Jumbo Magazine - Summer 2018 by TuftsAdmissions

THE TUFTS ADMISSIONS MAGAZINE ADMISSIONS.TUFTS.EDU

ISSUE 21 / SUMMER 2018

PATRICIA BLUMERIS

ENGINEERING EVERYTHING FROM PROSTHETICS TO COMMUNITY AT TUFTS

JUMBOS IN THE SUMMER HOW ARE STUDENTS SPENDING THEIR SUMMER VACATIONS?

IN THE SWIM

THE TUFTS SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAM REFLECTS ON ITS HISTORIC SEASON

DATA SCIENCE

LEARN ALL ABOUT TUFTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; NEWEST ENGINEERING MAJOR

TOP 10

OUR FAVORITE INSTAGRAM POSTS FROM THE ACADEMIC YEAR

ADMISSIONS ADVICE

WE BREAK DOWN THE CONCEPT OF DEMONSTRATED INTEREST

PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

JUMBO 21

A JUMBO SUMMER VACATION See how four Jumbos took advantage of the long break

DATA SCIENCE How Tufts students brought this major to life

ON THE COVER

A Tufts senior revisits her supplement COVER PHOTOS BY KATHLEEN DOOHER (FRONT), ANNA MILLER/TUFTS UNIVERSITY (BACK)

GREETINGS

FROM THE DEAN CHANGE CAN BE A GOOD THING, AND A UNIVERSITY’S COMMITMENT TO CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT IS A HEALTHY THING, TOO.

mer is a time of rejuvenation on a college campus. Though students stay plenty busy (whether they embark on an adventure across the world or dive into a personal research position on campus), the staff and faculty take a much-needed break to gear up for the fall. The campus landscape gets a refresh as well. If you visit the Medford campus this summer, you will see a lot of construction—a LOT. As I look out my window in Bendetson Hall, I can see the “yellow brick road” that spans the entire academic quad—its purpose to allow large trucks to drive across the grass without doing permanent damage. There are blue fences marking off the bigger projects, keeping visitors safe from the construction areas. And, occasionally, the sound of a jackhammer will drown out voices in a meeting. It all sounds enticing, right?

MEET THE STUDENT COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Most of what you’re about to read was written by these Tufts students. Keep an eye out for their names as they introduce you to the Tufts community.

Actually, summer construction on a college campus is a really good thing. It shows a university’s continued commitment to improving facilities for the beneﬁt of student life. Speciﬁcally, Tufts is working on underground infrastructure to connect buildings to our new co-generation energy plant. With the opening of the plant this past spring, the university now generates much of its own electricity and can use the waste heat to make chilled water which then reduces our carbon footprint and cuts down on costs. In addition, improvements to residence halls are well underway.

for an even better campus. After all, change can be a good thing, and a university’s commitment to constant improvement is a healthy thing, too. I’m pleased to introduce this edition of JUMBO Magazine, where you will learn about everything from art to religion to our victorious men’s swimming and diving team. We look forward to seeing you here on (an improved) campus sometime soon. Best,

By the time the Class of 2022 arrives on campus in late August, the fences will be gone and the university will return to the business of preparing students for their next steps. Until then, my colleagues and I can put up with a little dust and noise in preparation

Karen Richardson Dean of Admissions and Enrollment Management

DESMOND FONSECA ’20 from Bridgewater, MA

JULIE DOTEN ’18 from Enﬁeld, CT

AINSLEY BALL ’21 from San Francisco, CA

CHLOE MALOUF ’20 from Gaithersburg, MD

CHRISTOPHER PANELLA ’21 from Hollywood, Florida

JACOB SHAW ’21 from Glencoe, IL

OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS Tufts University / Bendetson Hall / 2 The Green / Medford, MA 02155 617.627.3170 / admissions.tufts.edu / jumboeditor@tufts.edu THE TUFTS ADMISSIONS MAGAZINE

Produced by the Ofﬁce of Undergraduate Admissions / Edited by Jaime Morgen ’14, Assistant Director of Admissions, and Abigail McFee ’17, Admissions Counselor / Design by Hecht/Horton Partners

PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

WHILE IT MIGHT sound a little odd, the sum-

Jumbo the Elephant stood over 12 feet tall and weighed over 13 thousand pounds.

ONE MASCOT, BY THE NUMBERS

Jumbo’s arrival in New York in 1882 drew 10,000 spectators, the largest gathering the city had ever seen at that point. The prime attraction of P.T. Barnum’s entertainment empire, Jumbo toured the country throughout the 19th century.

Jumbo, whose name is believed to have been derived from the Swahili word “jumbe” meaning “chief,” is responsible for the introduction of the word “jumbo” to the English language. Every time you order jumbo shrimp, you can thank him!

In 2015, a new statue honoring Jumbo was commissioned from artist Steven Whyte. It measures 12 feet tall and 18 feet long, weighs in at 5,000 pounds, and took 350,000 pounds of clay to create. It now stands proudly on the Academic Quad.

In 1885, Jumbo died in a tragic, yet heroic, fashion. According to legend, he pushed a baby elephant named Tom Thumb out of the path of a moving train, sacriﬁcing his life in the process.

¢ P.T. Barnum donated Jumbo’s stuffed hide to Tufts, where it was displayed in Barnum Hall. Students would place a penny on his trunk and tug on his tail for good luck before exams. This tradition came to an end in 1975, when both Barnum Hall and Jumbo were consumed in an electrical ﬁre.

A quick-thinking athletic director found a Peter Pan peanut butter jar and collected Jumbo’s ashes. This jar is still housed in the Tufts Athletics ofﬁce today.

As far-fetched as it may seem, any Tufts student can recite the story of Jumbo by heart. Get to know a little bit more about our beloved mascot here.

Jumbo is the only college mascot in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and he has been voted one of the most distinctive college mascots by both The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.

INS & OUTS

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE HILL

KATY TUR VISITS CAMPUS Katy Tur, award-winning NBC News correspondent, MSNBC anchor, and author of Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History, came to the Hill to discuss contemporary media issues at the annual Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism. Part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series (which in past years has featured Arianna Hufﬁngton, Anderson Cooper, and Lester Holt), Katy spoke to students about the importance of factdriven journalism and active citizenship.

EXCOLLEGE CLASS HIGHLIGHT: BASEBALL ANALYTICS Even Red Sox and Yankees fans can agree that there are a lot of numbers behind America’s Pastime. Taught by Andy Andres, who developed and taught the original Sabermetrics course on the edX platform, this class will guide students through the objective analysis of baseball and the science of baseball scouting. Students will have the chance to design and implement their own Sabermetrics research study using both current and historical baseball data. To get a sneak peek of this course, check out Andy’s TEDx talk The Science of the Home Run.

GRANOFF PRACTICE ROOMS In the basement of the Granoff Music Center, you will notice a row of small rooms, each equipped with a baby grand piano and acoustically designed for percussion and other loud instruments. As you walk past, you can hear everything from Tchaikovsky violin concertos to original music plunked out on the grand pianos to opera singing. For the nonmusically inclined, these rooms are also a great place to memorize a French presentation before class.

MEN’S LACROSSE TEAM TOPS THE NESCAC TOURNAMENT This past May, the Jumbos took home the NESCAC championship title with a 12-9 win over the Wesleyan Cardinals. This victory marked the eighth NESCAC championship in program history, and gave the team an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Senior tri-captain Connor Lansdale was named the NESCAC Conference Player of the Week for his powerful defense throughout the game.

TUFTS’ OWN SHARK TANK

WELCOME TO THE HILL: DEBORAH KOCHEVAR

Organized by Tufts Gordon Institute’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, our annual $100K New Ventures Competition calls on students, faculty, and alumni to pitch business ideas in three tracks: healthcare and life science, societal impact, and general/high-tech. Winners receive funding to make their dream a reality. This year’s ﬁnalists include a continuous blood pressure monitor, a virtual learning platform to increase access to education in Pakistan, and a tool to help you turn simple music ideas into a complete song in under one minute.

Arriving from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, Dean Kochevar will serve as Provost ad interim for the upcoming academic year. During her tenure, she will focus on cross-school initiatives and the implementation of the Data Intensive Studies Center (DISC). We are excited to see what she will do, and cannot wait to hear more about the class she is teaching in the Experimental College this fall.

¿HABLAS ESPAÑOL? Every Tuesday night, the conference room tucked away in the DewickMacPhie Dining Center is transformed into the Spanish Language Table. A way to brush up on your language skills and make new friends over dinner, this student-run initiative aims to create a welcoming and casual environment to converse with Spanish speakers of every level.

KATY TUR PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY; LACROSSE PHOTO BY EVAN SAYLES; DEBORAH KOCHEVAR PHOTO BY KELVIN MA

TUFTS TWEET May 7 @TuftsEngineer: Students are using electron beam lithography to create microscale renderings like this one of the Tufts seal. Measuring in at 2um x 2um, four of these images could ﬁt inside a red blood cell.

DINING HALL HACK: BREAKFAST SANDWICH Grab your favorite type of bagel, toast it, add your favorite toppings from the morning topping bar (my personal faves are pesto, spinach, and cheese), top it with some eggs, and throw it in the panini press. This little sandwich is a great way to switch up the traditional breakfast offerings and keeps me full all morning.

