If walking up and down the hill everyday isn’t enough cardiovascular exercise for you, let me introduce you to the delight of running around the Tufts area. From lovely fall foliage around Mystic Lake to the ever-social atmosphere of the Somerville Community Path, Medford, Somerville, and the greater Boston area offer runners a plethora of joys to experience.

One of my favorites, and one of the first places that will stand out on your mapping application when searching around the area, is the Mystic River and connected Mystic Lakes. They have a nice built-in natural loop and course to follow, with many green or multicolored (depending on the season) offshoots to take in the scenes and snap some pictures for the ever-important Strava post.

For more of a true trail running feel, I would highly recommend the Middlesex Fells Reservation, primed for runners and hikers alike. The nature reservation excels with its spaghetti-like trails, varied elevation, and dense tree cover. The various…

Now that I've started my senior year, I've found myself looking back on my four years at Tufts: what I've learned, what surprised me, and what I'll carry with me after graduation. More than anything, I've been thinking about a simple question: what is the real value of a Tufts education? 

When I arrived as a freshman, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I knew I'd be challenged academically. I expected a rigorous, transformative learning experience, and that's exactly what I got, just not in the ways I imagined. 

A liberal arts education that actually prepares you 

What truly sets Tufts apart is its commitment to the liberal arts. In the School of Arts and Sciences, every student completes two sets of requirements on top of their major. Foundation requirements build core skills like writing and language early on. Distribution requirements make sure you take courses across the humanities, arts, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematical sciences. 

The system also rewards…

As a five-year Combined Degree junior now, I am excited to continue my studies in Art History and Studio Arts, while minoring in Ancient World Archaeology. Knowing that I always enjoyed art and history, my first year, I took a whirlwind of classes in International Relations, History, and Archaeology along with my distribution requirements.

The history of the Art and Architecture Department at Tufts is unique as you will experience two different campuses and styles of learning. In the first semester of my second year, I loved learning about each crook of Armenian architecture in “Making Medieval Armenia”. This class was more lecture and theory-based, which grounded my academic writing and comprehension skills. My professor, Kate Franklin, also used to work as an archaeologist, so I was inspired to take classes within the Archaeology Department. Slowly, I realized that many classes across the humanities are cross-listed which made balancing my majors and minors on two campuses easy. For…

If you’re like me, you find a slightly irrational amount of joy in sipping a smooth, sweet iced coffee or a rich, comforting hot latte. Nestled in a bustling café with books spread out in front of you—or, let’s face it, a laptop or iPad nowadays—the steady hum of background conversation creates a cozy, insulating atmosphere.

Or perhaps you’re simply craving a quick jolt of concentrated caffeine on the go. Maybe you prefer a simple herbal tea or a vibrant matcha latte instead. Whatever your preference, Tufts’ campus has something for everyone. Below is a guide to some of the most popular spots to grab a caffeinated (or non-caffeinated) pick-me-up on campus.

Dewick MacPhie & Fresh at Carmichael 

First stop: the dining halls! Both dining halls offer an assortment of dairy, non-dairy milk, and creamer options, along with rotating flavors and caffeine levels. With buffet-style dining, you’re welcome to settle in and maintain a constant flow of customized caffeinated beverages throughout…

Growing up with two vegetarian parents, meat was never a huge part of my diet. About five years ago, I decided to become fully vegetarian myself. When I came to Tufts, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to maintain, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of options available.

The dining halls make it pretty manageable. Carmichael and Dewick always have vegetarian-friendly dishes, whether it’s through the salad bar or rotating entrees. I try to build balanced meals with proteins like tofu, beans, or eggs, along with carbs and healthy fats. Some of my favorites have been crispy tofu, stir-fried vegetables, and Greek roasted potatoes. On busier days, I’ll grab something quick from Kindlevan or Hodgdon, and I also keep protein bars, crackers, and snacks in my dorm.

Taking NU0101 Human Nutrition also changed the way I think about food. Before the class, a lot of what I knew about nutrition came from social media, which can be confusing and contradictory. The course helped me better…

Over the summer, I had an incredible opportunity to work with a non-profit through The Herd, an online networking space for Tufts students and alumni. At the end of May, I received an email notifying me that the Tufts Career Center was launching “Jumbos4Jumbos” again, a program that connects undergraduate students to short-term, remote projects created by alumni. Internship opportunities ranged from data analyst to graphic designer roles. Through The Herd, I learned about a project hosted by a non-profit, Stamp of Sunshine.

Stamp of Sunshine is a non-profit founded to help people engage with their community through letter-writing pop-ups. They provide free postcards, stamps, and other writing materials.  After researching the organization, I applied right away. I submitted my resume, a business card design mock-up, and a letter of interest. Two weeks later, I received my internship offer!

I met the two founders, Alexandra and Nina, and started planning out the assets I would be creating…

New to Tufts’ acapella scene? From navigating O-Week performances and auditions to understanding callbacks and finding your perfect group, this guide breaks down everything you need to know to get involved. Whether you’re hoping to join a group or just want to catch a great performance, here’s your guide to making the most of Tufts’ vibrant acapella community.

If you are anything like me, Tufts’ legendary acapella scene may have been one of the things that caught your attention when deciding where to go to college. With ten unique groups, countless performances, hours of rehearsals, and even the occasional Riff-Off, acapella can quickly become one of the most memorable parts of your Tufts experience.

But if you’re a first-year student, the acapella world can also feel a little overwhelming. What are all these groups? When are auditions? Can you audition for more than one? And, most importantly, how do you make sure you experience acapella during your four years at Tufts?

