Tufts students and their Somerville neighbors are not always the best of friends, but some students on campus get to see the relationship from both sides.
In recent weeks the Somerville police have begun cracking down on off-campus parties after a surge of neighbor complaints.
"The area around Tufts is not really the best place for the school," senior Katie O'Keefe said. "It is very family oriented; a lot of older people live around here."
O'Keefe, who grew up outside of Davis Square, said students have a right to enjoy life at college. If another Somerville resident complains about noise, she said, "I might get defensive on the behalf of Tufts."
Some students from Somerville said they grew up too far away from Tufts to be affected by off-campus parties. They said they do not feel conflicted about being both a local resident and a cause of many of their neighbors' ire.
They said most Tufts students are insulated from life in the rest of Somerville.
"Tufts students, a lot of times, think, 'Oh, scary Somerville people,'" senior Kathleen Bohan said. "There's a lot of stereotypes. I had a hard time my freshman year when all the time I got people saying, 'townie.'"
Bohan, who grew up in the Ten Hills neighborhood, said rumors that Somerville High School graduates can get into the University easier are wrong. "There's this belief that Somerville High School students have a connection, which is not true at all," she said.
The large number of Somerville High School graduates at Tufts, she said, is due to the large number of applications. Students in the top thirty spots of their graduating class are advised to apply to Tufts, she said.
O'Keefe said Tufts has a positive affect on Somerville through programs such as Kids' Day. "My family is in love with this university," she said.
Bohan agreed the University has a positive image in the surrounding community, but she said more could be done to improve the connection.
"Brandeis gives out two full scholarships to Waltham students every year," she said. "Tufts does not have a program like that."
When they applied to Tufts, students from Somerville said they found the advantages of staying close to home outweighed the disadvantages.
"I really liked the fact that I was so close to home," junior Lana Luo said. "It's really convenient." Luo lived in East Somerville before coming to Tufts.
Bohan also took location into consideration. "When I was looking at schools, I said, nothing north of Massachusetts, because it is too cold," she said. "Nothing too far west because that would be far away from home. Not New York, because I hate the Yankees, and that meant no New Jersey, too."
She applied only to schools in New England, and decided on Tufts over Boston College.
All three students from Somerville said while they are at Tufts, they distinguish between home and school worlds - but they do not mind a home-cooked meal and free laundry once in a while.
