APPLICATION ADVICE

ADVICE DO YOU THINK YOU WANT TO BE

Think you want to be a Tufts engineer? If so, we want to help you get there. Here are our top tips for applying to the School of Engineering from our very own Associate Director for Engineering Recruitment, Beky Stiles!

Determine if you’re an engineer

If the classes, research, and projects you read about here make you jump for joy: You’re an engineer! But, if you’re on the fence between majors like biomedical engineering and biology or chemical engineering and chemistry, look at the online “degree sheet” for your intended major. If the engineering major entices you more than the thought of fulfilling the distribution requirements for the School of Arts and Sciences: You’re an engineer. Still unsure? Talk to current students, faculty, counselors, and family members. Then go with your gut and apply to whichever school feels like the best fit for you.

AN ENGINEER?

Map out your schedule

All applicants to the School of Engineering MUST have taken physics and calculus in high school. Our most competitive applicants will be in the most advanced science and math courses their schools offer. The more STEM strength you show, the stronger your application will be overall. And embrace any electives that let you celebrate your inner engineer. Computer science, woodshop, orchestra… they all show an aptitude and mindset for engineering. It’s okay and even encouraged to specialize a little bit your senior year—if you need to forego a fourth year of foreign language in order to double up in math or science, that’s a decision we understand and support as we review your transcript.

Line up your recommendations

Your school counselors and teachers are some of your biggest advocates in this process. Tufts requires one counselor recommendation and one teacher recommendation (but yes, you can send us more than one teacher recommendation!). For engineers, it is especially helpful to have a recommendation from a math or science teacher. Instead of asking a teacher who doesn’t know you well but who gave you an A++ on every assignment, ask a teacher who truly knows you and can write stories and anecdotes to help us understand you better as a community member, collaborator, and tinkerer.

Harness your engineering “voice”

Tufts engineers aren’t just math and science whizzes. They’re also playful, creative, collaborative, logical, enthusiastic, and down to earth. In your essays, we’ll be looking for the soft skills that will make you a great engineer and the je ne sais quoi that will make you a great Jumbo. While you shouldn’t feel pressured to write about engineering specifically, do ask yourself if the topics you tackle showcase those attributes. And if writing isn’t your thing, don’t panic. Do the best you can with the task at hand; then feel free to show us your engineering skills through a Maker Portfolio.

INSIDE OUT

A REAL YET RANDOM, PLAYFUL YET SERIOUS SPIN AROUND CAMPUS—AND JUST BEYOND

TUFTS TWEET

@TUFTSUNIVERSITY @TUFTSENGINEER professor Sameer Sonkusale and his team are working to make “smart” banwelcomed biologist Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff to educate the Tufts community on implicit bias and its effects on women and underrepresented groups in STEM. After her distinguished career as a researcher and academic, Villa-Komaroff has dedicated her time to promoting diversity within the sciences. Her illuminating presentation came with a clear message: understanding the current lack of diversity within STEM is key to building a more inclusive future. Inclusion and opportunity have always been integral to the Tufts experience, and we are proudly raising the bar every year. 49 percent of the Engineering Class of

dages, which would actively monitor and deliver precisely targeted treatments to chronic wounds, while also keeping THINKING FAST MAKES CHANGING SLOW

“IN FEBRUARY, the School of Engineering Far above the national average, at Tufts, the caregiver informed of the patient’s progress.

2024 are women.” —John Mattson ’22

BRIDGE TO ENGINEERING SUCCESS AT TUFTS (BEST)

THE BEST PROGRAM is designed to help prepare fi rst-generation and historically underrepresented students for the Tufts engineering curriculum by building a strong cohort of peers who will support and encourage each other through graduation and beyond. Students who are invited to join the program take two summer courses together before beginning their fi rst year, while participating in academic and college life workshops. “BEST is more than a six-week summer program,” says Program Administrator Campbell Halligan. “It’s a family.”

CLEAN WATER FOR ALL

IN THE LANTAGNE GROUP, led by Professor Daniele Lantagne, engineers seek to reduce the burden of infectious diseases—such as Ebola, cholera, and diarrhea—by investigating and evaluating the effectiveness of water and sanitation interventions in developing countries and emergencies. To do this, students and professors complete laboratory research, fi eld work, and policy work. In the lab, they determine which disinfection options can best be used to clean surfaces, hands, and human waste in Ebola treatment units, while policy work is centered on developing recommendations for implementing water and sanitation programs to reduce cholera transmission.

EXCOLLEGE HIGHLIGHT: INNOVATION: FROM IDEA TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

“HOW DO YOU DEVELOP an idea, keep others from copying it, and use IP as an innovator? Intellectual property (IP) comprises over 35% of the total US economy and is the engine behind the biggest developments in science, business, arts, and technology. In this workshop, we take a hands-on approach to understanding IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. In the fi rst part of the course, students will investigate unmet needs at Tufts and innovate to address those needs. Then we’ll determine whether the solutions are patentable, select and search trademarks, and design logos. Along the way we’ll hear from guest speakers and look at everyday products— from the Apple iPhone to Adidas sneakers. The course will culminate with students pitching their inventions and protection strategies.” —Melissa Beede Johannes, Intellectual Property Attorney at Wolf Greenfi eld, BS in Electrical Engineering from Tufts

BUILDING BETWEEN DISCIPLINES

TUFTS’ NEWEST ACADEMIC BUILDING, opening in 2021, is a multidisciplinary space designed to hold the fl ow of people and ideas. The Joyce Cummings Center will serve as the new home for the Data Intensive Studies Center, the Departments of Computer Science, Economics, and Mathematics, and the Tufts Gordon Institute. The new Green Line from Boston will terminate adjacent to the site and create easier access for engineering students traveling from campus into Boston for internship opportunities and outings.

BON VOYAGE, INNOVATEURS!

WHO SAYS ENGINEERS can’t study abroad? Thanks to the ten Tufts Programs Abroad and over 150 other pre-approved programs available to Tufts students, the world is at our students’ fi ngertips, no matter their major. Engineering students who want to get a jump start on their global explorations—while working with community organizations in one of four international sites—can participate in the Tufts 1+4 Bridge-Year Program. Others take their studies to the French Alps as part of the Tufts in Talloires summer program, enrolling in place-based courses that count for credit and don’t distract from the beauty of their surroundings. WHAT WE’RE READING: CODING AS A PLAYGROUND BY MARINA UMASCHI BERS

WHEN YOU THINK of a computer programmer, who do you picture? Probably not children under the age of seven, unless you’re Dr. Marina Umaschi Bers, a Tufts computer science professor. In her latest book, she explores how young children can be taught to code, developing important skills while becoming playful producers—rather than just consumers—of technology.