Orientation…

As a BFA student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts, I need to take three studio classes in one semester multiple times during my time at Tufts in order to fulfill my Studio Art distribution requirement. These studio classes are a significant time commitment as they last five hours, require extensive work outside of class, and take place at the SMFA in the Fenway area of Boston meaning that they generally require two hours of commute time. As you can imagine, taking three of these classes in addition to your other courses can challenge time management and planning skills. As a three-studio semester veteran, here are my top three tips for balancing that challenging workload!

1. Schedule Everything
The best thing I do to help myself stay on top of my work is keeping a detailed calendar; my Google Calendar is my blueprint for everything I do each week! This way I can keep track of scheduled commitments like classes, work, and extracurriculars as well as block in time…

Joining a student organization may seem daunting at first, especially if you are doing something that you have never done before. I largely stuck with the student organizations that I am a part of because of the welcoming environment created for all members and a place to learn and make mistakes. 

In my first year at Tufts, I was selected to be a “Freshman Representative” for the Association of Latin American Students, or ALAS. The representatives shadow members of the executive board as they work on social events, collaborations with student organizations from Tufts and other universities, and find ways to bring the Latine community together. The first-years are primarily tasked with setting a vision and presenting ideas for our end-of-year culture show and a couple more standing events. 

Our culture show has food, dance groups, games, and live music, which can seem really daunting for two freshly-minted first-years to put together. It definitely became daunting at times, especially…

Dancing has always been my biggest form of communication and outlet for expression. I started dancing at the age of four to connect with my Chinese culture. I learned different styles and techniques of classical Chinese dance, and it really made me gain an appreciation for my heritage. As I got older, I learned about how dancing could be used for storytelling and emotional expression, which made me absolutely fall in love with it. 

Tufts, thankfully, has a thriving dance program that allows me to keep dancing. Within my first year, I’ve taken “Dance Movement and Creative Process” as well as “Modern 3,” and they were both amazing courses. Through my high school years, I took dance classes that were very structured. There was a strict “right” and “wrong” way of how the movement was supposed to look, and they focused primarily on unity amongst dancers rather than individual expression. These Tufts courses, on the other hand, completely changed my perspective on dance by introducing a new…

My favorite classes at Tufts are the ones that make me feel the dumbest. 

As a Tisch Scholar—a civic engagement program for undergraduates that combine academic coursework with community-based learning—I’m currently taking Civic Identity, Reflection, & Action. Every Friday at 9 in the morning, a class of twenty of us come together to discuss an article ranging from service learning to University-Community Partnerships, to even asking why community work at Tisch exists in the first place. 

This past Friday, when discussing the relationship between Tufts University and its neighboring communities, I came in with pages full of notes on the reading from the night before. When the time came to discuss, I was stumped. Perspectives from all angles of the classroom began to arise. Before I knew it, the conversation had shifted to examining the flaws within our own institution, leaving me questioning whether I fully grasped the article itself. 

I came into the lecture thinking I understood…

“What on earth is a Jumbo?” That was the rhetorical question that echoed in my head while I was walking around this orange and red campus last autumn in Medford, Massachusetts. My campus tour during the Voices of Tufts program had stopped in front of a large statue of an elephant with gorgeous fall foliage nestled in on its trunk and its massive feet. Even though the question came with an explanation that unveiled the history of Jumbo, the elephant, I held back from shouting that each and every student is also a Jumbo as well. While zoologists may tell you that these activities and pursuits are uncommon for a mammal of such size, I learned from the fly-in and my first year as a Jumbo that being a Tufts student carries dozens of different definitions. 

In my first conversation with a Tufts student during Voices, I sat at a cozy table that hugged one of the yellow pillars in the Carmichael Dining Hall (Carm). I heard not only about the Carm and Dewick rivalry, but about the history of…

Ever find yourself near Talbot Ave on our Medford/Somerville campus or on our Fenway campus at The School of The Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA)? When I encountered the Tufts University Art Galleries (TUAG) on both campuses during First Year Orientation, I was thrilled to be surrounded by a rich art community! We host contemporary shows each semester featuring SMFA alumni, community artists, students, and creative collectives that are working within various disciplines anywhere from: sculpture, performance, textiles, painting, and drawing.

There are lots of different ways students might engage with our galleries, whether for an art history or archaeology class, walk-in visit, exhibition programming and reception events, or being a student worker and intern. My favorite class field trips were for my Visual Material Studies (VMS) course, “Reassessing Museums”, where we touched and learned about Latin American and Mexican artwork with the guidance of our Head of Collections. My friends in a…

It's always fun to catch when Tufts shows up in movies, TV, and pop culture. Sometimes it's an alum doing something big, sometimes it's a quick background cameo, and sometimes it's hiding in a word you already use. Here are some of my favorites.

Tracy Chapman at the 2024 Grammys

This is the one I like most. Tracy Chapman is a Tufts alum, and she started performing around campus and the Boston area as a student before "Fast Car" made her a star in 1988. At the 2024 Grammys, she performed "Fast Car" again with Luke Combs, whose cover had brought the song back in a big way. It was her first performance in years, she got a standing ovation, and her original 1988 recording topped the charts again afterward. She's also the first Black woman with a sole songwriting credit to top the country charts. Seeing a Tufts alum get a moment like that, decades later, is pretty cool.

Hank Azaria and Simpson House

Hank Azaria, who voices a lot of characters on "The Simpsons," is also a Tufts alum…