THESIS EXHIBITION This year’s Master of Fine Arts student exhibition, entitled (T)HERE, is a multidimensional and multilocational celebration of student art. Art will spill over from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts onto various locations on the Medford/Somerville campus, such as the Aidekman Art Gallery and even academic buildings like Eaton and Lane Hall, that will be reimagined as gallery spaces. 5

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Drawing from his personal H[SHULHQFH DV D ÞUVW JHQHUDWLRQ college student, Alberto uses performance art to give a voice to his family.

ALBERTO CHECA

’21

INTERDISCIPLINARY ART MAJOR IN THE SCHOOL OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS AT TUFTS FROM MIAMI, FL

When talking to Alberto Checa about his performance art, I was struck by his unbelievable level of intellectual maturity and creative curiosity. In the middle of our conversation, I asked what he plans on pursuing after graduation, as I assumed he was a senior. You can imagine my surprise when he casually responded, “Actually, I’m a freshman.” Alberto was born in Cuba and lived there for nine years before moving with his mother to Miami. His story permeates his artwork, and his daily life is his main source of inspiration. He explained, “I just draw [inspiration] from what I see every day. My mom wakes up at the crack of dawn and she comes back late at night…and then we have enough money to feed ourselves. I just draw inspiration from this idea of struggle and what it is like to be a lowerclass person living in the American landscape and how hard it is to actually get to the top.” One of Alberto’s pieces plays with the idea of what it means to be an immigrant in the United

States in the context of factory and warehouse workers. This idea was especially personal to Alberto, as the warehouse was the exact setting in which his mother worked at the time, often required to perform labor-intensive tasks in a facility with no air conditioning. To mimic the conditions his mother endured, he dressed himself in all black and headed to a beach in Miami during the summer (needless to say, it was very hot). He then pushed a concrete cooler through the sand until he passed out; after seeing my shocked expression he quickly assured me: “That wasn’t the goal!” During our discussion, Alberto had time to think out loud and reﬂect on his performance. One unexpected aspect that intrigued him was the interaction of the waves with the imprint of the cooler being pushed along the shoreline. The ﬁnal product was visible—it was clear that the cooler had been moved from one side of the beach to the other—but the evidence of his labor, of the exhaustive work put in

to make that happen, was washed away, leaving no trace. “I feel like that’s a really close connection to the idea of labor and immigrant families, and single mothers and people who come from that kind of background where labor’s not really seen,” he told me. “It’s more something you have to just keep behind doors, something you just do on a regular day basis, just as a means of survival.” As he continued to share with me the different pieces he’s worked on and ideas he wants to explore in the future, it was clear to me that Alberto is only beginning his journey as an artist and is going to continue to evolve and make thought-provoking art during his time at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Personally, I’m excited to see what he creates in the future, as he ﬁnds new ways to push himself emotionally and physically to question the world around him. —JULIE DOTEN ’18

AROUND TOWN

SUMMER IN THE CITY

BECAUSE BOSTON IS COVERED IN SNOW FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE YEAR, EVERYONE LOOKS FORWARD TO THAT FIRST WARM DAY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE RISES AND YOU NO LONGER NEED A JACKET TO GO OUTSIDE. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO IN BOSTON WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING!

Walk the Freedom Trail Marked by distinctive brick, the Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile path through downtown Boston that passes by 16 historically signiﬁcant sites. Walking along the trail is a great way to spend a beautiful day, and chances are you will even have a tour guide decked out in traditional period dress. Picnic on the Water Pick up some food (we recommend sandwiches from Dave’s Fresh Pasta in Davis Square), grab a picnic blanket, and head down to the water to enjoy an evening picnic. Our favorite spots for catching a sunset? The Esplanade and the waterfront near the Seaport both offer the best views in the city.

ILLUSTRATION BY BRATISLAV MILENKOVIC

Beat the Heat What’s a sunny day without ice cream? Grab some ice cream from local favorite J.P. Licks, which features a beloved menu of classics, plus a rotating monthly menu of eclectic seasonal ﬂavors. If you are in the mood for something healthier, local farmer’s markets pop up all summer long.

Lounge at The Lawn on D Described as an innovative and interactive outdoor space, this grassy area on the waterfront features live music, art, games, and events aimed at bringing together different communities and stimulating creativity. Be sure to snap a picture on the giant light-up swings!

Unwinding Isn’t Hard with a Library Card The Boston Public Library is a great place to visit at any time of the year, but the courtyard can only be enjoyed in nice weather. Featuring a pillarframed open space with a fountain at the center, it is a beautiful spot for visitors to relax and meet up with friends.

Cheer on the Red Sox Whether you grab a seat on the bleachers, or sit on the Green Monster, watching a baseball game at Fenway Park is a quintessential way to spend a summer night. There’s nothing like singing “Sweet Caroline” in the eighth inning with thousands of your new friends.

See Shakespeare from a Blanket Attend a free Shakespeare performance at the Boston Common. In the style of “Shakespeare in the Park,” Boston’s Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is entering its 24th season of “Shakespeare on the Common.” Enjoy Some Sweet Summer Tunes Whether you attend Boston Calling—a three-day music festival featuring four stages and forty-ﬁve different acts—or take advantage of the Harborwalk Sounds series at the Institute of Contemporary Art, there is no shortage of outdoor concerts during the warmer months.

During her research sabbatical last year, Professor Greenhill devoted her time to learning about the idea of â&#x20AC;&#x153;fake news.â&#x20AC;? As she continues to ask questions, she encourages her students to do the same.

“What the heck?” This question was the recurring theme behind my conversation with Associate Professor Kelly Greenhill and, as I learned during our conversation, the question that also spurs her research. Professors Greenhill’s academic interests are, in her own words, “problem oriented”—and never tied down to a certain geographical area. Professor Greenhill is fascinated by the sociopolitical patterns that occur throughout our global history and affect our present reality, and her research is concerned with tying together the threads in those patterns. Her current research (and upcoming book) is, in part, a continuation of her 2010 book Weapons of Mass Migration, which examined the use of forced migrations as an instrument of foreign policy and coercion. This time around, Greenhill is concerned with the ever-present reality of what she calls “extra-factual information”—or what the public might now consider “fake news.” Greenhill was fascinated by this subject area long before the term “fake news” constantly began ﬂashing across our screens and newspapers. Originally, her interest in this topic was spurred by a New Yorker article detailing the public hysteria

that unleashed with the rise of “invasion literature” during the WWI era. Having spent the past academic year on a research sabbatical, Greenhill devoted much of her time to considering the ways in which public perceptions of threats are often not driven by objectivity. In her research, Greenhill dove into specific moments in history, such as the United State’s attitudes toward Japan in the late twentieth century, but also looked at the post-9/11 environment in which we now live. Through her research, Greenhill has found that the public’s beliefs, fears, and anxieties are not organic, but willingly manipulated by outside sources to achieve something—thus their status as a political tool, or weapon. The idea that information is always in flux is reflected in her classes, including courses like Migration, Refugees, and Citizenship in a Globalized World and Better than the Truth: Extra-Factual Information in International Politics. Greenhill says that she is constantly rewriting her syllabi to reflect timely topics—which themselves are in a constant state of evolution. The change takes on a different kind of constancy when examined alongside sociopolitical patterns throughout time, allowing Greenhill

and her students to ﬁnd the root of present problems in the past. By exploring problems that are relevant to all of us, Greenhill makes her classes a space where students are encouraged to ask, “What the heck?” Talking about her students, Professor Greenhill raves about their intelligence, relying on the stereotypical Bostonian phrase “wicked smaht” as a descriptor of the Jumbos she has taught. She appreciates that her students never challenge ideas purely for challenge’s sake, but are always “trying to take an ongoing conversation and move it to the next level, or explore tangential ideas and concepts from required readings to ﬁnd broader implications.” This is the nature of the courses she teaches, which concern themselves with asking good questions about the world we live in—questions that might not yield readily available answers. Professor Greenhill says, “It’s challenging, but in some sense it sells itself—‘Why should I care about political science?’” She answers her rhetorical question with a laugh, “Because it’s happening! And it’s going to affect all of our lives.” —-DESMOND FONSECA ’20

KELLY GREENHILL PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS PROGRAM

TUFTS’

TOP 10 INSTAGRAM POSTS

THEY SAY A PHOTO IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. WE THINK THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO SHOW OFF A YEAR ON THE HILL THAN THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS. HERE, WE COMPILED OUR FAVORITE INSTAGRAM SNAPSHOTS TO SHARE WITH YOU. @tuftsdining: #nationaltacoday2017 #TuftsTacoTuesday Commons Marketplace

@tuftsuniversity: Illumination Ceremony for the Class of 2021 last night #Tufts2021

@tuftsobserver: Grab a copy of our latest issue! #silence

@tuftsfanthefire: Tufts Men’s Lax is hanging out in Dewick today educating fellow Jumbos about the One Love Foundation and relationship violence #OneLove #JumboPride

@tuftsadmissions: A Jumbo congratulations to the Tufts Class of 2022! We’ve been waiting for you! #tufts2022

@tuftsengineer: Engineering ice cream at the annual liquid nitrogen ice cream party put on by REAP Labs yesterday!

