TUFTS PARENTS AND FAMILIES (TPF) NEWSLETTER | December 18, 2024

Dear Parents and Families,

Well that seemed fast! The fall semester is wrapping up and students are finishing finals and review boards, preparing for Winter Break.

This last newsletter of 2024 features Senior Director of Tufts Dining Patti Klos, Career Center resources for internships, and Tufts' Accelerated Master's programs; and if you have a high school student at home, check out Tufts' Pre-College programs.

Wishing you and your Jumbos happy holidays and a restful break, 

Carole McFall
Family Engagement, AS&E 
carole.mcfall@tufts.edu
Direct: 617-627-2797

For 35 years, Senior Director of Dining Patti Klos has led on-campus dining initiatives at Tufts. Originally from Hawaii, where she still has family, Klos grew up in Indiana. Her path to New England came after she received a job posting from Tufts. Having taken many dietetic and restaurant hospitality classes as a student at Purdue University to earn her bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition and with several years of first-hand experience, Klos was keen to take on the challenge of developing Tufts’ dining experience to meet the times.

She remembers researching Tufts’ location in an atlas (pre-Google!), recalling “I was excited about the history of the area and the four seasons, but was especially drawn to Tufts because it was smaller than the large midwestern state schools I had been working at, and I knew I would be able to try new things and would know right away if it was making a difference.”

Feedback is something Klos and her team continue to rely on. They stay tuned in to students’ dining preferences by meeting with the TCU Senate; reviewing online submissions, comment boards, and responses to the annual survey; and through daily interactions with students.

Nutrition and Variety
Klos plans out menus with the Tufts Dining team, which includes a full-time nutritionist, to ensure high nutritional value including fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal period in each of the dining facilities on the Medford/Somerville and SMFA Fenway campuses. Most dishes are made on campus daily, from scratch using fresh, locally sourced ingredients; this includes pre-made, to-go items.

Options
Klos knows busy class schedules and other commitments dictate when and where students eat. Tufts Dining provides menus online so students can plan ahead; take-out containers are available at Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie dining centers; and students can pre-order on the dining app to pick-up from Hodgdon, Kindlevan, and Pax et Lox. This year, students have been enjoying a new fourth meal period (“late lunch” from 2-5 p.m.) and extended hours at Dewick (open until 9:30 p.m., Sun-Thurs). On most Fridays and Saturday, late night dining is available (9 p.m.-1 a.m. at the Commons Marketplace).  

Weekend Dining
On the weekend, with fewer students eating on campus, not all dining facilities are open but the largest dining centers (Carmichael and Dewick) offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This semester, Klos has heard concerns about the weekend experience. “I’m prioritizing training and providing hands on support to our new weekend team to make sure we’re offering variety throughout the meal periods as we do during the week,” she said, also sharing that they will be expanding the spring semester weekend menu, adding fresh taco and burrito bars.

Fuel for Finals
Tufts Dining offers beloved holiday and seasonal events throughout the year...this month for example, supporting students during finals with its annual late-night breakfast in partnership with Student Life and Campus Life (see photos in this month's "Photo Selects"), and offering snack and study space options for students in collaboration with TCU Senate, with Carmichael and Dewick open from 10 p.m.-1a.m.

Follow @TuftsDining on Instagram.

All About Internships ...

Helping your student think about internships or other ways to gain experience? Visit these links to find out where Tufts students intern, connect to career advisors, learn about virtual work experiences, and secure funding for unpaid internships.

Internship Destinations: This dashboard will allow you to view our students’ internship destinations by major. As you’ll see, there’s a wide variety in where students are interning! 

Virtual Winter Break Appointments: The Career Center offers Zoom appointments for students over break, and we’re glad to discuss the many ways that they can gain experience, from internships and research to volunteering, short-term projects, and more.

Virtual Work Experiences: From alumni-sponsored Jumbos4Jumbos projects to work experiences through Forage and Udemy, students have many ways to gain skills and add experiences to their resumes over break.

Career Center Summer Internship Grants: Each summer, the Career Center funds 40-50 undergrad students doing unpaid internships for a minimum of 300 hours. Selected students receive $4,500, and they must secure their internships prior to the grant application deadline (March 16, 2025).

Tufts offers students the opportunity to get a head-start on their master’s degree while still an undergraduate and earn both their bachelor’s and master’s degree, usually within five years. Accelerated master’s degree programs are offered across five different schools at Tufts–the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Medicine, Friedman School of Nutrition, and the Fletcher School. 

Students accepted into an accelerated or combined master’s degree program begin to take graduate courses towards their master’s degree while paying undergraduate tuition and using their undergraduate financial aid package. These programs offer students significant savings in time, tuition, and application fees. Some programs also offer additional financial aid benefits.

Do you have a high school student at home who wants to preview the college experience or discover their future major or career path? This summer we are thrilled to be welcoming high school students back to campus! With a range of exciting one-to-six-week programs led by Tufts’ distinguished faculty, students will dive into their passions, gain valuable skills, and get a head start on their academic journey. 

Class of 2025 Senior Portraits 
A portrait session on campus with photographers from Legacy Studios is the only way for your student's photo to be in the portrait section of the 2025 Senior Memory Book (Tufts version of a class yearbook). One more portrait session will be offered for your graduating student in the new year. 

Dates to Remember
Dec. 20 – Final exams/review boards end
Dec. 21, 12 p.m. – Residence halls close for winter recess 
Jan. 12, 10 a.m. – Residence halls open for spring semester
Jan. 15 – Classes begin
Jan. 15 – Deadline to sign up for a payment plan for the spring semester bill

Plan Ahead for Break Periods
Information about your student's breaks during the academic year is available online.

VIRTUAL SPEAKER SERIES: The Joys and Challenges of Leadership in Higher Education

The third in a series of talks with Tufts University leaders, the Jan. 8, 2025 event features Dean of Admissions JT Duck. All sessions start at 12 p.m. ET.

WEBINAR: Off-Campus Housing 101 for Parents and Families: Jan. 29, 2025; 6:30 p.m. ET

This webinar will cover supporting your student's off-campus housing search process and highlight ongoing resources that are available to students living off campus. 

SAVE THE DATE: March 26, 2025; 6:30 p.m. ET

If your student is graduating in Spring 2025, congratulations! Don't miss the Commencement 2025 webinar. You'll hear from campus partners about the various events and logistics to help you plan. A registration link will be available in the January 2025 newsletter. In the meantime, visit the Commencement 2025 website and FAQ. 

Tufts Now

Navigating Health and Wellness as a College Student—An infectious disease expert shares advice for students (and their parents) on mastering self-care, making the most of campus health resources, and fostering independence

Communications Archive
Emails and other communications to parents, families, and students are archived online. 

TuftsAlert
Enroll in the TuftsAlert system to be notified directly by text, phone, and/or email in case of significant emergencies affecting the Tufts University community.

Family Engagement