For some Tufts students, the word "home" evokes thoughts of a far-off place - another city, another state, or even another country. For self-proclaimed "townies," however, Medford, Mass. is home.
"I was born and raised in this area, so I have lived here for 18 years," freshman Paul Reilly said.
According to Reilly, he isn't the only one who stays close to home. "Around seven people per year [are] accepted from my high school," Reilly said.
When applying to schools, many students consider the location of a college to be a factor in their decision. For some, the proximity of the Tufts campus to their home is considered a positive trait. "It gives me the opportunity to stay close to my family, and it's easy to have my friends visit me when they come home from college," Reilly said
Others, however, feel the Tufts campus is a little close to home. "Location was a factor [in my decision]," graduate student Lindsey Bosak said. "I applied to a few schools out of state and wanted to leave Massachusetts. I wasn't accepted to the ones further away, and Tufts was a great alternative."
"I was concerned I wouldn't like being close to home, and I didn't at first," Bosak added. "But after first semester freshman year, I loved being close and took advantage of it all the time."
Some local high school students ignore the location of Tufts all together. "When I was deciding on colleges, location was probably the least of my worries," freshman Rony Jaques said.
Whether or not students from the surrounding area consider the location of Tufts in the application process, the proximity of campus does come into play after enrollment. Students with nearby home bases must then decide whether to commute - and remain living with their families - or relocate to an on-campus room.
"I think as a freshman, students can benefit from living on campus because it allows them to become familiar with the campus and the resources here that are available for them," Director of Residential Life Yolanda King said. "Students would probably find it easier to connect with their peers through socializing on campus, and would get to know them better [by living in the dorms]."
Though Coordinator of the Commuting Program Veronica Carter said that "the Commuter House is a major resource and the center for the commuting population," she also concurred that "the commuting students have a more difficult time integrating into the Tufts community."
"I do not have the exact number of students currently commuting, but I can tell you that it is not a large number of students," Carter added.
Reilly explained that he chose to live on campus "so that I can be out on my own and have the full college experience."
Bosak, too, desired a sense of independence. "I lived on campus because even though I stayed in Medford, I wanted to feel like I was 'away' at college, and I did!" said Bosak, who remained on campus all four years of her undergraduate career. "Freshmen year I lived in Miller, and for the next three years I lived in [sorority house] AOII, which was great."
"Now, as a graduate student, I live off campus because it's not necessary for me to use the graduate housing, as I'm not from out of state," Bosak added.
"I live on campus because the financial package that I received allowed me to stay on campus," Jaques said. "Plus, the living environment at home was not a place were I could be productive."
In contrast, senior Steven Boutrus found that the benefits of commuting outweighed the perks of staying on campus. Though not from Medford, Boutrus can still qualify as somewhat of a local.
"I've been commuting from my parents' home in Salem, New Hampshire, a 30 mile, 40-minute drive, since I entered Tufts my freshman year," Boutrus said. "This type of commuting is more common at state colleges, but is almost nonexistent at Tufts, and I'm sure it seems strange to most students that anyone would drive that far."
"For most students who commute from their parents' homes, the main, and often the only, advantage to commuting is the money saved by freedom from paying room and board," Boutrus said.
Boutrus also had another reason to commute his freshman year. "Personally, I started commuting as a freshman because if I had not been a commuter, I would not have been allowed to have my car on campus," Boutrus said. "I wanted the freedom to come and go whenever I wanted."
"There would not have been any way for me to get home to New Hampshire on weekends or holidays without a car," Boutrus added.
Bosak, however, was very pleased that she opted not to commute. "I would definitely live on campus for four years - it's the only way to really get the full college experience," Bosak said. "You go home when you want to, but you never have to, which is nice."<$>