@tuftswomensctr: Our heart is still full from yesterday’s symposium! We have such amazing faculty, staff, and students who came out to join us. We will be back on Monday to kick off #sexualhealthweek with @tuftscare for our #cliteracy art making and discussion space.

@tuftsdaily: Members of the Boston Globe’s Investigative unit Patty Wen, Adrian Walker and Todd Wallack speak in Barnum auditorium as part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series on March 15, 2018. Photo by Rachel Hartman/The Tufts Daily @rhartman3

@tufts.excollege: #tbt to Exploring Mental Health in the 21st Century. Have you considered designing & teaching a course for first-year students? Explorations is our signature ﬁrst-year advising program and current upperclassmen can apply now to teach next fall. Time to start planning!

@tufts1plus4: “Between puffs of sulfur, glowing lava lit the bottom. Through a camera lens it looked like nothing more than a few orange specs, but in person it was one of the most amazing things I’d ever seen.” Sophie, #1plus4nicaragua fellow, reﬂects on her trip to the top of a volcano!

ATHLETICS

BACKSTROKE, BIG TIME

This past year, the Tufts Swimming and Diving team made history. The menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team ZRQ WKH 1(6&$& FKDPSLRQVKLS PHHW IRU WKH Ă&#x17E; UVW WLPH LQ SURJUDP KLVWRU\ WKH ZRPHQpV WHDP Ă&#x17E; QLVKHG LQ D SURJUDP EHVW IRXUWK SODFH DQG -XPERV ZDONHG DZD\ IURP WKH NCAA tournament with All-American honors. We wanted to let these swimmers tell you, in their own words, what this past year meant to them.

PHOTO BY ANNA MILLER/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Noah Cagley â&#x20AC;&#x2122;19 Mechanical Engineering Major from Pittsburgh, PA â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team, this year was about doing something we had never done before not by changing our team, but by relying on the values and traditions that our team has been built on since the program began.â&#x20AC;? Ailish Dougherty â&#x20AC;&#x2122;19 Child Study and Human Development Major from Bala Cynwyd, PA â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being on the swim team here at Tufts has been an incredible honor, and I am so grateful that I was able to continue, while also becoming a part of a community that similarly values hard work, determination, grit, and fun!â&#x20AC;?

Connor Doyle â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 International Relations Major from Slingerlands, NY â&#x20AC;&#x153;At NESCACs, I looked at the rest of my teammates and knew I owed it to every single one of them to get my hand to the wall before anyone else. Having President Monaco on hand to present us with the championship banner and plaque typiďŹ ed the support we received from the community.â&#x20AC;?

Hannah Truslow â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20 Economics and Community Health Double Major from New Smyrna Beach, FL â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are all so different from one another yet so similar. We all come together to compete, support and push each other in the pool, and celebrate by singing High School Musical on the bus rides home. They make me proud to be a Jumbo.â&#x20AC;?

Roger Gu â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20 Biomedical Engineering Major from Ashland, MA â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being on the ďŹ rst team in the history of the program to win the NESCAC title has been truly unforgettable. The feeling of achieving high levels of success with the people you practice with every day is incredible.â&#x20AC;?

Adam Hoyt Head Coach â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amazing things happen when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not worried about judgment or failure and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re simply focused on being the best version of yourself. Our performance at Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NESCACs left me speechless, and seeing the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team improve to a fourth place was a special moment as well. The teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance all year was a culmination of great tradition, unwavering community support, and hard workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; I am very proud and enjoying every minute!â&#x20AC;? 13

ARTS HIGHLIGHT

AUDIENCE ADDRESS

Critical Drag To quote RuPaulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Drag Race Season 9 winner, Sasha Velour, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gender is a construct; tear it apart.â&#x20AC;? In Professor Kareem Khubchandaniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special topics drama course, students are given the space to explore their artistic talents, develop performance skills, and think critically about gender by creating a drag character. The beginning of the course focuses primarily on scholarly writings describing the politics of performing gender, the history of drag, and the techniques (posture, gesture, etc.) and technologies (clothing, cosmetics, props, etc.) of the body. With this theoretical background, students craft Pinterest boards and write research papers to investigate how we embody gender. In performance exercises, students create drag personas, pay tribute to celebrity performers, and rise to the challenge of lip-syncing without music. In this process, the students envision drag as a performance that can be both multifaceted and multidimensional, resisting the limited perspective presented in RuPaulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Drag Race. With each passing week, students incorporate new material into their introductions and hone their lip-syncing skills. A week-long lip sync battle exercise introduces an aspect of competition into the class when students are placed into a March Madness style bracket. On some occasions, students will have a week to prepare a performance; other times, they only have minutes. Despite the time allotted, past students in the course have risen to the challenge and crafted hilarious and thoughtprovoking performances to wow their classmates and the guest judges. The ďŹ nal assignment, which students work on throughout the semester, is a three-minute performance in the Tisch Library. Performers pull out all the stops for one of the most entertaining ďŹ nal exams on campus that makes the audience not only laugh, but think as well.

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The American Musical While many Tufts students love singing along to Hamilton, this class takes a closer look at the American musical as an artform. Taught by Professor of Drama Barbara Grossman, students begin by diving into vaudeville, burlesque, and minstrel shows. Their studies then progress through the twentieth century. Key productions that marked a signiďŹ cant change in musical style, storytelling, or choreography are studied in depth, including Show Boat, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Cabaret, Company, and Rent. Contemporary musicals are also explored for their contributions to the craftâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; for example, Wicked was the ďŹ rst blockbuster show to feature two women as leads, Hair broke the fourth wall and incorporated performers into the audience, and In the Heights used a combination of English and Spanish to create a sense of place. And of course, plenty of time is spent on the monumental success and cultural importance of Hamilton: An American Musical.

PHOTOS BY TIM CORREIRA

In looking at different productions, students contemplate how productions embody American popular culture by asking questions about the expression of fantasy or nostalgia, and the depiction of racism and sexism. And because Broadway is first and foremost a business, this class also examines the fundamental tension between the art of creating musicals and the entertainment business. When roughly three out of every four Broadway musicals end in economic failure, students discuss finding the balance between artistic achievement and commercial success. Though there is a lot of course material, Professor Grossman keeps the course engaging by bringing in guest speakers (like Tony Awardwinning director Diane Paulus, who was part of the all-female team behind Waitress) and using cast recordings and videos during every class. For someone who enjoys theater, there is nothing better than homework that consists of reading scripts and a final exam that requires you to identify songs from your favorite shows.

Costume Design Cross-listed between the Department of Drama and Dance and the Film and Media Studies Program, this hands-on course educates students about what exactly goes on behind the scenes in order to craft the costumes we see on stage and on screen. Examining the entire process of how designers get from “page to stage,” Senior Lecturer Linda Girard takes students through theatrical design, the research process, and the two-dimensional rendering of designs. While students will explore topics like ﬁgure drawing, textile basics, and color theory, they will also take an important step back and assess the overall role and responsibilities of the costume designer. Though students do not need to have sewing experience and be the next Project Runway contestant to enroll in the course, playing with fabrics and investigating costume pieces is a crucial part of this class. Throughout the semester, students will tackle three major costuming projects, each consisting of several steps that are reviewed along the way (not so different from Project Runway after all!).

This detailed guidance, along with several other in-class projects, is always accompanied by group discussion and workshopping. Past ﬁnal projects for this course have included painted costume renderings for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and a collage project from Antigone. Of course, no costume design course would be complete without seeing how costumes can impact the overall look of a production. The plethora of productions both on campus (there are at least six shows each semester!) and in Boston serve as great case studies for students. Girard highly recommends that her students see costumes in action, so students are presented with a list of local productions at the beginning of this course. This past semester, students attended dress rehearsals of Kin (presented by the Department of Drama and Dance), Pippin (a student-directed production), and Tartuffe (showing at the Huntington Theater in Boston). They used what they learned to get back behind the curtains and create.

Located on the third floor of Robinson Hall in the Science and Engineering Complex, Associate Professor George Ellmoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ofďŹ ce is well-lit, with many of the walls covered in plant wallpaper. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what you would expect from a professor specializing in experimental plant anatomy and morphology. Ellmore himself, however, is far from the expected. In addition to teaching classes and conducting research, he is also a Tufts celebrity, best known for his starring role in a video showcasing different edible plants on campus, explaining to viewers where they could be found and how they could be cooked. Throughout his time at Tufts, Ellmore has taught classes to a variety of students, from biology majors to English majors. In fact, one of his favorite things about Tufts is helping students explore new academic opportunities through research. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I work on tea and the chemistry of tea,â&#x20AC;? he told me. Grabbing a stack of metal bowls from above his desk, he proceeded to rub a stick around the bowl

until a ringing sound ďŹ&#x201A;oated through the air. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you put tea in a glass and put it in these singing bowls for thirty seconds while doing that, the taste is radically changed,â&#x20AC;? he continued. When he is not focusing on the gustatory nuances of tea, Ellmore explores the relationship between plant tissues, development, and ability of these plants (speciďŹ cally garlic) to interact with their environment. Ellmore has gotten multiple students involved in his tea research, among other projects. He ďŹ nds many of these students in his biology classes, like Plants and Humanity and Organisms and Population. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I explained the research one day and got a student who was majoring in English and political science, but she was excited [about] biology research,â&#x20AC;? he explained. Ellmore ďŹ nds Tufts students unique in that they want to explore different ideas and interests through their liberal arts education, not just stick to one ďŹ eld. When he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t starring in videos, or conducting international research on topics like tissue-speciďŹ c

gene expression in garlic and nutrient uptake in coastal sand dunes and freshwater wetlands, Ellmore spends most of his time working with students. One of his most popular, and beloved, classes is taught through the Tufts in Talloires summer program. Aptly called Flowers of the Alps, this class takes place outdoors amongst thousands of ďŹ&#x201A;owers, where Ellmore said the landscape looks like, â&#x20AC;&#x153;God just threw paint.â&#x20AC;? He explained that students always enjoy the class, which makes sense given that exams are taken in ďŹ elds of ďŹ&#x201A;owers, and humming like Julie Andrews (a la The Sound of Music) is encouraged. It is clear that this professor, researcher, campus celebrity, and self-proclaimed â&#x20AC;&#x153;drifterâ&#x20AC;? has found a home at Tufts, where students crave interdisciplinary research opportunities and often approach topics through perspectives that even surprise Ellmore himself. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;CHRIS PANELLA â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21

