Open House 4/19 & 4/20: Impressions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
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<p>So - my son and I just returned from open house, and perhaps, my son said it best: "I'm pumped!" And so am I.</p>

<p>Both of us were extremely impressed with Tufts. Impressed by the true diversity that is apparant on campus, impressed with the commitment and passion of the administration, ("You won't find a pompous person on this campus" said President Larry Bacow. "Runners passing my house at 6 AM see the President coming out of his house in his robe and slippers to get the morning paper and say hello".) as well as the school's commitment to service and "active citizenship".</p>

<p>Who would not be moved by the story of the Tisch College students and Fletcher engineering students ("Engineers Without Borders") working together to design, deliver, and build a water purification system for a small village in Ecuador (the first time this village has had potable water without first treating it). Who could question the value of working on a variety of projects in the surrounding communities of Medford and Sommerville to "give back" to the communities, rather than maintain a distant school-on-the-hill elitism? </p>

<p>As a parent, I was struck by the maturity and articulate nature of every student I spoke with on campus. I saw little of the sex/beer/orgy type posters I ahve seen posted around other LAC campuses (those in the know: don't say anything to the contrary just yet - let me maintain this pleasant illusion!) Not to say that Tufts students don't play hard, but it seems more, well, balanced. </p>

<p>The campus, though compact, is beautiful. The food (in Carmichael) was incredible. My son agrees! Plentiful, great variety, delicious curries, and pizza, and cheese dogs, and vegie wraps, and spiced couscous - just great. And freshment get to eat all they want whenever they want. No limits on food. My son like that too - oh yea, and the soft ice cream on tap.</p>

<p>The dorms look a little tired. Well, very tired. Smallish, too hot even on a pleasant Boston spring day, and tightly quartered. The tiled walls in Miller reminded me of the city projects I grew up in decades ago. Didn't get a chance to tour the new senior "green" dorms, but they looked classy and snzzy from the outside. </p>

<p>The new Granoff Music Center is spectacularly beautiful. Apparantly the 300 Distler Music Hall is the most acoustically perfect room in Boston - which given the magnificent acoustics is saying something. </p>

<p>Overall, the impression was reinforced of a university on the move, reinventing and reinvigorating itself. The much lauded set of "new essays" imnplemented by Dean Coffin this past year reflect the dynamic "thinking outside of the box" nature of Tufts - allowing for extraordinary interdisciplinary work and research.</p>

<p>My son is "pumped" about being a Jumbo next year. And I am excited that he has chosen this institution to spend the next four years of his life. After open house, I'm pleased to say that I don't have the slightest idea where he will land in four years. I am sure, though, that whereever he lands, it will result from discovering a part of himself that he didn't know about when he enters Tufts in August.</p>

<p>Please share your thoughts and impressions -</p>

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<p>Oldprof- another new Tufts parent here--
We couldn't make it to open house (wish they'd had one on a weekend), but visited twice previously. We saw a lot of great schools last year, but Tufts definitely "clicked" with S. from his own research, and on the very first visit. He returned earlier this year so he could spend a day, sit in on a class, etc. and ended up liking it even more, if that's possible. </p>

<p>I think it's location near Boston attracts a lot of people, but it was definitely the school that appealed to us-- location was secondary (written by someone who'd prefer the boondocks anyway). There seem to be tons of academic options-- not always the case in many of the LACs we saw. S. is counting on an IR major, but I hope he'll investigate other areas while he's there. They'll never get this chance again! </p>

<p>We also got the impression of a really nice mix of students. It's probably unfair to categorize schools as jocky, preppy, etc., but some campuses definitely had certain vibes. At another school we visited the same day, S. said something like "the kids here are really good-looking.... but they all sort of look the same." We liked the lack of "type" at Tufts, and everyone who spoke to us seemed genuinely happy to be there. It seems like a really vibrant place.</p>

<p>I'm happy for them, and not a little bit envious!</p>

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<p>I stayed overnight. It was awesome. At first I didn't think kids at Tufts had a social life but with 4/20 and the Annual Beer Olympics, it seems like Tufts kids know how to have a good time. Waking up at 7 after finally going to bed at 4:30 though was not so good.</p>

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<p>Ah yes - the open house was on 4/20, eh? How did I not notice that - must be age. Annual Beer Olympics? You may want to explore other threads on this post about the numbers of freshmen who have to avail themselves of Emergency Medical Services due to overindulgence. I'm a high school teacher myself, and I almost lost one of my sophomore students who indulged w-a-y over the limit without realizing it. I'm not saying don't party - but party responsibly.</p>

<p>As for 7 AM wake up following the 4:30 bedtime - just wait till you pull your first all nighter.</p>

