<p>Hello,
I am an international student planning to apply for transfer to Tufts. I have a few queries regarding the activities that are available for students. For example, here in my country we have lots of fests, conferences, simulations, and stuff happening and a student would get loads of opportunities to take part or be in the organising team. I am interested in business, so I generally am very active in organising these things. My question is, do these things happen in colleges in US? To put it more specifically, what is the scope for being in organising committees in colleges? </p>
<p>p.s: I am sorry if I were vague, but since I have no idea about the student life in the US, my query cannot be more specific than this.</p>
<p>I’m the Treasurer for the performing arts group, the oldest student group on campus. Every show we put on is chosen, directed, crewed, acted, and financed entirely by students. I’m currently organizing a reunion for the group this March (we’re expecting around 400 people). I also participate in the Tufts Finance Group, which is entirely student-run and frequently organizes activities, as well as invests the group’s real money in a portfolio of our choosing.</p>
<p>That sounds great. Can you tell me where I can find information on all these activities that go on in college? I know that the ‘Students’ section of the website is pretty informative, but somehow, I want to find out the human side of what goes on.</p>
<p>Well, there’s an activities fair at the start of the year where all student groups have a booth explaining what they do. There’s also TuftsLife.com, which has a calendar of events detailing when and where you can find General Interest meetings for various activities. Once you get to campus, you can ask your Resident Advisor what sorts of activities are available. Once you find an activity you might be interested in, the best thing to do is to attend a meeting or two and talk to some upperclassmen that are already involved in it.</p>
<p>Thank you. A bit off topic, but what are the people generally like?? I know that every college has a bit of everything, but what is Tufts mainly like?</p>
<p>There’s a thriving and popular intramural scene, so if you’re interested in continuing to play a sport, or picking up a new one, Tufts would be good. If it’s watching games and supporting a team that you enjoy. . . Tufts would not be the best choice. Attitudes towards our own athletic teams range from completely indifferent to hostile.</p>
<p>Ironically I am not too much of a sports watcher, though I would have loved to have that experience. Just curious, why such hostility and indifference??</p>
<p>Well it’s mostly indifference. And there’s never a reason for indifference, you just don’t care. The reason there’s so MUCH indifference is a simple self-selection positive feedback loop. Tufts has lackluster athletic teams. So people who really care about athletics don’t come here. So there’s not much support for athletics. So potential athletes visit campus, see how unappreciated they’d be here, and don’t come. So our teams get worse. So even fewer people care. You get the idea. Most universities take proactive steps to combat this death cycle, like shoveling more money into their athletic programs. Not us. We spent the money on a lovely new music & performance building. Because, according to all indicators, the administration is pretty indifferent to athletics as well.</p>
<p>Except for the marathon. Larry Bacow loves his marathons.</p>
<p>Those few who are actively hostile probably got picked on in high school by the jocks. Or just think the jocks are stupid.</p>
<p>Here’s a quick list of some of Tufts athletics’ accomplishments over the last year.</p>
<p>-Sailing returned, yet again, to the national championships
-Men’s Cross Country ran in the NCAA National Championships and the team finished 8th in the regional championships
-Field Hockey won the conference championship, ranked in the top 5 nationally, and progressed to the quarterfinals in the national tournament
-Men’s Lacrosse went 13-5, qualifying for the national tournament
-Women’s lacrosse went 16-3, also qualifying for the national tournament
-Water Polo won the national championship
-Women’s basketball is right now ranked tenth in the nation
-Softball went 44-3, won the conference championship, played in the NCAA tournament.
-Men’s swimming sent 7 swimmers to the national championship, winning 7 of its ten meets
-Volleyball finished the season ranked 19th in the nation, reaching the quarterfinals in the national championship</p>
<p>I’ll take issue with the claim that Tufts athletics are “Lackluster,” and I’ll point to the records of our teams as proof. I’ll confess that during my own tenure as a Tufts student, I was also ‘indifferent’ towards Tufts athletics. I didn’t care about sport in High School - beyond the Redskins and the Orioles - and I didn’t care much for it in college either. Part of what I liked about Tufts was that the study body, and school image, wasn’t so wrapped up in the win-loss record of athletic teams. Not every team is perennially successful, but my (or Snarf’s) lack of interest in athletics doesn’t somehow mean our teams aren’t successful. </p>
<p>Now, of course, I get to see the strength of the athletes that come to Tufts, both athletically and academically, through the admissions process. We have no trouble attracting top athletes and the D3 culture of the school - one where athletes are entitled to define themselves with something more than their sport - ends up being a big draw for many. I’m often in agreement with Snarf, but not here.</p>
<p>Well that certainly does not look lackluster. Pretty weird this non support though. It is obvious that there is no lack of athletes, rather a lack of spirit. Maybe Tufts should just recruit people with more college spirit :)</p>
<p>I would like to add a little something to the athletics topic as well. My son has applied to Tufts and it is his first choice. He has 6 varsity letters between football and baseball and hopes to play baseball in college. He is currently being courted by a Division 2 baseball coach/college in our state along with some other schools, but he fell in love with Tufts when he visited the campus. He doesn’t play sports for the attention or the glory. He plays because he loves to play. He wants to go to Tufts because he knows he can get a great education, study engineering with serious students and play baseball. </p>
<p>I would agree if you are looking for a huge sports school Tufts isn’t that school. I am sure there are lots of good athletes at Tufts though.</p>
<p>First of all, sorry if I caused any offense. Wasn’t trying to ruffle any feathers, and I didn’t mean to say that athletes were some persecuted minority - just that potential athletes will be disappointed if they expect the student body to care about their exploits more than we care about, say, a cappella groups, the mime troupe, or the student newspaper.