GEORGE S. ELLMORE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

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HOT ITEMS

RISE CRAFT PIZZA SLICE

SPIKEBALL IMAGE COURTESY OF SPIKEBALL

A new addition to Hotung Café, Rise Craft Pizza gives Jumbos the opportunity to create their own personal pizza. Choose between different types of crusts and sauces, and top it off with an array of toppings and dressings. Each pizza is served in a recyclable and deconstructible box that will hold any leftovers—that is, if you don’t ﬁnish it all in one sitting. —Danny Knight ’19

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT TUFTS THROUGH RANDOM ITEMS FOUND ALL OVER CAMPUS.

DEWICK SUGGESTION CARDS

AN EXTRA BEACH TOWEL

You would think a college rated #1 for food in MA would have nothing for students to suggest. But maybe their open dialogue with the student community in informing their menu is the reason Tufts Dining's food is so fantastic! From ﬁg and goat cheese paninis to miso-glazed salmon, the suggestion board is always full of new student ideas, and you can see the chefs’ responses written on each within the week before serving them out on the line. —Jacob Shaw ’21

I will never cease to be shocked by the number of students that ﬂock to the Prez Lawn on warm days. Stowing an extra beach towel in my room means that as soon as the sun comes out, I can be lounging on the lawn within minutes, having already staked out the best spot. —Ainsley Ball ’21

JUMBO PAPERWEIGHT

SPIKEBALL

ALBINO FROGS

My freshman year, I broke my phone because an avalanche of books fell off of my bookcase and smashed it to smithereens. Don’t be like me. Get a paperweight to hold those books up and on display. If you’re going to invest, it might as well be an elephant. —Desmond Fonseca ’20

When the sun starts to rise a little earlier and set a little later, the Frisbees, picnics, and hammocks start coming out. One of the most popular games to set up on the Rez or Academic Quad is Spikeball. A fun (and definitely competitive) game, it is the sign of warmer weather and the celebration of a new spring in Medford. —Olivia LaddLuthringshauser ’19

In tandem with her upper-level biology courses, Associate Professor Kelly McLaughlin has created a cutting-edge laboratory full of frogs for intensive study, including a unique albino variety. The McLaughlin Lab focuses on organogenesis and the creation of organs, one of the most fascinating and least understood biological processes in modern science. —Jacob Shaw ’21

TEA CUP I bought this tea cup for $4 at an underground vintage market in South Boston. I love pouring myself tea as I do my homework because it makes me feel classy and at peace. Plus, I always enjoy inviting friends over for a cup of tea to decompress. —Chloe Malouf ’20

DECK OF CARDS It’s always nice to have a study break with friends once in a while…and a deck of cards holds endless possibilities! Most people will have a game or two they can teach others—it makes for a great ice-breaker to meet new people in your dorm! —Julie Doten ’18 17

ALECIA MCGREGOR ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF COMMUNITY HEALTH

and how hospitals may contribute to campaigns. She said, “I’m finding that some political factors are predictive of where hospitals close.” To dive even deeper into this topic, Professor McGregor wanted to bring students into the discussion. In her seminar course, Too Big to Fail? Hospitals and the Changing Landscape, McGregor guides students through the political, financial, and societal explanations of why hospitals are closing, merging, or converting into private entities. She told the Daily that her students tackle questions like, “What is happening in the hospital sector that is broadly reflective of what’s happening in our economy in general?” and “What are ways that we can guarantee access to care?”

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW WITH THE TUFTS DAILY, PROFESSOR MCGREGOR DISCUSSED HER RESEARCH ON THE DRIVERS BEHIND HOSPITAL CLOSURES AND HOW SHE HAS TRANSLATED HER FINDINGS INTO A SEMINAR FOR UNDERGRADUATES. Obviously, these questions are complex, as is the material, but students cite McGregor’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject as reasons she is such an excellent professor. Zarena Jafry ’19 and Deeksha Bathini ’21, both majors in community health, appreciate Professor McGregor’s passion for discussions beyond class material, and willingness to give advice to all her students. Whether in her own seminars, as a guest lecturer for other courses, or through her research, Bathini comments that McGregor is always cognizant of marginalized communities and enjoys tying her research into smaller class discussions. After seeing Professor McGregor in action as a guest lecturer, Sharif Hamidi ’21 wanted to learn more. “I really look forward to taking a full course with her soon,” he said. “She’s deﬁnitely an asset to the Department of Community Health.” —JAIME MORGEN ’14 AND ABIGAIL MCFEE ’17

PHOTO BY FRANK MA/TUFTS DAILY

What is the intersection between equity and healthcare? You might begin to answer that question by stepping into Professor Alecia McGregor’s ofﬁce. She has explored topics ranging from HIV/AIDS disparities to the relationship between race and health policy. With a strong research background and true knack for teaching in any classroom setting, it comes as no surprise that Professor McGregor is already making an impact as an assistant professor in the Department of Community Health. Right now, Professor McGregor’s research examines the reasons behind hospital closures, both in the United States and in Brazil. In talking to Hannah Shin ’19 of the Tufts Daily, McGregor described the healthcare system in Brazil as an interesting case study. McGregor explained that, in Brazil, healthcare is a right, and must be provided by the state. Unfortunately, the public system in Brazil is chronically underfunded, so many are turning to private plans for access to specialists and better care. In some ways, this is like the two-tiered system in the United States—depending on the type of insurance an individual may have, only certain types of care are available. A notable difference, of course, is that the U.S. government does not view healthcare as a universal right. “A lot of the reluctance to universalize access to care [in the U.S.] and create national health insurance in the mid-20th century came from Southern Democrats who wanted to preserve Jim Crow segregation in the South,” Professor McGregor told the Tufts Daily. “So, sometimes you hear the language of ‘That’s not the American way, to provide for everyone.’ There’s the question of, ‘Well, who are these undeserving poor that we don’t want to provide care to?’” McGregor is deeply interested in the drivers that force hospitals to close in our own country, speciﬁcally those relating to race. Through her research, she has found that the hospitals that close are more likely to be in neighborhoods that have an increased proportion of black and Latino populations, as well as higher overall poverty rates. McGregor told the Tufts Daily that she is currently exploring the political explanations for hospital closures by looking at factors like civic participation in a state legislative district

USA

USA Written by Ainsley Ball â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21

ILLUSTRATIONS BY LISK FENG

HARARE ZIMBABWE

FROM CONDUCTING ON-CAMPUS RESEARCH TO TAKING CLASSES ABROAD TO FINDING SUMMER JOBS THAT ILLUMINATE THEIR PASSIONS, JUMBOS KNOW HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE LONG DAYS.

116

DAYS of summer vacation might sound like a dream

come true—but how to fill them? After packing up their dorms, Tufts students seize the opportunity to spend the long summer days pursuing fascinating, unique, and challenging opportunities. As a freshman just embarking on my first Tufts summer, I was certainly in awe to hear about some of the things my peers had done in the past, but my biggest takeaway was that there’s no formula for how to spend the perfect summer. Regardless of what they choose to pursue, summer is an optimal time for students to explore interests, gain experience, and gear up to come back to campus fresh-faced and ready for another year. Summers in college may seem distinctly different from the laid-back vacations of high school, but the Executive Director of the Career Center, Greg Victory, assured me that there’s no way to do summer wrong. “Nearly everything a student will do is marketable or valuable in some way,” he explained. He stressed that while students often come to him anxious about finding the perfect internship or research position, the summer is still a time to relax and have fun. According to Greg, waitressing at home or being a camp counselor can provide equally as many opportunities to gain experience, while a nine-to-five job still allows plentiful free time to explore a new city and create adventures. Greg spoke of the summers as a trial period for Jumbos, emphasizing that, sometimes, finding an internship that doesn’t work is just as valuable as finding one that does. Whatever students choose to pursue, the Career Center is there to help them navigate this process—whether that means editing a résumé, performing mock interviews, or providing funding. Over the past few years, Greg’s office has developed the Tufts Career Services Grant, which supplements unpaid internships so that students can pursue exciting opportunities without having to consider the financial burden. This summer, 54 students are

