<p>Tufts life -- expectations vs. experience</p>
<p>Elad Cohen
Issue date: 2/22/05 </p>
<p>Are Tufts students disgruntled? Complaints regarding the lack of both school spirit and unbridled fun at Tufts are not without merit; however, I think that the whole issue has less to do with the strict constrictive administration and more to do with our own misguided expectations. </p>
<p>What did you expect Tufts would be like before you enrolled? I expected the study- hard, party-hard mentality to be in full effect. The study-hard expectation was met: I am overworked at Tufts because I choose to take difficult courses and take on a demanding extracurricular load like most students here. However, I also anticipated a great range of parties on campus that would last until I found my pants the next morning. Instead, what I have found is a campus that shuts down at twelve-thirty every weekend. Who is to blame for our sub-par party scene? The administration? The cops? Honestly, I doubt that the Tufts brass is out to kill our fun, but they do need to be concerned with laws, liability and maintaining good relations with our neighbors. In my mind, most of our disappointment comes from us asking more of Tufts than it can possibly offer.</p>
<p>Typically, when I think of college, I envision "Animal House" - nightly wild parties, Div. I sports teams and 80 degree weather. Obviously, Tufts is not "Animal House." Not even close. Tufts is considered to be a globally-oriented, intellectual institution that offers a challenging liberal arts curriculum. However, what about having a flourishing social life here? Did we ever really consider that when we chose Tufts? Did we simply assume that it would come with any college experience? In that sense, Tufts seems to be suffering from an identity crisis.</p>
<p>Tufts was never considered to be a party school, nor is it populated with the nerdy, competitive or uptight students whom you hear about at other top-tier schools. So what are we? Six or seven years ago, Professor's Row supposedly glimmered until the wee hours of the morning with little police intervention and a plethora of fraternity and off-campus parties. And now? The scene has taken somewhat of a 180-degree turn. But can we complain?</p>
<p>During my tour three years ago, I was told that the majority of students here frequently spend nights in Boston, which now I realize must have been an embellishment. My friend, who shall remain nameless, explains why: "They did not tell us we'd have to schlep through a [expletive] blizzard for 15 minutes because the shuttle's not running, wait for the goddamn train, take a 25 minute ride, and then figure out where the [expletive] we are in Boston." Again the identity crisis: are we really a city university?</p>
<p>Considering the rumors I had heard from alumni about Professor's Row and the close proximity of Tufts to Boston, I was certain that the parties would never end. I was wrong. The social life here seems to predominantly revolve around on-campus activities, which I did not expect before I arrived here. Granted, ambitious students could technically commute to Boston and spend the night there - however, said night would be practically over by twelve. Other students could spend their Saturday nights waiting outside fraternity houses for an hour before getting let in and, soon after, getting evacuated. Either way, this is not the Tufts I expected. Or is it just not the college experience I expected?</p>
<p>The reality at Tufts is that students are generally overworked, albeit amicable, and not overly competitive. What seems to be lacking is school spirit. The void left by a weak athletic program and devolving traditions has yet to be filled with something else we can get excited about. Boston is not right around the corner, unless you have a car, and let's not even talk about parking. There are occasionally some fun parties here that do last, but they are few and far between. Rather than being known for both its quality of life and academics, Tufts seems to be almost strictly focused on the academics, clubs, and activities. </p>
<p>The social life here has been compromised at least partially because the university does not want our neighbors or the cops to launch a war against us. But what will happen if the rumors are true and the Greek system is abolished? Were these considerations of ours before we got here, when we were choosing schools? Did we allow ourselves to make the assumption that drinking laws and noise ordinances would become null in our fantasized college world?</p>
<p>It is very easy to complain about the social life, or lack thereof, at our school. Believe me, I would like to see more parties here as much as anyone. However, with my criticism also comes the realization that my expectations were misguided and that the administration is not solely to blame. You will not see me jumping up and down whenever an outsider asks me about my experiences so far at Tufts. However, I am still proud to be afforded the opportunity to attend a top tier institution with many opportunities for spoiled students like myself to take advantage of, if only we search for them and do not expect too many wild parties. </p>
<p>I envision three possible solutions to the social crisis we have here. First, school spirit is severely lacking, perhaps because we do not have Div. I sports teams (squash and sailing do not count). Therefore, we need something to fill that void. Second, the party scene here has been the primary cause of students' disappointment, so I propose that the university make a concerted effort to either reach out to fraternities or cultural organizations. Third, before we enroll, we should be honest about what the Tufts social scene is really like. If students would have known what they got into before they enrolled, they would certainly be less disappointed than many are.</p>
<p>Elad Cohen is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major.</p>
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<p>Is the social life at this school really as bad as this article makes it seem?? Just wondering....</p>