I should have chosen my words better in calling our team lackluster: I didn’t mean offense to the athletes themselves (I barely know any of them), but the teams do lack. . . let’s call it glamour, or flair, or sex appeal. While we seem to have racked up some nice accomplishments there, we are still a D3 school and compete at that level. Further, I couldn’t help but notice that none of the accomplishments Dan listed were in the more popular sports that tend to draw in crowds, like football, ice hockey, or men’s basketball. If you’re going to school to play a sport, Tufts is obviously not a good choice. If you’re going to school to enjoy the sporting scene, again, Tufts is not the place for you.</p>
<p>Maelstrom - that comment is part of the reason I asked if you intended to visit campus. We have school spirit coming out the wazoo. Support for athletics does not equal school spirit. Tufts students have more pride in their institution, and identify more readily with Tufts and the Tufts community, than the students of any school I’ve come into contact with.</p>
<p>Centennialmom - if that’s the case, I’m sure your son will be quite happy here. I really didn’t mean to sound like I was attacking athletes for the sake of being athletes. It’s just that some athletes come here from sports-centric high schools and have a very awkward transition to make, from being lionized and idolized to being. . . well, largely ignored. Not in a bad way, just in the sense that every other extracurricular is ignored by the people not interested in it. I wouldn’t expect any more than, say, 1 in 7 students to attend theatrical productions or be interested in what the next play going up would be. That’s fine - I do it for fun. Some students come here expecting to be big man on campus because they’re the quarterback of the football team. That’s just not the way it is. If that’s not an adjustment your son will have to make, I’m sure he’ll be quite happy.</p>
<p>Well I am not really an athlete. I just enjoy playing sports. But yeah I am kind of big on school spirit. I can’t really visit and so I ask questions. Honestly, I am not too intent on ‘glamorous’ games as Snarf calls them. I would be happy to go watch a game with 15 people, but I wouldn’t want to sit alone in an empty stadium. To me school spirit is more important than showing up in huge groups some place and waving pom-poms. So Tufts sounds perfectly fine to me. :)</p>
<p>Snarf - I think your opinions are good ones and it is good advice to let potential athletes know they won’t be surrounded by fans at their events. High school baseball games have very few fans in the stands in Colorado-usually just the parents and maybe a girlfriend or two-so my son will be used to that. I can see how a football player from a big high school might have a hard time adjusting to playing at Tufts though. </p>
<p>It seems like the student body at Tufts is so varied that not one group dominates the atmosphere which my son likes. Even though he is an athlete, he loves music and watching theatre so hopefully we will have the chance to enjoy one of your performances in the future. </p>
<p>I have a question about activites. How far is the nearest skiing from Medford? Are there ever any group ski trips out to a mountain somewhere? I don’t know anything about where people go to ski on the east coast other than Vermont.</p>
<p>Seashore - there isn’t skiing at the Loj (that’s what they call it), is there? I’ve only been once, but I don’t recall any skiing.</p>
<p>Centennialmom - Vermont is the best skiing in the area, though New Hampshire’s White Mountains have some decent resorts. For someone accustomed to skiing in Colorado, I don’t think any of Massachusetts’ resorts would be worth the trouble. If he’s ever really jonesing for some quality skiing, he should head up to Whiteface, in Lake Placid, New York. Though the mountain itself is a just a hill by Rockies standards, it actually has the longest continuous skiing face of any resort in the country, including Vail and Aspen. The Winter Olympics have been held there, so I’d imagine your son can find a trail up to his standards.</p>
<p>And I haven’t been to the Loj myself in recent decades. But there’s cross-country skiing close (orobably out the door if you are inventive) and downhill at Loon, Cannon, and Waterville Valley, all VERY close. (And I have been there more recently!)</p>
<p>I agree with Snarf that the Massachusetts resorts are not worth it for a good skier (unless your son is going with buddies for an evening ski). But New Hampshire is a little more convenient than Vermont (and certainly more convenient than Whiteface or Maine), especially with the Tufts Mountain Club (TMC) presence. </p>
<p>Skiing on the East Coast is pretty different from Colorado, but it’s a good experience for college-aged kids. For the rest of their lives, they’ll be able to recount stories of REAL cold and REAL ice!</p>
Can you tell me where I can find information on all these activities that go on in college? I know that the ‘Students’ section of the website is pretty informative, but somehow, I want to find out the human side of what goes on.</p>