TALLOIRES FRANCE 22

receiving up to $4,000 to supplement unpaid positions. This grant is more than just money, however. Each recipient is given an adviser and required to complete monthly check-ins that can give structure to vague jobs, or allow students to reﬂect on what they’ve learned. Last summer, Christie Makuwa ’18 was one of the proud recipients of the Career Services Grant, which she used to return home to Zimbabwe and intern for an NGO. As an international relations major, Christie knew she wanted to work for an NGO, and she was especially excited to ﬁnd experiences she couldn’t necessarily get in the classroom. She secured an internship at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Harare, Zimbabwe. Over the course of the summer, she developed her own responsibilities, preparing a monthly newsletter to share with direct donors and community members, working directly with displaced citizens to teach them concrete skills, and leading focus groups. Although she was working internationally, Christie was still very connected to Tufts through her grant. “The grant gave me so much structure,” she said. It pushed her to formalize her work and gave her opportunities for networking which kept her excited about how she could translate the experience into other opportunities domestically. She also mentioned how grateful she was, especially as most domestic grants won’t cover international work. It was clear from her smiles and detailed stories that Christie loved her summer in Zimbabwe, and it gave her the opportunity to apply her studies to real-world situations. Phoebe Cavise ’18 also chose to spend her summer abroad, but instead of pursuing an internship, she enrolled in classes through the Tufts in Talloires program. As one of thirty students in this program, Phoebe found the perfect opportunity to study abroad, take advantage of place-based course offerings, and of course, eat lots of pastries. During this six-week program, students take two fullcredit classes taught by Tufts professors in an 11th century Benedictine monastery owned by the university; Phoebe’s chosen classes were Flowers of the Alps and The Gauls and the History of

ILLUSTRATIONS BY LISK FENG

MEDFORD MASSACHUSETTS Ancient France. Phoebe loved that she was truly studying the things around her. Lectures about the Gauls would be paired with field trips to the very churches mentioned in the textbooks. “It was amazing,” she told me. “For our Flowers of the Alps final, the professor picked a bunch of flowers on his morning walk through the Alps, stuck them in a jar, and then asked us to identify them.” Summer classes can be intimidating, but Phoebe quickly assuaged my worries; she shared stories of afternoons spent on the beach and walks with her host family’s dog. “It’s school,” she said, “but there’s nothing else going on!” Phoebe loved the opportunity to dive in completely, embracing friendships she might not have found otherwise, and getting to know the French culture. She even picked up German language classes in addition to her three previous semesters of French once she returned to campus, having loved her adventure so much. While some Jumbos do jet off to faraway places for the summer, Emma Kahn ’18 embraced adventures right here in Medford. This anthropology major and urban studies minor is fascinated by cities. She entered the summer before senior year with big plans for a thesis that would allow her to explore urban space revitalizations in Philadelphia. To pursue her independent research, Emma applied for the Summer Scholars Program. As a Summer Scholar, Emma had the funding and support to spend a week in Philadelphia conducting ethnographic research, meeting urban planners, and walking through the parks and neighborhoods she would soon write about. She recounted walking into one woman’s home during one of her interviews, ducking under hanging plants and shielding her audio recorder from licking cats. “I felt like I was really in it,” she smiled. When she returned to Medford, she analyzed her findings within a community of other students doing similar work. While independent research can sometimes feel isolating, the community of Summer Scholars gave Emma people with whom she could watch movies, have writing parties, and debrief research. At the end of the summer, Emma’s

project became the basis for her senior thesis, and she is grateful to have had the ten weeks to do nothing but research and write. While taking classes or pursuing independent research may seem like a job in and of itself, some students choose to supplement their academic pursuits with a summer job. Anna Rodriguez ’18 spent her summer at Tufts, splitting time between taking classes for her education major and working as a supervisor for the Bridge to Liberal Arts Success at Tufts (BLAST) program. Though her summer was jam-packed, Anna said she would not have had it any other way. “It was hard in that I really didn’t get a break, but everything I was doing was enjoyable,” she said. Anna took two classes, including a graduate course called Pedagogies taught by Associate Professor of Education Sabina Vaught. When Anna started talking about that class, she could not help but gush. “That class was amazing, and Sabina Vaught is magic. It’s the type of class that is challenging and fun at the same time.” In addition to dedicating time to her studies, Anna completed administrative work for BLAST and, more importantly, got to serve as an adviser and mentor for a group of incoming students. This combination of classwork and experience was enlightening for Anna, as it helped clarify her goals for the future. She explained, “I want to go into higher education and work with people who have similar backgrounds as I do and help them see their potential. This summer working with BLAST was the ﬁrst time I was able to see what that work looks like.” Whether summers are a chance to get a trial run at a fast-paced internship, embark on a research project, or take classes, there’s no doubt that Jumbos are keeping busy from May to August. With a combination of resources provided by Tufts, and the genuine curiosity that so many Tufts students have, the summer becomes a time for students to further explore their passions, add data points to their personal understanding, and collect elephant trinkets from around the world. 23

“I didn’t know what an engineer was prior to enrolling as one,” recounts Hernán Gallegos ’19. Spurred by an encouraging push from a high school counselor, Hernán leapt headﬁrst into Tufts’ robust STEM undergraduate community. Once welcomed into the world of engineering, he learned exactly what an engineer was and what they could do. But at the same time, he came to a parallel realization—why had it taken him so long to experience STEM in this way? For many students across the country, engineering education was not what it could be. Hernán describes the rote, calculated, often impersonal style of math-based courses he had taken in high school, which typically revolved around a lecturer feeding equations to a class. There was no opportunity to challenge the formulas, no collective problem-solving, and no space for curiosity. It wasn’t until college that Hernán honed his love for mathematics, and with it, his ambition to infuse that

sense of genuine excitement into every STEM classroom he could reach. Hernán began to search for opportunities for innovation through Tufts’ Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO), one of the few centers in the nation with a focus on training engineering educators. Later recruited as a Tufts STEM Ambassador, he has developed an outreach program of his own, creating STEM presentations for high school students. The support system he found at Tufts allowed him to continue exploring, partnering early with Professor Kristen Wendell as well as the Center for STEM Diversity. “It’s always hard for students of color not to see role models of color,” he shares from personal experience. As a ﬁrstgeneration student from the state of Georgia, and a son of two remarkable and admirably hardworking parents, Hernán recalls being galvanized early on, “¡Ponte las pilas!”— get a move on!

Hernán’s research now focuses on the undergraduate classroom experience, making science and math courses more engaging and avoiding “plug-and-chug” teaching methods. His idea is to integrate “learning assistants” (graduate students who are engaged in the study of engineering pedagogy) into the classroom environment. By training peer undergraduates to assume the position and promote inclusivity, Hernán expects a more interactive, collaborative, and diverse set of conceptual thinkers to venture into the future of both the engineering and education ﬁelds. “I represent more than myself,” Hernán asserts. “I am a Mexican American. I have tattoos. I am not everyone’s image of an engineer. But for people who are where I was, for them to see someone like me where I am, I just want to show that you can bring anything to the table and still feel accepted.” —-JACOB SHAW ’21

HERNÁN GALLEGOS MECHANICAL ENGINEER FROM DECATUR, GEORGIA

’19

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

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LIVING

T IPS FOR THE TWIN XL

LEFT PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER; PHOTO CENTER AND RIGHT BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

ADVICE ON DORM LIVING FROM FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS

'RUP OLIH FDQ EH D WRWDO P\VWHU\ IRU PDQ\ KLJK VFKRRO VWXGHQWV 7R KHOS DQVZHU WKH TXHVWLRQV WKDW DUH SUREDEO\ VZLPPLQJ DURXQG LQ \RXU KHDG ZH ZHQW WR WKH VRXUFH 7XIWV VRSKRPRUHV ZKR MXVW Ă&#x17E; QLVKHG WKHLU Ă&#x17E; UVW \HDU LQ RQ FDPSXV KRXVLQJ $IWHU UHIOHFWLQJ RQ WKHLU Ă&#x17E; UVW \HDU WKH\ KDYH ORWV RI ZLVGRP WR VKDUH ZLWK \RX I would recommend trying out as many different showers in your dorm as possible, so you can ďŹ nd the ones with the best water pressure! â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Mia Goldberg â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 from Chicago, IL

like, the campus is full of amazing study spots, whether you prefer one of the libraries or the fresh air of the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lawn. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jacob Shaw â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 from Glencoe, IL

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OK to tell your roommate you need to be alone. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OK to tell your roommate â&#x20AC;&#x153;noâ&#x20AC;? to them asking you to leave as well. Communicating with them will save you weeks of pent-up frustration later. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Cole Friedman â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 from MacLean, VA

Establish a relationship with your roommate from the start. Go out and have lunch together, or just walk around exploring campus. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to have some level of friendship with the person you will be living with for the next year. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jheanelle Owens â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 from Spanish Town, Jamaica

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry if your dorm isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a hugely social one. There is no deďŹ cit of social life on campus, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ďŹ nd it easy to keep as busy as you want. Conversely, if your dorm is more social than youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot to adjust to within the ďŹ rst few months of college, so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing better than coming back to your room and feeling completely at peace there. Decorate and set it up in a way that makes you feel happy and relaxed. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ainsley Ball â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 from San Francisco, CA My tip would be to set boundaries with your roommate to help facilitate a much better level of comfort with one another that will ultimately lead to a happier and healthier living situation. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Mike Suglia â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 from Chicopee, MA

