Tufts University Top Questions

Tufts has a good social life if you manage to get off campus.

Student Activities, Student Senate, Greek Life, Sports, etc.. There are almost no excuses for anyone to be bored at Tufts. If you want to get involved and stay busy: THEN YOU CAN!! We'll have frequent Speakers ( My Sophomore Year Hilary Clinton came to speak), Comedians, Performers( Common, TI, Lupe Fiasco, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Beenie Man, Drop Kick Murphy's , etc...) There's always our traditions such as Homecoming , Fall Ball, Winter Bash and of course Spring Fling where the whole school is partying and yes the ever infamous NQR!( Naked Quad Run on the last night of Fall semester Classes). Yes we're an amazing intellectual school and work really hard most of the time, but we do have the chance to breathe and hang out! What I loved most were how the Cultural organizations always taught us so much and even at times through social realms. The Culture Shows were best and we can't forget the After Parties at Hotung and Dewick! But remember that you are only a car ride, short walk, bus or T-stop away to what ever else you may want to get into in Cambridge( Harvard, MIT, Lesley) and Boston( Northeastern, Suffolk, BU, BC, Emerson, Simmons, Wheelock, Fisher, Art Institute, etc. clubs, museums, common park, Garden, Fenway etc!!! )

There is a lot to do in the Tufts area / in Boston so having a good time is never a problem. Generally on the weekends, which start on Thursday night, people go out and party. We do drink a lot which is horrible for our kidneys but awesome for everything else. You can go to a local bar or to a frat and just live the dream. I have some friends that don't drink but they still come out to the parties and play drinking games with water or soda or get me to drink their beers for them. We have something like 8 frats and 3 sororites and 1 co-ed fraternity. Sororites cannot have parties but frats certainly can. The co-ed frat is actually just a frat but has girls that live in the house and are members. Its a dump so no one cares if you throw beer on someone, or on the floor, or piss in a corner. The food is really good too. There are plenty of places where you can order from late at night. I actually like the dining hall food which is suppose to be some of the best in the country. Its nice because the dining halls are open straight from like 7:30 am to 9:00 pm or something like that. Most schools have dead blocks where the dining hall isn't open like at 3:00 in the afternoon which is just stupid. Oh yeah. And when people party, people hook up. Problem solved right? Although yes there arn't that many hot girls and from what my girl friends tell me not that many hot guys but there are still some smoke shows and everyone is actually really cool. Ive never had a problem.

I'm not sure how it happens --and this isn't necessarily unique to Tufts --but you really become the closest with the people you live near freshman year. Especially if you live in one of the freshman dorms. Freshman year when people go out they usually go out to frat parties (beware boys --one of my male friends put it to me as "I had to bring a harem with me to get in"). After a few months or the whole year of this you realize that frat parties are gross, and you make friends with upperclassmen, and then you start going to house parties. The frat scene isn't really big either, I don't mean to give that impression. But they are a great supplier of dark, dirty rooms for dancing and hooking up your freshman year. Once you and all your friends turn 21 you start going to bars too-- going out in Boston can be expensive since you have to take a cab back if you come back late, and drinks are more expensive, so it pretty much depends on how much you and your friends are willing to spend going out how frequently you go out in the city. Davis has several bars with their own unique draws (or drawbacks) that are really popular. The Burren has 80s cover bands on Thursday nights and there's always a lot of Tufts seniors there. Trivia nights at bars in Davis are pretty popular too. There's certainly a range of going out --often it depends on how much is going on that weekend, sometimes there are lull nights. Thursday and Saturday are the big going out nights but there's usually things going on Fridays as well. There are the people that go out three nights a weekend and some that go out one night a weekend and sometimes none, it totally depends on your preferences and regardless you will find people interested in doing the same. The biggest Tufts tradition is the Naked Quad Run (NQR). After classes end in the winter, a large portion of the student body streaks the quad, running laps with their friends. It's exhilarating. And university-sponsored, basically. There's also the school dances--Fall Ball and Winter Bash, which are pretty well attended and generally a good time. Some people pregame too much and get sloppy though. Second semester there's Spring Fling, an outdoor daytime concert that draws an at least recognizable named artist. Before Spring Fling everyone has a pregaming brunch. There's an endless list of different organizations and clubs on campus. There's a couple worth singling out -- the Leonard Carmichael Society is a huge umbrella organization for different volunteer groups, so it's a great place to get started looking for something service-oriented to get involved in. Another one of the larger groups on campus is the Tufts Dance Collective-- student choreographed dances in shows every semester with no experience needed for dancing. More generally speaking, you name it and it's there. If not, you can start it. People go to watch their friends in sports events, but besides that the attendance for games and such is pretty low. If you are really into university sporting events like big football games, this is probably not the place for you.

