Get ready to start your Tufts experience!
Get ready to start your Tufts experience!
Tufts Student Life
Explore the Tufts Community
May 24, 2021
View of Boston from Medford/Somerville campus
Hello Class of 2025 and New Transfer Students!

What's a Jumbo?

As an incoming Tufts student, you're part of a community that includes over 5,000 undergraduates in Arts & Sciences (including the SMFA at Tufts) and Engineering. You're also part of a larger community that includes almost 6,000 graduate and professional students; 1,500 medical and dental students; 1,900 international students; and 1,400 faculty members. We're a dynamic, passionate, inclusive group—and we can't wait to meet you!
Connect With the Class of 2025 on Facebook
Connect With New Transfer Students on Facebook

The Big Picture: City of Boston

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, and it has one of the country's richest histories. The Freedom Trail is likely the city's most popular attraction, and Boston also boasts a large number of museums and theaters, several professional sports teams, and a number of attractions that are free to the public—especially if they have a Tufts ID!
Boston also has dozens of colleges and universities that call it home. Meet some of your neighbors!
View Maps of Boston
Learn About Public Transport and Air Travel
Learn About Hotels and Accommodations

Closer Up: Cities of Medford and Somerville

Our Medford/Somerville campus is split right down the middle by these two cities. The City of Medford is just north of Boston and was founded the same year, 1630. The City of Somerville was founded in 1842 and is also just north of downtown; it has tons of popular restaurants and attractions, many of which are located just down College Avenue in Davis Square!

Closer Up: The Fenway

Many BFA, Combined Degree, and MFA students take the majority of their courses on our SMFA at Tufts campus in The Fenway. The Fenway is a unique Boston neighborhood full of shops and restaurants and right next door to Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. Besides being neighbors with the Museum of Fine Arts, SMFA students also enjoy close proximity to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, one of Boston's most beautiful places!
Things to Do Around Campus

Where Is It On Campus?

Here's a quick list of key places that you're likely to visit when on campus:
  • Tisch Library – The Tisch Library not only has the books, periodicals, and databases you'll need for coursework, but it's also filled with tons of study spaces.
  • Mayer Campus Center – Hungry? Thirsty? Looking for a place to relax, have a meeting, or connect with friends? The Mayer Campus Center is a central meeting space for students on the Medford/Somerville campus.
  • SMFA Art Store – Ranked one of the top five art stores in Boston, the store is special not just because of the breadth of supplies offered and the deeply discounted prices but also because of the knowledge of the staff.
  • SMFA Café – The Boston SMFA campus is housed almost entirely at 230 Fenway, and our SMFA Café is where a lot of students, faculty, and staff come together to meet, eat, and share their work.
  • Tisch Sports Center – Students enjoy access to exercise equipment, a pool, and places to practice a large variety of club sports.
  • Health Service and Counseling and Mental Health Service – They provide a variety of services and supports to students, from prescriptions and lab work to assistance with sleep or stress. They're here to help and are located just on the edge of the Medford/Somerville campus. SMFA students also have services located directly on the Fenway campus.
  • Joyce Cummings Center  Check out the NEW Joyce Cummings center, opening December 2021 on the Medford/Somerville Campus.

Getting Involved on Campus

There are over 300 student organizations at Tufts, and about 93% of your peers participate in one or more of them. We have groups for arts and performance, media, and club sports, and there are plenty of leadership opportunities with our student government.
The Office for Campus Life (OCL) supports all student organizations, and its team manages events and works closely with student leaders. The Tufts University Social Collective (TUSC) is a student organization that plans both large- and small-scale events for students. Each programming coordinator focuses on a certain type of entertainment, be it live music, film screenings, or events like the Spring Fling Concert and Senior Week. TUSC has also compiled a list of their favorite places in the Greater Boston area for those interested in venturing off campus.
For questions about student organizations or campus events, contact OCL anytime: ocl@tufts.edu.

What are Diversity and Inclusion Resources?

Diversity and inclusion are core values at Tufts. We provide a variety of resources, programs, and initiatives for all students interested in thinking about social identities and the ways they impact our lives and our world. The Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion offers students opportunities for events, discussion, and leadership on issues of identity, diversity, and social justice. Students of all identities are welcome in each of the six identity-based centers.
We'll provide you with a bigger and better introduction to our Division of Student Diversity and Inclusion later this summer. For now, we hope you enjoy a preview of what the Centers have to offer:

Reminder: New Student Checklist

Your customized New Student Checklist 2021 will be posted on June 1. Keep a look-out for this important summer "to-do" list.
It will include the Housing Survey for all students, which will open on June 1. It will also include Academic Essentials, your introduction to academics at Tufts, which will open on June 8.

New Student Checklist 101 Webinar

On Wednesday, June 2, we'll be hosting our New Student Checklist 101 webinar for students only. During this meeing, we will introduce some of the Orientation team and review the New Student Checklist. The checklist will guide you through a variety of required or suggested steps that you will need to complete over the summer.
The New Student Checklist 101 webinar will be on Wednesday, June 2, at 7 p.m. EDT.
Submit a Webinar Question in Advance

Meet Your Summer Orientation Coordinators

Andres Antonio '23 is a junior from Brooklyn, NY, majoring in Engineering Psychology with a minor in Dance.
Hazel Ostrowski '23 is a junior from Seattle, WA, majoring in Sociology and Environmental Studies.
Bessie the Rhino

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