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like you must be conďŹ ned to your room. Explore places around campus and town to hang out, eat, and study! â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nkem Aduka â&#x20AC;&#x2122;21 from Camas, WA

CLASS HIGHLIGHT

REIMAGINING GOD

Throughout time, the notion of God has constantly been questioned, and even scrutinized. In this seminar, students embrace questions, take ownership over course material, and dive into contemporary works. Do genocides and nuclear weapons undermine ideas about God’s all-encompassing goodness and power? Do science and reason disprove the existence of God? How do Christian thinkers respond to environmental issues? This course in the Department of Religion explores contemporary Christian thought and its criticism, focusing on the religion’s responses to a range of social challenges. By considering questions raised by political and social oppression, this class explores how post-WWII Catholic and Protestant thinkers and their critics have reimagined the meaning of “God." This course will draw on contemporary works of ﬁlm and literature to understand different social contexts and foster students’ ability to think critically about Christian conceptions of God. Readings and ﬁlms from past semesters have included Night, Letters and Papers from Prison, Mystery and Meaning, The Women of Brewster Place, and Avatar. Students are encouraged to engage actively with the material, embracing questions that arise for them

during the course of the semester, and ultimately creating their own meaning. In order to encourage this dynamic, each student in this small seminar will take turns leading one of the many class discussions. Students prepare questions and topics to help guide their classmates and, in this way, can form personal connections with the material. Students take a similar type of ownership over their final assignment—they are tasked with preparing both an oral presentation and research paper that compare the depiction of God in an assigned reading from the semester and a post-WWII film or book of their choosing. In this paper, students are also encouraged to include authors or thinkers that they have not yet written about, and to incorporate outside perspectives into their analysis. Though housed in the Department of Religion, this course fulfills a humanities requirement for students in both the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering.

VOXJUMBO PATRICIA BLUMERIS ’19 MECHANICAL ENGINEER FROM CHELMSFORD, MA

Since coming to Tufts, Patricia has engineered not only prosthetics, but also communities through her mechanical engineering major, the varsity track team, and the Society of Women Engineers. Here, she answers our supplemental essay questions so you can get to know her, Tufts, and our application all at the same time!

INTRODUCING THE TUFTS COMMUNITY THROUGH OUR SUPPLEMENT … ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

Which aspects of Tufts’ curriculum or undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short: “Why Tufts?” (50–100 words) As a tour guide I would take 5–10 minutes to answer this prompt, and joke how I would never need to write my response in 50–100 words again, but here I am! When I answered this question as a prospective student I talked about Tufts’ focus on undergraduate research, but now I can also deﬁnitively say my peers have enhanced my educational experience. My junior mechanical engineering class contains the most intelligent, hard-working, collaborative, and fun-loving students I have ever met. We not only work together, but ﬁnd time to hang out outside of the new Science and Engineering Building.

There is a Quaker saying: “Let your life speak.” Describe the environment in which you were raised—your family, home, neighborhood, or community—and how it influenced the person you are today. (200–250 words) My mom and dad are both engineers, but until senior year of high school I had always told myself I wouldn’t be like them; however, as time passed I began to appreciate the work they do, and how it can benefit a variety of different people. I have always wanted a job where I can feel as though I am helping this world improve, and engineering offers me just that. Both of my parents have instilled in me their work ethic: if there is a report due my mom will work the extra hours, without complaint, in order to finish on time, and my dad constantly examines every miniscule detail of his projects until completion. One of the most prevalent characteristics I have gained from my upbringing is the need for knowledge. I want to know how things work, and I want to know why they work; maybe this is just the wiring inside all engineers, but for me these questions fill my everyday life. Thanks to my undergraduate education, I can look at trusses on a bridge and think about forces, question the validity of presented data, and run virtual simulations on real objects. As I venture into my senior year at Tufts and then the “real world,” I will continue to ask questions unapologetically, learn quickly, and listen closely.

Whether you’ve built blanket forts or circuit boards, produced community theater or mixed media art installations, tell us: what have you invented, engineered, created, or designed? Or what do you hope to? (200–250 words)*

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Throughout my time at Tufts I have designed, engineered, invented, and created a lot of things—a few examples include a coat hook, a name plate, a cutting board, and a prosthetic knee and ankle—but I am most proud of the personal and professional relationships I have built. At Tufts, the women I have met through the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), my peers in engineering, professors, and coaches have been some of the most influential people in my life. I have found community in many places and built relationships to last multiple lifetimes. In the fall of junior year, I found one of these communities in my Machine Design class. There were 35 students and only four females in the class, and one of them was our professor: Luisa Chiesa. She is one of six women out of 27 faculty in the Mechanical Engineering Department, and is an outstanding resource for questions surrounding class, life, and all things Italian. Whenever her office door is open you can feel free to drop in, and be prepared to be offered mouth-watering chocolate and “real” espresso, because, according to her, American coffee cannot compare to Italian standards. Even though she isn’t my professor this semester, I walked into her office two months ago to ask for help on designing a nuclear reactor, and again on International Women’s Day to tell her she is one of my role models—she exemplifies the determination, candor, and passion I strive for as a female engineer.

*To see our new supplemental essay prompts for the Class of 2023, visit admissions.tufts.edu/apply/essay-questions 29

DATA SCIENCE: TUFTS’ NEW

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEKSANDAR SAVIC

By Julie Doten ’18

EST ENGINEERING MAJOR

DATA IS EVERYWHERE WE LOOK. THANKS TO A COLLABORATION BETWEEN STUDENTS AND FACULTY, THIS NEW MAJOR REFLECTS THE EVER-CHANGING WORLD OF NUMBERS AND HOW STUDENTS CAN USE INFORMATION TO INFLUENCE REAL-WORLD SITUATIONS.

Regardless of the revolutionary changes on the horizon of computing, there will always be a need for people who can partner with computers in solving the world’s problems.

e can’t very well talk about one of Tufts’ newest majors without answering the question that might be on your mind: “So, what is data science?” Everywhere we look, people are collecting data for uses ranging from healthcare to marketing, and from business to politics. But none of that data has any value unless we can discover insights to help us identify trends, draw conclusions, or offer solutions to problems. This is where data scientists enter the picture, or—in this case—the campus. Starting this fall, the School of Engineering will offer a Bachelor of Science in Data Science (BSDS). This brand new interdisciplinary major bridges material and courses within the Departments of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mathematics. Students in the major will learn how to analyze data to solve real-world problems through techniques such as statistics, data visualization, and machine learning.

“From voice commands given to Siri and Alexa, to constant monitoring of phone location, and even smart refrigerators that monitor their contents, data collection is ubiquitous in the current world,” explained Alva Couch, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Co-Director of the data science program. “Those who master data analysis may seem like sorcerers, making subtle decisions that alter world events and perhaps even influence elections.” To comprehend these numbers, students will have to understand the algorithms and computer codes behind the methods and techniques of data analysis. They’ll also have to understand its theoretical and computational aspects. The program is unique in that it utilizes courses that already existed at Tufts, creating a specific path of study that will build upon the strengths of the School of Engineering and speak to students’ interests. The program was clearly built by engineers—it has been crafted with great precision in order to provide students with what they need to succeed in this demanding field.

Even though the data science program exists within the School of Engineering, it will reach far beyond the walls of the Science and Engineering Complex (SEC) and Halligan Hall (the computer science building). “I think it’s incredibly important for Tufts to have the major,” Eric Miller, Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, told me. He explained that from healthcare to music, large data sets influence our lives, and they require people with specific technical skills to be able to draw insight from them. The data science major is structured to not only give students the technical background they need to be able to handle and analyze data, but also the opportunity to get out from behind a computer and apply these skills to other fields. Professor Miller spoke specifically of the disciplinary breadth requirement of the major that prepares students for their capstone in data analysis. This requirement intends to give students real-world experience in applying their knowledge to a specific discipline outside of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and mathematics. “It’s a very ‘Tufts’ approach to doing this, I think,” Professor Miller stated. “It demands [that] engineers get out there and interact with other folks in our community at Tufts to see how these computational tools can be useful in other areas, like the digital humanities, healthcare, or even veterinary medicine. It’s a nice balanced approach to data science. It’s very ‘Tufts’—very interdisciplinary.” He stressed that the real-world application of data science is the most interesting part of the field. The new program will focus on students getting to use real data sets from the communities and people around them. “We’re not just creating people that are going to live in cubicles staring at computers. You have to get out [there].” The major supports Tufts students’ and faculty’s focus on the interdisciplinary. As the demand for data analysis spans a range of fields, students can

apply their skills in data science to their other interests. Shuchin Aeron, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Co-Director of the program, says that the variety of capstone projects will make the major a success in the future. Through the data science program, students will gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that underlie data analysis techniques. Students can then apply these skills to data in new ways in order to answer questions in a variety of domains. Tufts students who are excited about data science have been a major inﬂuence in making this major come to life. Those passionate about the subject had already found ways to get involved and practice applying their skills of data analysis before the major was created. Professor Couch said that he was especially inspired to go forward with his idea for the program after meeting with the student group Enigma and talking to them about possibilities for addressing problems through data analysis.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEKSANDAR SAVIC