There are a bunch of things to do on campus when you're not studying. There are many groups like Tufts Wilderness or Tufts Dance Collective that students participate in that either put on shows or go on trips or do fund raising for various charities. As far as athletics go, there are a ton of sports that students can get involved in, on the varsity and club level, that really make the transition to college much easier. I did club Water Polo in the fall and was on the Swim Team in the winter, and I made a ton of friends from both sports with almost minimal effort (besides practices). While the school doesn't rush to football games quite like Ohio State does, there's still a little bit of school spirit that comes out at the big events (Homecoming, NQR, big playoff games, etc.). The nightlife at Tufts is what you make of it. If you want to go out and get drunk at a frat party, you can. If you don't want to drink, there are still a bunch of things to do on campus that are alcohol-free, and all of the great things in Boston are a couple of minutes away. Greek Life is not a huge deal on campus.

Extracurricular-wise, the 20-80 rule applies pretty well at Tufts. A fraction of students are involved with a ton of clubs and groups. The typical student on campus, though, seems to involve them self in two or three groups and be pretty passionate about them. My roommate is almost exclusively involved in different theatre groups, while I'm running between a half dozen different groups. There is some club or group for everyone. I'm serious, I don't even know how people find time to start new groups! Socially, a lot depends on freshman year. The freshman-only dorms are ridiculously social and loud until 2 AM and people generally form their main group of friends within their dorm neighbors. Mixed year dorms tend to be riskier, as you could be stuck with one of the less-social dorms. People stay good friends with their freshman year groups, but branch out with their extracurricular friends. Frat brothers stick together, sports teams throw parties, theatre kids are stuck at the hip. Generally, the more involved on campus you are, the more social circles you belong to. Tufts is not a big party school. Regardless, underclassmen pack into the frats on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays while upperclassmen hang out in on and off campus apartments with their friends. However, a good party isn't guaranteed on campus every weekend night - something unheard of at big schools. Most Tufts kids lean a little on the nerdy side (if not the closet-nerdy side), so a Saturday night in the dorms isn't too bad once in a while. But we know how to have fun. Most students go out two times a week, but some much more, while others less. My ideal Friday night would be coming back to campus after my internship, maybe going out to eat in Boston with friends, seeing a show on campus, before pregaming and going out to a party. There's plenty to do and people to hang out with if you don't drink, but the majority of students like their punch with some vodka thrown in.

The LCS (service) club is the most popular. I do ECO which is the environmental club run by students. Dorm doors are frequently left open in all-freshmen dorms. I met my closest friends through other friends. Dating is not really common, one either has a steady boyfriend or just hooks up. NQR is a big tradition (naked quad run) in december, right after classes. spring fling and homecoming are the other two big days. Frats and sororities think they're more important than I do. Frats (or what's left of them) throw parties for freshmen to go to. On a sat pm when not drinking, one can go see a movie in davis, go bowling, go get JP licks ice cream, hang out at a friend's house...

If you're awake at 2 a.m. in the morning that means you basically have a 20-30 page paper due in the next day...or you're an insomniac. There's not much to do late at night on a weekday. Everything closes down by one o'clock; weekends there are frat parties, house parties that go on till early morning and just general movie clubs that screen something in Barnum till maybe 11 p.m.

Well Tufts is really big on frat parties. I personally hate frat parties. But if your really big on crowded places and alot of beer then you should have yourself a fun time. Thankfully there are others way to have fun. You can go to another school or go into Boston or even go to Hotung Cafe(which can get boring after a while).

The most popular extracurriculars are probably Tufts Dance Collective- a dance group that puts on a show at the end of each semester that anyone can sign up for--not experience necessary and Leonard Carmichael Society. LCS is a community service club. I've done TDC as both a choreographer and a dancer and it is an amazing club. It really gets everyone together and so many people come out to see the shows. They really are such fun events. I'm also on the Ballroom Dance Team. While I had never danced before college, I had always wanted to try ballroom and so I joined the team. It's been an amazing and fun experience. In dorms, students tend to leave their dorms open when/if they want to be social. It really depends on the inhabitants of each room/their study/sleeping habits. Athletic events besides Homecoming aren't that popular. Guest speakers and theater events usually get pretty large turn outs. The dating scene at Tufts seems to be tough. There seems to be little "dating" and more either dating towards a relationship or just hooking up. After freshman year I feel like it's harder to meet people which doesn't help unless you are very outgoing or talk to people in your classes and extracurriculars. I met my closest friends through living in the dorms. The people you live with tend to be the ones you hang out with unless you meet people through extracurriculars and classes and make plans to see them outside these places. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am probably either up late doing work or studying or ordering food with people on a study break or taking a study break to watch tv or hang out. In general though, if it's that early in the week, I am up doing or procrastinating doing work. The most well known traditions and events that happen each year are Naked Quad Run (which everyone should do at least once!), Fall Ball, Homecoming, Winter Bash, and Spring Fling. There are a few more, but those are the major ones. People try to party probably 2-3 times a week in general. Although some people party more and some people party less. Often there is little going on though. Fraternities and Sororities are not that important--there are 3 sororities total I believe and probably just a few more frats. However often there is little going on besides frat parties. There is sadly little to do that doesn't involve drinking. Very few students don't drink, which is sad for people such as myself who really don't drink. It is the main social activity, with most extracurricular bonding sessions involving it. Off campus if you venture into Davis Square, Harvard Square, or Boston there is a lot to do which is nice.

