7:30
We woke up from our dreamy soft beds at Doubletree Inn and Suites (it’s a new chain by Hilton, apparently) at 7:30, which was a little too early for me, and definitely too early for Jenna, who fell right back asleep. While I sleepily wandered around brushing my teeth and getting dressed, Ah-ah (Shirley) had already showered and was making coffee and reading the morning paper. After Jenna and I were a little more awake, we ate a delicious and well-balanced breakfast of Maggie Mee (Ramen noodles), coffee, and last night’s leftover cookies. (Although Doubletree was a great hotel, it didn’t provide free breakfast). Then we packed up our bags for the day and moseyed on down to the car.
9:00
Thanks to our early start, we made it to Tufts right on time for the information session. We were already starting to get used to the routine of the college tour, which was pretty standardized throughout all the colleges. Information session in the admissions office, then a walking tour through the campus with a student. Mostly it was the campus tour that was the more exciting portion of the tour, but at Tufts, the information session started right off with a bang. The woman talking was an admissions officer at Tufts, and she was REALLY peppy. She started by saying she probably wouldn’t be able to fit everything she was planning to say in just an hour, and so her solution would be to talk as quickly as possible. She also mentioned that she had about 12 cups of coffee that morning, so talking fast wouldn’t really be a problem for her. Then she went on to talk about academics, some interesting statistics about the college, admissions, and a little about student life at Tufts. I learned a lot, but the newest and most valuable information to me was about admissions, and included some of the following information:
-Tufts usually has very unique admissions essay questions, such as “Are we alone?” and “Which do you prefer, a gorilla or a guerilla?” (this question was accompanied by a very accurate miming of each type)
-Getting good grades and test scores is the first part of admissions, which allows you to make the first cut. To pass the second cut you must have a varied and widespread program of extracurriculars, awards, and other things that demonstrate that you would take interest and participate in the college programs.
-Tufts looks at not only your grades, but the rigor of your academic program, and checks to see that you are taking the most challenging courses (that are appropriate) that your high school offers.
-Your essay should distinguish you from other candidates, and impress upon the admissions officer something unique about yourself. It can be funny. But it probably shouldn’t be if you aren’t usually funny.
I liked Tufts better than Wesleyan because it was less extreme and less liberal. Because Wesleyan was the first liberal arts college we visited, I thought it was very new and impressive, and I had never seen a curriculum like theirs before. However, after visiting Tufts, I was able to get a better sense of the spectrum of different colleges, and Tufts was right in the middle. It wasn’t too big, but also it wasn’t too small. It offered liberal arts courses and other courses, and it gave incoming freshmen and sophomores the ability to experience different types of academics before declaring a major, just like Wesleyan.
Walking on the campus tour, I was also really happy with what I saw. The Tufts campus was very pretty and open, and we had a great guide who filled us in on all the Tufts traditions and quirks of student life. I was very happy with Tufts. We went to the Tufts bookstore after the tour, but it was pretty small and there was nothing on sale, so we didn’t buy anything.
Undergraduate admissions building, with a plaque of Jumbo, the Tufts mascot.
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