and froyo from Berryline. You sit in the calmness that only a no-class Friday can bring.

By afternoon, campus starts buzzing. Students head to the gym, and others head to their on-campus jobs. You decide to stop by the Joyce Cummings Center to grab free Thai food leftover from an event (because there’s always free food somewhere). Then, you find yourself a table on the second floor and actually get some work done…

The Mission of Tufts Financial Group

Founded in 2005, the Tufts Financial Group (TFG) is the largest business club on campus, with more than 100 members. What makes TFG unique is that it combines pre-professional guidance with real investing experience, creating a space where students can develop skills, find mentors, and explore the many paths within finance.

One of its most impactful initiatives is the Diversity Accelerator Program (DAP), which aims to make finance more accessible and inclusive for students of all backgrounds. Through mentorship, alumni panels, and firm visits, DAP helps students understand recruiting and build the confidence to pursue opportunities in the industry.

My First Experience with DAP

My connection to DAP started during my freshman year. At the time, I was still figuring out what a career in finance looked like and whether someone like me could break into the industry.

Through the program, I had the opportunity to visit Wellington Management in Boston…

I was not sure what to expect when I landed in Thailand. I knew my instructors would be there to welcome me, but the rest was unclear. I knew no Thai, and that was what stressed me out the most. However, all of my worries and fears melted away as I adjusted during my first week. Part of the Civic Semester program is having an in-country orientation where your instructors help you adjust to living in a new country and balancing classes. During that first week, we learned about cultural norms and some cultural shocks we might experience. Our instructor showed us around the area where we would be for the first six weeks.

The hardest part for the first couple of weeks was trying to absorb as much of the language as possible because I just wanted to be able to speak Thai. Getting used to driving on the other side of the road was tricky, and we were warned that people did not stop when you tried to cross the street (it's actually terrifying). I also had to get used to drinking only from water…

Before coming to college, I was already a bit worried about the social aspect. To give you some context, my high school was a middle and high school and was relatively small. So, I had the same friend group for 7 years. As a result, it had been a very long time since I’d had to make new friends. Naturally, I wondered if I would even be able to make friends while at Tufts or if I would “fit in.” I assumed everyone else would be super confident and outgoing, in contrast to me. But, I should’ve had a bit more grace with myself as confidence develops slowly through experiences and relationships. Looking back, I can see how much each semester helped me grow.

In my freshman fall, everything was very new and intimidating. So, I naturally became more quiet and reserved. I rarely strayed from my comfort zone, and socializing felt very nerve-wracking. So, I spent a lot of time adjusting rather than trying new things. It is completely normal and okay that my first semester felt a bit like a transition…

For incoming first-year at Tufts University, you hear a lot about Pre-orientation and Orientation and how they can help you transition into college. But did you know there are programs that can help you even before that transition begins? These opportunities give you a head start, a community, and a chance to feel settled long before your first semester begins.

If you are admitted to the School of Arts and Sciences, you have access to the Bridge to Liberal Arts Success at Tufts, known as BLAST. Supported by the FIRST Resource Center, BLAST is a six-week summer program that lets incoming first-years get a true head start at Tufts. You can take two courses for credit while living on campus for free, meet staff from across the university, participate in networking events, and even receive a stipend at the end of the program. For many students, this opportunity has shaped their entire Tufts experience.

Take Abi, for example:

“BLAST has given me a strong, supportive community and the confidence…

Welcome to the herd! We are incredibly excited to welcome you to the Jumbo community. I know exactly how it feels to receive that admission letter. Your admission to Tufts was not by chance, the Jumbo spirit is already with you. Walk with me as I recount my first two weeks at Tufts.

On the night of December 15th at 2 a.m., I received my admission letter to Tufts. That night was unlike any other. I was extremely nervous. I was anxious because nothing this big had ever happened in my life; especially the idea of moving to a different country to study. I opened the email from Tufts and, oh my… “Congratulations!” I broke down. My hands started shaking, and I was filled with disbelief. I saw my life flash before me, like reels of my future. Tears flowed down my face as I stood by my window, picturing my new life. That was the beginning of it all.