frats are a big part of the social scene for freshmen, however they are very boring and get old easily though once you find a good group of friends dorm parties can be a lot of fun there is always some type of event going on...a speaker, dance concert, some type of school organized event to see....tuftslife.com keeps the students very infomred most people are just hooking up rather than dating freshman year

While at other schools, it might be cool to date a football player or star basketball player, at Tufts it's cool if your significant other is on the frisbee team or in an a cappella group. There is always stuff to do on campus, and if that's not enough Boston is really close. Some might say the party scene is lame, but it's never failed me. Frats and sororities are pretty lame to the 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the population that is not involved in them. Just as easily as you can find some people getting drunk and high at once can you find someone just hanging out watching a movie or even studying on a Saturday night. Big traditions include painting the canon, putting pumpkins on buildings the night before Halloween, not paying any attention to the football game on homecoming, and releasing stress before December exams during the NQR.

I do a lot of dancing and healthcare activities. There are a lot of clubs of course and you can always create your own. Many of these clubs have regular and good attendance. All of the performances tend to be towards the end of the semester understandably. There are several events that happen yearly including the naked quad run and spring fling, which most students participate in. Athletic events are not popular at all but many students participate in their own sport. The freshman dorms are random and somtimes you luck out, but usually you can end up pretty isolated in terms of being in a group instead of a hall. People party 1-2 times a weekend and can be pretty noisy. The frats are pretty used but there are also a lot of house parties. It is often too hard to find events that dont involve drinking unless you go off campus to a movie. There is no dating and a lot of hooking up, which girls tend to find upsetting.

One of the biggest appeals about Tufts is the number of events put on around campus. There are too many to take advantage of. This is a great opportunity however, as you can pick and choose which events appeal most to you. There are multiple guest lecturers and speakers on a variety of topics. Some of these are academic and will appeal to your major field of study, and some are broad as in the semi-annual comedian show or politicians like Hilary Clinton. Probably the most signature Tufts event is NQR, the naked quad run. This happens on the last day of the fall term every year. Students drink and party in the oldest dorm - West, and then run naked around the Residential quad in the (possibly) snow. The event is not sponsored by the school, but it is regulated by the police and facilities to avoid injury.

tufts has 3 big parties each year (fall ball, winter bash, spring fling). those are always fun and most of the students go to each one. there are also famous parties that happen every year (in houses/frats) that lots of people go to. athletic events are not as popular (except homecoming or big championship games). dating scene at tufts is probably like any other college... in that people do date. outside the dating world, tufts is a bit of a hook-up culture so if you're into that it's there. party nights are thursday-saturday. there will be something going on (big or small) each of those nights. frats are a pretty big part of the party scene at tufts (especially for freshman/sophs). if you're not into drinking/partying there will still be tons of things for you to do on weekend nights. don't fret.

I am always awake at 3 am on any given day of the week. This isn't because I'm swamped with homework however. It's because I've been busy socializing or "studying" with a group of people in the downstairs lounge. Tufts students will usually leave their doors open and are always happy to have a conversation, even if they're in the middle of their homework. I'm not saying that Tufts students aren't studious, they certainly are, but there is always time to hang out as well. I think that Tufts students strike a good balance between working and socializing.

Apparently the Tufts Dance Collective is the most popular dance group on campus. Go there if you want to have fun. No dance experience necessary, trust me. There are no cliques. Athletic events aren't too popular, but then again, I was never interested in them anyway. Ooh, the dating scene. Because I'm an engineer, I don't get out much, but I've met all my girlfriends outside of engineering, so if you get out there, you will meet someone you like. Seriously, I have incredibly high standards, yet I was able to meet some really cool people. Parties get old after five weeks of straight drinking because your engineering life blows. Spice it up! Go work out or attend a LAN party. Or take a partner and explore the city. The world is seriously your oyster. Or however that saying goes.

