From the Amalgamates and the Caribbean Club to the Ultimate Frisbee team and the Zamboni, students have over 150 options if they want to get involved in activities at Tufts. But does the breadth of student activities that sounds so enticing in admissions brochures lose its appeal by the time students become upperclassmen?
Ed Cabellon, assistant director of Student Activities and advisor to the Senior Class Council, doesn't think so.
"I think juniors and seniors are more involved than freshmen and sophomores," Cabellon said. "They are more mature and can balance things. Freshmen and sophomores are still getting used to the routine, [and] it takes some people a while to find their niche."
Cabellon estimates that close to 70-80 percent of seniors are involved in something. The numbers may not be immediately obvious, since 40 percent of juniors are abroad each semester. Cabellon also said that by the time a student becomes a senior, they are looking to get as much from Tufts as they can. "Seniors start thinking, 'What have I not done yet?'" he said.
Seniors are also more likely to hold higher positions within organizations than are underclassmen. "The bigger student organizations like LCS, the Senate, and Program Board are run by seniors, because of the level of responsibility," Cabellon said. "Seniors know [school] politics and the way to do things.
Cabellon added that involved seniors are very passionate about their activities. "Their hearts are in it," he said. "It might not start out like that, but that's how it ends up."
Senior Andrea Perry found that in her experience in LCS, University Chorale, and sororities, Cabellon's assessment is accurate. Since freshman year, she has cut down on the number of activities she participates in to focus more on just a few.
"Now I spend most of my time on [duties for my] sorority positions," Parry said. "I was president of Alpha Phi, and now I'm the director of new member orientation. I dropped everything else."
Student activities may be even more important than internships in preparing upperclassmen for life after Tufts, according to Cabellon. For one thing, mistakes are easily forgivable in campus life, but not so much in a job.
Running a student organization may stand out more on applications or resumes. "What separates Tufts students when applying for a job or to law school is their involvement...Everyone did internships, but not everyone got involved," Cabellon said.
Plus, activities can be related to career interests, giving students the best of both worlds. "Pre-vet kids do the pre-veterinary society," Cabellon said. As upperclassmen, "most students start to migrate to things more related to future careers. Student activities are... the 'cherry on top' for a Tufts career."
Sophomore Emily Rhodes, for one, believes her activities will contribute to her future plans. "I'm involved in LCS and TFA [Tufts Feminist Alliance] and Student Outreach now, and I imagine that it will probably be the same [activities], if not a few more, during my junior and senior year," Rhodes said. "My future job will hopefully be with community organizations, so I think LCS will help with that."
Junior Steve Krubiner says he became active in student organizations only after his freshman year. He believes he will be even more involved when he comes back after a semester abroad.
Although Krubiner was very involved in high school activities, he wanted to focus on schoolwork and meeting people during his freshman year. "I've been more involved sophomore and junior year," he said. "I've been a tour guide for two years, and I was a Big Brother last year. I want to start a juggling club senior year, and I may do an internship. I will definitely maintain the same involvement."
Kristine Dillon, the dean of Academic Services and Student Affairs, works with the Senior Leadership Corps, which consists of about one hundred seniors nominated by class deans. The students are active leaders on campus, Dillon explains, even through their last semester at Tufts.
"They volunteer their time and care about the quality of the campus experience and about their ongoing relationship to Tufts once they graduate," Dillon said.
It seems that students agree with Cabellon's words: "The secret to success in college is being involved."
