Campus Spotlight: Tufts University

Today’s campus spotlight is brought to you by College Solutions Systems Manager & Senior Counselor, Mattie Engel. Learn more about Mattie’s recent visit to Tufts University and the unique features that might make it a great fit for you!

During our recent visit to Tufts University, I felt an electric “yes—and” vibe pulsing through campus. Students are both theatre kids and jocks. “There are just as many students at theater shows as there are at athletic events,” our tour guide shared. I saw it in the posters plastered across the Student Center and in the students tossing a frisbee on the Res Quad. Interested in double majoring in engineering and fine art? No problem. Having double (or even triple) intellectual curiosities feels like a must here. “I like to dabble in many fields,” our tour guide said. He’s one of many.

College Solutions team members Mattie Engel, Taylor Conti, and Terry Hurley-Maciulewicz with Tufts mascot, Jumbo

Tufts is a medium-sized research university that feels like home. The Medford/Somerville hill is cozy, with professors who invite students into their homes for meals. The campus is filled with maker spaces, vibrant student organizations, and three core schools: Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and the Museum of Fine Arts. I loved that interdisciplinary combinations and study abroad opportunities are built into the culture. The presenter during our information session described students as intellectually playful and highlighted the strong work hard/play hard vibe on campus.

A quirky tradition we learned about that really illustrates Tufts’ community spirit is the painting of the Cannon. It’s a replica WWII cannon from the USS Constitution, tucked at the edge of campus. Students regularly repaint it with messages ranging from political statements to birthday wishes to club announcements, then guard it overnight to ensure no one paints over their work. Tufts students are collaborative, but that competitive spirit shows up at the Cannon and in the way they push and support each other’s intellectual pursuits.

That communal “guard-it-‘til-dawn” energy shows up all over campus—from jam-packed quads before shows to midnight study breaks over communal muffins to the friendly vibe you feel just walking around. If I were a student here, I’d be catching an a cappella concert one minute, coding in a maker space the next, and cheering on classmates at an athletic match to wrap up the day. Whatever you bring to Tufts, it feels like it will be celebrated.

Ballou Hall, an historic academic building on the campus of Tufts

Tufts Cannon, a replica of a cannon from the USS Constitution that students repaint almost nightly