Senioritis

Greetings from Medford!

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I just came back from a meeting with my English major advisor during which she signed degree checklist sheets, approved my registration for spring classes, and discussed my Senior Honors Thesis. Seniors need to file some paperwork within the next few weeks to verify they have met academic requirements; for me, the scariest "reality check" moment thus far was when I had to type out how I wanted my name to appear on my diploma.

Then I walked to the Tisch Library and ordered my yearbook photos online. Facing the prospect of my last semester in college and the reality that I need to come up with a post-graduation plan is terrifying...I completely empathize with every high school student who is attempting to navigate the college search process!My own college search process was relatively painless. I am fortunated to have a sister who is three academic years older than me, so I tagged along on all of her college visits and watched her negotiate the application process. Since I had toured so many schools with my sister, by the time it came around for me to select schools, I only needed to visit a few. I literally sat down with a copy of the Princeton Review and methodically Sharpie'd out the names of schools that did not interest me until I was left with a list of 17 potential colleges. The more that I read about Tufts University, the more that it interested me, and I had this cliched gut feeling that I would really like it.

So, on a miserable, dreary Saturday in April of my junior year--my dad likes to say that "it was raining and sleeting sideways"--I visited Tufts. (Irony of ironies: Amy, another Senior Admissions Intern, was on the same tour!) "If you think that you like Tufts when the weather is this bad, just imagine how much you'll like it when it's actually nice outside!" joked our tour guide. I turned to my parents and said, "This is it. I'm applying Early." Tufts was only the second school that I had personally visited and the only one to which I applied in the fall. Luckily, everything worked out for me!

Now, as a tour guide myself, I have trekked backward through rain, snow, and sunshine hundreds of times to help visitors gain a better sense of all that Tufts has to offer. On your college visits, it's important to keep an open mind. Consider the place where you could imagine yourself best fitting in with the student body. Spend time wandering around the campus by yourself--without your parents, guardian, or chaperone--and gauge how comfortable you feel. Follow up your visits by reading the schools' newspapers online and gaining an unfiltered sense of daily life at any respsective institution.

Tomorrow, I'm joining Admissions Counselor Jon Godsey (who graduated from Tufts in 2006) on visits to some schools in Northern Massachusetts. It should be interesting!


Summer 2008 Tour Guides after painting the cannon: Amy, Miranda, Matt, Katie, Stella, Adam, Whitney, and Josh. Maybe you were on one of our tours!