I’ve been somewhat concerned lately about how my perspective might affect the decisions of potential transfers; after all, I am just one person. What I can say with confidence about transfers in general, however, is that almost every single transfer I know is deeply involved in both Tufts and community outside of it.
I was contacted today by a reporter from the Daily wanting to ask me about the extracurricular activities of transfer students. Rumors have been floating around that the article is meant to be about transfers not being active at Tufts, though I’ve been unable to find any more information about that.
Frankly, I disagree and was vaguely offended by the notion that transfers are inactive & don’t do anything on campus. The process of transferring is a difficult one, one that takes a lot of thought and consideration; I know very few transfers who would transfer to a school where they (likely) pay more tuition just to sit around in their rooms. The character of a transfer has to be motivated one, someone who is always looking to improve themselves and get as much as they can out of their opportunities. If you’re lazy, you don’t go through the trouble of doing applications again, finding professors to write recommendations, etc.
I think this is an important post to make, as there are people who are doing so much more than I am. For example, I know transfers who:
- Are part of the Timmy Foundation, going to Guatemala!
- Do work with BUILD; one friend is going to Guatemala this winter break
- Started an Amnesty International chapter here
- Working with the Daily
- Give tours with the admissions office
- Have acted in plays
- Are taking on internships outside of Tufts
- And much, much, much more!
The point being- I’m just one person and one voice from a really diverse group of transfer students. Everyone has a different story. One friend took a gap year and spent six months in France, another transferred twice, and yet another one took a year off to work for One Laptop Per Child. I can’t claim to speak for all transfers through this blog, but I think the below is accurate:
Transfer students are just as, if not more, active on campus than any Tufts student who entered the university as a freshman! Don’t underestimate transfers, they’ll surprise you 