Enigma is the independent data journal on campus run by Tufts students. It is focused on bridging computer science, data science, and the rest of the world by answering questions using data. Their articles range from “#Haltthehike: Armchair Activism at Tufts”—ﬁnding a negative correlation between how immediate a form of activism is and the likeliness of participation—to “Statistical Means for Tufts Memes”—providing insight into the top reasons that students “liked” memes on a popular Tufts page. The wide variety of their research shows how versatile knowledge and application in data science can be, the possibilities seemingly endless. Astrid Weng ’19, Lead Editor of Enigma, got involved in the publication because she wanted to explore stories behind data. Hoping to pursue a career in data science, Astrid said she is excited that the major is now being offered. She told me, “Data science is getting more and more recognition across industries. It’s great to see Tufts is helping students prepare for this trend.” Students are already getting ready to declare this

new major, like Sejal Dua ’21: “I’m excited to have the opportunity to study data science because I think being able to handle data and deduce something meaningful from it combines computer science and business analytics, and will nicely supplement a technical engineering background. I think Tufts is really stepping up by recognizing data science as a major and adapting to the changing times.” Since advances in this area are especially rapid, the program was designed with an eye on the future. As an “agile degree program,” the data science major at Tufts will continuously evolve as new developments and challenges in data analysis and computing arise. The structure of the major makes it easy to incorporate new courses as they become necessary, and students will have an active role in the evolution of the program. They are encouraged to be on the lookout for courses or subjects that are relevant to BSDS so they can be incorporated into the major. This level of involvement is usually not possible in more established majors. Students joining the program in the next few years will have the unique experience of helping shape it for students to come—their excitement and involvement essential to its success. With the need for data scientists growing rapidly in a variety of fields, this program is not simply a new major, but also a potential career path for Tufts students. “There is no artificial substitute for the skill to communicate human intent to computers, and regardless of the sophistication of artificial intelligence, it has not proven to be a match for human creativity,” Professor Couch declared. “Regardless of the revolutionary changes on the horizon of computing, there will always be a need for people who can partner with computers in solving the world’s problems. The Bachelor of Science in Data Science is our attempt to rise to this challenge, and to educate the kind of people who will contribute to the next computing revolutions.”

minors in English and ﬁlm and media studies, her academics are still wide-reaching, yet conducive to merging her intellectual and artistic interests. She further bridges her varied interests outside the classroom as a member of the editorial board for the on-campus Tufts Historical Review and as a DJ for WMFO, Tufts’ freeform radio station. In what spare time is left, Miranda has established herself as a novelist, and she plans to continue both screenwriting and creative writing after graduation. Miranda has traveled and studied internationally, yet she asserts that studying history at Tufts is unlike studying history anywhere else. “Not only are the Tufts faculty brilliant researchers,” she explains, “but they are excellent storytellers. I teared up in Europe to 1815 when Professor David Proctor described the fall of Constantinople using 15thcentury accounts. I felt transported to a different time and place when Professor Robert Cross, in his Britain and British Empire class, pulled out his guitar and sang a traditional Celtic folk song for us. After taking Professor Steven Marrone’s class (Demons in Early Modern Europe), I was almost convinced I could summon a demon if only I could read Latin.”

MIRANDA PHAAL HISTORY MAJOR AND ENGLISH AND FILM AND MEDIA STUDIES MINOR FROM SAN FRANCISCO, CA 34

As a student with a late-diagnosed learning disability, Miranda has also formed relationships with the staff at Tufts’ Student Accessibility Services, who have accommodated her with extended exam time and alternative notetaking options, among other resources. “They are so kind and helpful, and I love them to pieces.” She explained that her slower processing speed helps her to think more deeply and critically about topics. “It’s ﬁve parts thinking to one part writing,” she said. “Keeps me from talking off the top of my head.” The skills Miranda has honed in historical research mirror those of publishing, another career of interest. Being true to the facts, rather than interpretation, is more paramount now than ever. Miranda will likely pursue as many careers as she has academic paths, and all for the best. But one thing is for sure: Whether on-screen or in the bookstore, “Miranda Phaal” is a name we will no doubt be seeing quite a bit in the future. —-JACOB SHAW ’21

’18

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

How much do you know about early modern European science fiction? Have you ever thought about how fictional accounts of planetary voyages reflect the opinions of the scientific enlightenment? Miranda Phaal has. In fact, it’s the topic of her senior project. And zany as it might sound, talk with Miranda for ten minutes and you realize how 17thcentury Sci-Fi truly shapes our outlook on the unknown. “Because extraterrestrials were the greatest possible Other that Europeans could conceive of encountering,” she explains, “suddenly the peoples of the New World didn’t seem so alien.” The story goes on, as does a plethora of other stories. But Miranda is not just a vessel for retaining insight; she is a true storyteller, and in a distinctly Tuftsy way she harnesses her passion for storytelling to bring history to life in novel and creative ways. San Francisco-born Miranda chose Tufts for the individual freedom and interdisciplinary interests it fosters, where at last she would not have to choose a single discrete path. Instead, she “embraced the ‘liberal’ in ‘liberal arts education’ and tried everything from economics to philosophy, and anthropology to computer science.” Now a history major with

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not only are the Tufts faculty brilliant researchers, but they are excellent storytellers.â&#x20AC;?

ADVICE

SHOW US THAT YOU KNOW US

A GUIDE TO DEMONSTRATED INTEREST

With your college search underway, you may have heard the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;demonstrated interestâ&#x20AC;? floating around your VFKRRO FRXQVHORUpV RIĂ&#x17E;FH \RXU NLWFKHQ WDEOH RU WKH GHSWKV RI RQOLQH IRUXPV ,W FDQ EH DQ DQ[LHW\ LQGXFLQJ FRQFHSW Show that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in College X or else you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get in %XW ZH WKLQN RQFH \RX XQGHUVWDQG LW LW ZRQpW VHHP quite as scary. What is it and why do we care about it? You know how in middle school, you would hear that someone had a crush on you, and you started to believe you had a crush on them? Demonstrated interest is kind of like that. College admissions ofďŹ cers like to see that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve put some thought into why youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re applying to our institution. Throwing an application our way with no reason behind it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make us feel goodâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and frankly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a waste of your time and money! So we care that you do your research. And you should too, because this is about where you spend the next four years of your life. So now you may wonderâ&#x20AC;Ś

this question, put in some hustle. Spend time online (read our blogs, check out our academic programs, watch our YouTube videos); read emails we have sent you; reach out to current students or faculty (you can ďŹ nd their contact information on our website and department sites). Write down adjectives that come to mind as you research. ReďŹ&#x201A;ect on whether what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re learning feels like a good ďŹ t for you. Then write about this process and what you learned, but also how you felt. Be speciďŹ c. Which blog resonated with you? Which professor emailed you back with a friendly and enthusiastic description of their research? What did you see on your campus visit that clicked for you?

How can I show demonstrated interest? â&#x20AC;˘Visit: Yes, a campus visit is one way to show that â&#x20AC;˘Nail our supplement: There is more to our suppleyouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in us. Sure, we appreciate when ment than just the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why Tuftsâ&#x20AC;? question, and being you take the time to sit in on our information sesauthentic and thoughtful in your other response is sion and trek up and down our hill with a tour guide. a form of demonstrated interest in itself. Have fun Particularly if you live nearby, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smart to tour with both essays, use them as an opportunity to before you apply. But many people think you have showcase your tone and personality, and put in the to visit a college campus to show demonstrated time to craft original responses. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t copy and interest. This is not true. There are many other ways paste from another collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supplement (yes, we to show us that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested, and they are just can tell when you do this!). as valuable, so keep reading. So there you have it: a guide to demonstrated interâ&#x20AC;˘Join our mailing list: Visit our website and sign up est. The best part is that the process of showing to join our mailing list. This will allow you to receive interest wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just make us happy; it will beneďŹ t emails from us and even get this magazine in the you. In ďŹ guring out what excites you about a college, mail! We get in touch with you to help you decide if you will clarify your priorities for your future home. Tufts is a good ďŹ t for you; we promise not to spam On our end, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no better feeling than reading your inbox. an application from a student who knows what they want (and knows how to have fun in the process, â&#x20AC;˘Write a good â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why Tuftsâ&#x20AC;? response: The ďŹ rst question too). It almost takes us back to those days of midon our supplement is: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why Tufts?â&#x20AC;? This is your dle school notes passed across the classroomâ&#x20AC;Ś biggest opportunity to show us that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done Now go get started on your research. We promise your research. In order to write a great response to it can be fun!

