grahamstarr

Absolutely Safe

seriously, one of the safest places i've ever been. Don't believe any of the stuff about tufts being the "most dangerous" or "highest crime rate" - they actually include Tufts Medical Center in those, which happens to be located in the heart of Chinatown, a good 40 minute train ride from the actual Tufts campus.

But in all honesty, I feel absolutely safe walking around campus by myself. The police are seriously very accessible if you call the number, and are honestly just there to make sure you're safe. That being said, it would be somewhat better if the on-campus health center was open more often; I've had days where I've just felt terrible, but the health center was closed, so I had to walk all the way to the local CVS (which is still only a 7-minute walk.

There are the standard bluelight systems, and at night you'll always find the occasional patrol car making sure everything's safe. Occasionally there are some crimes off campus, so if you're going to a house party or coming home late from off-campus, make sure to go with a friend, but the campus itself is as secure and safe as possible.

Everyone's Really in Shape and Really Smart

The fact that you're on a giant hill probably plays into that, but seriously, almost everyone is in shape. The rule at Tufts is that there's no freshman-15; if anything, there's a freshman-7. And everyone's absolutely brilliant. I had a conversation my first week of classes with an incredibly attractive girl over how the position and influence of domestic US politics plays into the world's view of United States hegemony. It was terrific. the next few weekends I discussed Israel-Palestine and the future of computer software as a conflict predictor with friends.

Having intellectual conversations while a mashup between Dave Brubeck and Radiohead blasts in the background at a party isn't normal, but at Tufts it is. That being said, if you want to just relax and party it up, everyone's incredibly outgoing and really into the whole party scene. People are smart, but they're not stuck-up about it.

Average life of the Tufts Student: have intellectual conversations during the week, party it up on the weekend (while occasionally throwing in the intellectual conversation), and then buckle down, work hard, and get some A's, while, of course, doing jello shots with your friends.