My Expectations:
- Getting to campus from the airport will be stressful.
- Making new friends will be terrifying.
- Everyone will be smarter than me/have more experience in this field.
- I will have no free time.
Reality:
- No more than five minutes after arriving at baggage claim, I got a call from Tufts staff notifying me of their location and ensuring that I got off my flight safely; it was not stressful at all!
- Though this was just a Pre-College Program, Tufts is still known for its incredible community, and I am so grateful to have been able to experience even a taste of it. Stepping out of my dorm meant meeting new people from different places and fostering interesting conversations‚ which I enjoyed even as a natural introvert.
- There were people of all experience levels at this camp, allowing me to both learn from my peers and have the opportunity to teach others.
- Though the schedule looks jam-packed at first glance, the work-play time was extremely well-balanced. For example, we toured a Dairy Farm and state park on one of the field trip days, then a group of my friends and I chose to go into Boston and had the time and energy to eat, grab dessert, watch interpretive dances in the park, and walk around some historic parts of Boston, all while being in bed before ten!
When thinking about Tufts Pre-College, I definitely lean towards the positive side! Although I probably could have prevented a ton of stress (especially my stress overpacking) had I adopted this mindset earlier, a majority of the time, things worked out perfectly. And in the off-chance things don't go as planned, there are always people around who are able and willing to help you out!