Fast forward a few months later, and I boarded my first-ever flight to the U.S. (I mean, what a trip for your first flight!). I arrived about…

During your first few weeks at Tufts, you’ll inevitably get roped into attending a few General Interest Meetings, or GIMs. GIMs mark the first meeting of the semester for most clubs, giving them a chance to showcase their organization to potential new members. 

At these GIMs, one term is often thrown around: e-board. Using context clues, you could probably figure out that this is the group of students in charge of running the club. However, despite the shared terminology, each club’s e-board contains different rules, compositions, and responsibilities. In my two and a half years at Tufts thus far, I have served on three e-boards: JumboCast, Baseball Analytics at Tufts, and The Tufts Daily. So, I thought I’d give you the inside scoop on what an e-board is, including its etymology, an explanation of its functions, and a recap of my experiences serving on them. 

Etymology:

Frankly, I’m not entirely sure if there is one meaning for the term e-board, but I included this section for alliterative…

There are so many great places to study at Tufts and everyone has their preferences on where they like to spend time to do assignments or projects, but here is my top 3 ranking of the places I like to go the most. This is for sure not an exhaustive list, but please enjoy some of my favorite spots!

1. The Campus Center

The Campus Center is my ideal study spot. Perfect for people watching, socializing, snacking, caffeinating, meeting groupmates, solo working, or game playing, the Campus Center has it all. With plenty of tables across 3 floors, there’s always some place to enjoy.

The bottom floor, my personal favorite, has a plethora of seating. Whether in Hotung Café, or outside Commons Marketplace, the wide floor plan gives a nice range of seats with tables of all sizes making it easy to find the perfect setup for your preferred study style. From cozy corners for focused work to larger tables for collaborative sessions, the space adapts to whatever you need. Hotung and Commons both…

As an upcoming junior at Tufts, I’ve learned a few things about picking classes (mostly through trial and error).

During the fall of my freshman year, I chose classes almost entirely based on my schedule. I signed up for 8:30 or 9:00 AM classes and finished my days by 1:00 or 3:00 PM. Even though I’m not a morning person, I thought this would be the perfect schedule: wake up, finish classes early, and have the rest of the day to myself. In reality, I learned pretty quickly that choosing classes based only on timing wasn’t the best strategy. I ended up taking some classes that I wasn’t particularly interested in just because they fit well into my schedule. On top of that, I was also taking the maximum number of credits while working part-time, which made the semester feel more busy than it needed to be.

By the spring of my freshman year, I decided to take a different approach. Instead of prioritizing the “perfect” schedule, I focused on taking classes that genuinely interested me, even…

Somehow, in the blink of an eye, it’s March. March brings spring flowers, the first warm days, and the reality that graduation is a little over two months away. Like most college seniors in March, I feel like I’m in limbo. I’m caught between trying to cherish every last moment of my time at Tufts, while also trying to make plans for the future. 

The other night, I was on the phone with my mom. I was telling her how stressed I am about getting a job post-graduation. The industry I’m trying to break into is very much an “immediate hire” kind of industry, which definitely has its benefits, but for a type-A planner like myself, it also has its drawbacks. I was explaining to my mom that I want to plan for my future, but I feel like I can’t at this stage. 

My mom, the wise woman that she is, reminded me that I’m not doing nothing. I’m still a student, in my senior year, making time for friends, clubs, and other interests. She reminded me that instead of stressing over a future that I simply…

Research is definitely a major part of Tufts, even for undergraduates. I recently got involved with the Clark Lab in the Chemistry Department and it has been a great experience learning and furthering my knowledge in my field. Trying to get involved in research at Tufts may sound intimidating but I promise that once you know the approaches that students take, it’s surprisingly easy! Here, I will explain, from top to bottom, how I was able to manage getting a spot in a research lab and some important things to keep in mind when applying for these spots.

Know the professor

I think that it’s very intimidating to cold email different professors trying to get into their labs. In a number of cases, it works out perfectly but I personally dislike this route, because you don't have much of a sense for the professor's personality or the work of their lab outside of the online description. This is where knowing the professor can really help. I took a class with the current professor I am doing…