Our sports teams are small but dedicated. Fans are mostly friends with the athletes. It's easy to make friends as Tufts athletes are not typical jocks. They're in your classes and are well-worth getting to know. Still, a cappella concerts and theatrical productions have bigger turnouts than most sporting events. Definitely more of an artsy school, but people on campus are fit and athletic on their own time. Tufts theater is fantastic and just keeps getting better. Everyone is incredibly dedicated. We keep pulling off bigger productions and a greater number of shows each year while still maintaining a high quality. IR rules half the school, so guest speakers always get a good reception. People work hard and play moderately. Partying is usually just on the weekends while studying is all the time. There is a large spectrum of party scenes, so you can usually find whatever you're looking for.

What are the most popular groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus? The community service organization (Leonard Carmichael Society) is number one, and also a lot of people are involved in Tufts Dance Collective, which is a fun activity for people who aren't even serious or particularly talented dancers. Tell us about a group you’re involved with. I'm co-director of the energy club. Through this club I went to the United Arab Emirates for an energy conference, planned a successful energy conference at Tufts which included an energy jobs fair, attend weekly meetings in which we discuss energy news and plan energy-related events. Some events include inviting speakers to campus for talks and debates, watching energy-related movies, going on field trips to nearby energy plants, demonstrating new energy technologies, planning other research trips (this winter break some members are going to South Africa to look at their energy crisis, while others are headed to Israel to look into their electric cars). Many members go on to work in energy fields, including a bunch of guys who started a wind consulting company. Really fun atmosphere, and we don't espouse any kind of cause, like green energy for example - that's the environmental group's job. We just like to promote the dialogue on energy issues. Do students in dorms leave their doors open? Yes. But many lock, or at least close them, when they leave for class. How popular are athletic events? Not very. Homecoming is. Guest speakers? Too many! I always see someone amazing on the schedule and then curse myself for having class during that time period. Theater? Very popular, and the musical theater community is very self-guided and close-knit. Tell us about the dating scene. Freshman year has its fair share of random hookups, but by junior year many people find long-term relationships. How did you meet your closest friends? Half lived in my dorm, a couple I knew before college, and a bunch from my classes and clubs. If you’re awake at 2am on a Tuesday, what are you doing? watching my guy friends play Super Smash Bros/Guitar Hero, or maybe watching whatever's on Bravo or Comedy Central. What traditions/events happen each year? Naked Quad Run takes place on the last day of classes in fall semester - students are encouraged to strip naked in the snow and run laps around the academic quad. The administration actually sponsors it, and they set up a tent with performances and hot chocolate. Most people get drunk, but some do it sober. Spring Fling is a huge concert where the entire student body basically starts drinking at 10 AM. Fall Ball and Winter Bash are DJ-ed dance parties, thousands go. We also have a tradition of painting our cannon - students paint it to raise publicity about events they're sponsoring, or just personal messages like happy birthdays or even marriage proposals. Senior Pub Nights are also really popular - they happen throughout the year, in which Tufts runs buses for seniors to all go to a bar/club together. How often do people party? Most people, at least once a week. How important are fraternities/sororities? Well, I don't know about "important," but they dominate the freshman social scene. But the brothers and sisters are still the same smart kids in your classes, in most cases. What did you do last weekend? Well it's summer, so I went to visit my boyfriend up in Boston. Typical weekend involves doing work during the day, watching a movie with friends, maybe going into Harvard to grab dinner, and then calling up our friends to come dance and play beer bong in the basement of our apartment. What can you do on a Saturday night that doesn’t involve drinking? ...A lot. Boston is a subway ride away, so food and entertainment and your friends at other schools are always an option. Or you could maybe attend one of the FIFTY BILLION events that the various organizations are putting on. Do you want to see a play? A Thai culture night? The male step team's show? Live music at the campus center or Brown and Brew? Rap battle? A free movie courtesy of Film Series? And hey, when it's snowing out, ain't nothing wrong with staying in and watching a pirated movie. What do you do off campus? Well, most juniors and seniors live off campus. "off-campus" includes the restaurants and bars in the Somerville area, and also Boston. Boston is awesome for entertainment - in one weekend I went to a production of the Nutcracker, a Cake concert, and ice skating in the park. Lots of good food. Off-campus people go to grocery stores to buy food, from Whole Foods to Shaws to Foodmaster. A lot of clubs sponsor various trips away from Tufts, whether it's the mountain club heading up to hike at the Loj in New Hampshire, cleaning up the mystic river, or the Chinese Students' Club leading a trip to Boston's Chinatown for a dim sum lunch.

I would say that neither the Greek system nor sports in general are very important in Tufts' everyday life.