ILLUSTRATION BY ANNA WRAY

PROGRAMS With nearly 150 majors and minors, 30 interdisciplinary programs, and the courses of the ExCollege, Tuftsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offerings UHTXLUH PRUH WKDQ D EULHI VNLPPLQJ VR \RX FDQ Ă&#x17E;QG DQ H[SDQVLRQ RI WKLV TXLFN OLVW RQ RXU ZHEVLWH %XW LQ WKH PHDQWLPH skim away. Just note that Tuftsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; undergraduate programs are offered in three schools: Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. Students may take classes across schools, and many students do. SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES MAJORS

Africana Studies American Studies Anthropology Applied Environmental Studies Applied Mathematics Applied Physics Arabic Archaeology Architectural Studies Art History Astrophysics Biochemistry Biology Biomedical Sciences* Biopsychology Biotechnology* Chemical Physics Chemistry Child Study and Human Development Chinese Civic Studies* Classical Studies Cognitive and Brain Sciences

German Language and Literature German Studies Greek Greek and Latin History Interdisciplinary Studies International Literary and Visual Studies International Relations Italian Studies Japanese

Photography

Film and Media Studies

Printmaking

Finance

ABET ACCREDITED

Sculpture

Food Systems and Nutrition

Biomedical Engineering

Sound

FrenchÂ°

Welding

GeologyÂ°

Civil Engineering

Woodworking

Geoscience

Computer Engineering

FIVE-YEAR COMBINED DEGREE PROGRAMS

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING MAJORS

Chemical Engineering

Computer Science Electrical Engineering Environmental Engineering Mechanical Engineering

Tufts/New England Conservatory: BA or BS and Bachelor of Music

Judaic Studies

ADDITIONAL DEGREE OPTIONS

Latin

Architectural Studies

Latin American Studies

Data Science

Tufts/SMFA (School of the Museum of Fine Arts): BA or BS and Bachelor of Fine Arts

Mathematics

Engineering

Middle Eastern Studies

Engineering Physics

MINORS

Music

Human Factors Engineering

Music, Sound, and Culture

Engineering Science

Philosophy

Environmental Health

Architectural Engineering

SMFA AT TUFTS AREAS OF STUDY

Art History

Physics Political Science Psychology Psychology/Clinical Concentration Quantitative Economics Religion Russian and European Studies

Africana Studies Arabic Architectural Studies Asian American Studies

All BFA students at the SMFA at Tufts focus in interdisciplinary art. They may explore many of the following areas of study while pursuing this interdisciplinary art education.

Astrophysics Biotechnology EngineeringÂ° Chemical Engineering Child Study and Human Development

Geosystems German Greek Greek Archaeology Greek Civilization Hebrew

Judaic Studies

History Human Factors EngineeringÂ° Italian Latin Latin American Studies Latino Studies Leadership Studies Linguistics Multimedia Arts Music Music Engineering Peace and Justice Studies Philosophy Physics

Animation

Chinese

Political Science

Russian Language and Literature

Bookmaking

Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Portuguese

Ceramics

Religion

Economics

Science, Technology, and Society*

Colonialism Studies

Drawing

Computer Science

Roman Archaeology

Education*

Sociology

Digital Media

Dance

Roman Civilization

Engineering Psychology

Spanish

Film and Video

Drama

Russian

English

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Graphic Arts

Economics

Illustration

Education

Science, Technology, and Society

Installation

Engineering Education

Jewelry

Engineering ManagementÂ°

Metals

English

Painting

Entrepreneurial Leadership

Papermaking

Environmental Science and PolicyÂ°

Community Health Computer Science Drama

Environmental Geology Environmental Studies* Film and Media Studies French Geological Sciences

Performance

*Available only as a co-major 38

Sociology SpanishÂ° Studio Art Urban Studies Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Â°Available only to students enrolled in the School of Engineering

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS MUSIC, SOUND, AND CULTURE Also known as Music 2.0, this new interdisciplinary major provides students with the tools to conďŹ dently chart their own musical paths. In this course of study, students balance their curricula with classes ranging from composition to cultural studies, performance, technology, theory, and even psychology, and have the option to choose one of nine different concentrations. Check out some of the courses being offered this semester! Music as Culture The Science & Engineering of Music

PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Analyzing Music and Film & Visual Media

Romantic & Modernist Musical Systems Ethnomusicology in Theory & Practice

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING As chemical engineers, students learn the skills necessary to provide critical solutions to the technological challenges of our time. This department emphasizes hands-on experience and an integrated curriculum that allows students to see their future in the engineering ďŹ eld. Covering real-world applications like clean energy, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing processes, this integrated and hands-on department will equip students with the tools to make a difference. Process Dynamics and Control

Transport Phenomena

Principles of Polymerization

Electronic Devices for Energy Applications

Contemporary Composition

Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine

Psychology of Music

Studies in Women in Music

Advanced Thermodynamics

Molecular Biotechnology

Sound and Structure II: Color, Form, and Meaning

Social Justice, Advocacy, and Music

Synthetic Biology

Product and Process Design

Process Dynamics and Control

ADMISSIONS INFORMATION WHAT TO SUBMIT: HERE’S THE LIST, FIND MORE DETAILS ON OUR WEBSITE!

1 2 3 4

Common Application or Coalition Application

APPLICATION DEADLINES AND NOTIFICATION DATES Early Decision I Application Deadline: November 1 Notiﬁcation Deadline: Mid-December

Tufts Writing Supplement

High School Transcript(s)

Early Decision II Application Deadline: January 1 Notification Deadline: Mid-February Regular Decision Application Deadline: January 1 Notification Deadline: April 1 Transfer Admission Application Deadline: March 15 Notification Deadline: Mid-May

Senior Year Grades

TUFTS CLASS OF 2022 STATISTICS

Testing Beginning with applicants to the Class of 2023, we require either the SAT or the ACT.

21,501 Applications 3,143 Acceptances 15% Acceptance Rate 100% of Demonstrated Financial Need Met

Letters of Recommendation We require one from a school counselor and one from a teacher. You may send us one additional if you’d like.

13% First-Generation Students 11% International Students 48% Women in the School of Engineering

7 8

Art Portfolio Required only for students applying to the Combined Degree BFA/BA or BFA/BS and BFA applicants to the SMFA at Tufts. Financial Aid Documents If you are applying for aid, you will need to submit: 1. FAFSA 2. CSS Proﬁle 3. Federal Income Tax Returns For a list of ﬁnancial aid documents required of international, undocumented, or DACA applicants, please visit admissions.tufts.edu/apply

32–35 Middle 50% ACT 690–760 Middle 50% SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 720–790 Middle 50% SAT Math

TUFTS UNDERGRADUATE STATISTICS 5,492 Undergraduate Enrollment 4.8 Miles from Boston 22 Average Class Size 28 Varsity Sports Teams 300+ Student Groups

Optional Materials • Alumni Interview • Arts or Maker Portfolio: Students applying to the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Engineering may submit an optional arts or maker portfolio to highlight talent in studio art, drama, dance, music, or engineering.

35% Women in the School of Engineering 45% of Juniors Study Abroad 39% Need-Based Aid Recipients 80 Countries Represented 33% US Students of Color *As of July 1, 2018

H E Y.

JUST STARTING YOUR SEARCH? HERE’S WHAT TUFTS IS ALL ABOUT. WE DO OUR RESEARCH

WE ARE INTERESTED

WE ARE ACTIVE CITIZENS

WE DON’T TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY

Tufts is a student-centered research university, which means that we like to dig into our passions deeply and ﬁgure things out for ourselves—whether that involves using silk to regenerate tissue or spending a fully-funded summer exploring the political implications of Shakespeare’s plays through the Summer Scholars program. Students and professors come together, across disciplines, to ask questions and create meaning.

Jumbos use their skills and ideas to better people’s lives, whether they are teaching engineering in local elementary schools, creating sustainable businesses, or spending a year doing full-time service as a 1+4 Bridge Year Fellow. They understand that they are citizens of a global community, and they embrace that responsibility.

....in a lot of things. Tufts students don’t limit themselves: they combine biology with philosophy, compete as nationally-ranked D3 athletes, pursue Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees in studio art at our School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and solve problems as engineers. They’re part of a community that embraces the unconventional and the uncategorizable.

This is a place where students are as excited to debate Game of Thrones fan theories as they are to apply mathematical theorems—as intellectually playful as they are powerful. We believe that ideas can have a profound impact on the world, and those ideas can be born around the seminar table but also in the dorm common room.

Sound about right? Read the stories here to learn more. Also check out our website: admissions.tufts.edu

PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Equal Opportunity Applicants for admission and employment, students, employees, sources of referral of applicants for admission and employment, and all unions or professional organizations holding collective bargaining or professional agreements with Tufts University are hereby notified that this institution does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, veteran status, or national origin in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries or complaints concerning Tufts University’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, or Section 504 is directed to contact the Office of Equal Opportunity on the Medford/Somerville campus, 617-6273298 or 800-611-5060 (TDD 617-627-3370). This office has been designated by Tufts University to coordinate the institution’s efforts to comply with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Section 504. Any person may also contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202, or the Director, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Region One, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, regarding the institution’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, 34 C.F.R. Part 100; Title IX, 34 C.F.R. Part 106; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 45 C.F.R. 90; or, Section 504, 34 C.F.R. Part 104. In addition, Tufts has formulated an administrative policy that educational and employment decisions are based on the principle of equal opportunity. The consideration of factors such as sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, veteran status, or disability unrelated to a person’s ability, qualifications, and performance is inconsistent with this policy. In accordance with both federal and state law, the university maintains information concerning current security policies and procedures and prepares an annual crime report concerning crimes committed within the geographical limits of the university. Upon request to the Office of Public Safety, 617-627-3912, the university will provide such information to any applicant for admission. The report is also available online at http://publicsafety.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/Tufts-Public-Safety-Security-2017-2018-09.28.pdf

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OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS Tufts University Bendetson Hall 2 The Green Medford, MA 02155-7057 617- 627-3170 admissions.tufts.edu