<p>Best of luck at Tufts!</p>

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<p>We are at Tufts right now. We went to visit the campus yesterday. One thing I noticed was how quiet the campus was. This is 20+ years later, but I remember when we were in college (Colgate), on the first nice Sat there would be people on the lawn with music blasting. Maybe they had too good of time on 4/20 (I understand it was more than just an Annual Beer Olympics). My daughter is doing a sleep over tonight while we are staying at a hotel. Her host never showed up. They had a hard time finding another host because most students were busy. I hope it's not indicative of Tufts students' social life and time management. We are looking forward to the open house tomorrow, so we could be "pumped" to send our daughter to Tufts this Fall. </p>

<p>As a side note, our daughter has taken the tube 2-3 times by herself to and from Tufts to Boston since we got here yesterday. It is quite easy and safe. We live outside of NYC, she is used to go in and out of NYC by herself. She said she would be coming to Boston quite often if she were to go to Tufts.</p>

<p>Maybe it's very close to their finals week, we really didn't see that many kids taking advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday - no touch football, frisbee, kids with lacross sticks, soccer balls or tennis rackets. Instead we saw a lot of kids with BOOKS.</p>

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<p>oldfort-- we had that feeling during visits to a couple places last year-- At one LAC, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we saw not one single student outdoors. It was like a scene from a post-apocalypse movie. Never found out why, either. </p>

<p>Is your daughter still undecided about which college to choose? Hope she ended up having a decent time during her sleep-over.</p>

<p>I just learned about '4/20' this week at our local high school. Seems it was a very popular "cut" day. Am getting too old for all this...</p>

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<p>There were tons of people out today! Scattered all over the President's Lawn, quads, etc... we were definitely studying, though! Reading period starts next week and all our final papers are due soon! :p</p>

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<p>What's reading period?
and do you have any further information on the new Tisch college dorm that's opening next year? Information was slight - even during the Tisch College presentation Fri afternoon.</p>

<p>I was VERY impressed with Dean (of students) Reitman while speaking with him on Thursday 4/19 - is he as tuned in with the students as he appeared to be?</p>

<p>BTW Lolabelle - thank you for all of the information and help you've provided students and their parents on this, and other, threads. Good luck to you during final exams!</p>

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<p>Reading period is the few days before finals when there are no classes, so we can work on final papers/exams. The week or so leading up to reading period can get pretty hectic.
We've been getting slight information on the Tisch college dorm that's opening, if it's what I think it is. There's been talk and an article in the Daily about turning Haskell Hall into a freshman dorm with a focus on community service. The article can be found here:
<a href="http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2007/03/05/News/Haskell.To.House.Active.Citizenship.Program-2757132.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/media/storage/paper856/news/2007/03/05/News/Haskell.To.House.Active.Citizenship.Program-2757132.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>We attended the Tufts open house with our daughter who wants to attend. Now my question is this for all of you who stayed overnight.... she is not into the party scene at all and would prefer to curl up with a good book or go to a movie. Any options for her on the weekends?</p>

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<p>im going there next year, but from what i've heard there are P-L-E-N-T-Y of things to do other than party... especially with boston just a T-ride away, there are things to do there, and there are plays/comedies/ect held by Tufts students i think on a weekly basis</p>

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<p>
[quote]
she is not into the party scene at all and would prefer to curl up with a good book or go to a movie. Any options for her on the weekends?

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</p>

<p>Visit <a href="http://www.tuftslife.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.tuftslife.com&lt;/a>. You could see a list of all the activities sponsored by Tufts on the front page. There's usually a bunch of stuff on the weekends.</p>

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<p>Don't worry - I am not a party person either and I will be at Tufts next year!</p>

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<p>Oldprof: I love Dean Reitman; I do think he's really attuned to the student body... he's been here for like three decades!</p>

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<p>Pearl16 - Did you fill out a housing form? We can't seem to find anything in the packet about interests,preferences etc.</p>

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<p>SGC: you'll get those forms over the summer, once everyone has already turned in their deposits, people are off the waitlist, etc. They don't send those out til they have the full class.</p>

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<p>you won't be an outcast if you don't go to frats. my friends and I are not opposed to partying but we'd often just watch a DVD in someone's room on friday night, tired from morning classes, and maybe get dinner in Boston/Harvard on Saturday. There's usually a lot going on besides parties - shows, concerts, etc. I've stayed up til 3 reading in the lounge while I let some kids I knew use my room to roll their blunts, lol. (they offered to share with me, but...it was a really good book!) Plus, I mean, it depends on the kind of person you are. I've gone mudsliding down the President's Lawn, sledding between Hill and Hillsides, and once had a really fun night just wandering around with my friends and putting masking tape on various Tufts landmarks. With the right group of people, you can have a great time.</p>

<p>ETA: by the way, I didn't drink almost at all last year but I'd still hang out in my friends' dorm rooms and watch them play beer pong. It was fun to socialize, and not necessarily to get drunk and end the night face-first in the toilet, lol.</p>