One of Tufts' biggest selling points is its proximity to Boston and the city's thousands of college students. From Newbury Street to the North End, prospective and incoming students can envision an array of excursions to Boston as an integral part of their upcoming daily lives. Many students, however, are finding it more difficult to explore Boston than they had anticipated.
Of 12 random Jumbos asked, the majority said they left the confines of campus life to go downtown less than once a week, with the average student making it into the city approximately three times per month.
"I'm trying to work on it this semester," senior Carly Okyle said regarding her lack of urban exploration. "Whenever I go [into Boston], I say to myself, 'this is such a great city.'" The English major said Boston plays much less of a part in her college experience than she had initially hoped and expected.
For some students, especially underclassmen without cars, leaving campus is not appealing due to Boston's T system, which tends to shut down much earlier than students normally stay out. With the recent raise in ticket price to $2.00 each and the implementation of the Charlie card, some find a ride on the T adds both money and time to a night out.
Freshman Jessie Borkan said the subway's early closing times have limited her late-night city exploration.
"If [the T] didn't close at 1 a.m., I'd go in [to Boston] more," Borkan said.
In 2005, the TCU Senate began offering an alternative for students frustrated with taking subways into Boston on weekends. Every Friday and Saturday night, Tufts runs a free shuttle into Boston for students.
"The Boston Bus Shuttle is funded by the TCU Senate, and runs every Friday and Saturday night," sophomore and TCU Senator Padden Murphy said in an e-mail to the Daily. "The first bus picks up at Tufts at 9 p.m. and the last bus leaves Boston at 2:35 a.m."
The Shuttle leaves from the campus center each hour and stops near the Boston Common and near Fenway Park, according to Murphy. Though it has been running for over a year, the shuttle has remained under the radar for some students.
"I've heard of it, but I've never used it," Borkan said.
Unlike schools in non-stop, never-sleep cities like New York, college students in Boston are also faced with notoriously strict underage drinking and carding policies at bars and clubs - popular urban hotspots for many over the age of 18.
When selecting a college, freshman Andrew Helms, who hails from a mostly urban area on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., wanted to remain in a city environment. "I was only really looking at urban schools," he said.
Now, Helms would like to take advantage of his urban surroundings, but finds that there are obstacles in his way. "I do enjoy going to bars," he said. "I would socially go out more if I was able to go to bars."
Emma Blumstein, a freshman from Brookline, Massachusetts, reflected on her years of pre-college experience with the city.
"I love Boston, it's a great walking city ... [but] you don't take advantage of a lot of things until you're 21," she said. "I go to Cambridge more than actual Boston [now] ... I probably went into Boston a little bit more in high school."
Blumstein, like many students, views her tendency to remain on Tufts' campus as positive.
"Campus is nice, and there's free food here," she said with a laugh, adding that she also enjoys the areas most directly surrounding Tufts. "When I'm a junior or senior, I'll probably just use Somerville more."
For sophomore Tess Jasinski, it's the cold weather that keeps her on the hill, since a trip to Boston during the winter almost always involves walking outside.
"I go in about once a month [right now]," she said. "I'll probably go in [more] when it gets warmer."
Similarly, Okyle is content with campus life even in her last semester as an undergraduate at Tufts.
"There's no real need to go into the city," Okyle said, "Campus is great."
For many students, Boston is not the main draw to student life at Tufts, but rather an exciting sideline benefit of being here.
"I didn't come to Tufts with Boston as the number one attraction," Borkan said. "I just like having it there."
Helms agreed. "I feel like I should go [to Boston] more, but I'm perfectly content with my social life here," he said. "I go to shows and concerts every now and then, and that's a good break from the Tufts social scene."
Sophomore Marlee Kutcher said visiting Boston once in a while is enough.
"It definitely takes up time," Kutcher said, "and you end up spending more money when you go into Boston."
